Stables

It was certainly a very suspect drive by Nathan

Suspect does not have to mean illegal or illicit it can mean lacking in judgement as I think was the situation in this case. Yes the horse was on the bit, but not so badly he couldn't have waited for a second or two for the passing lane to come up. If he had done that he would have won the race

All the best to everyone who has contributed to this great year for us here at RaceCafe.
Let's hope all our members and their loved ones, have a safe and Merry Christmas and all of us have a very prosperous 2019.
Leigh.

Yep, handing up, handing up to stablemates--not so subtle team driving that has been going on for years but who is going to take them on with only one in the race. If you do manage to grab the lead they will send one up to eyeball whilst giving cover to the rest of the team.
Been there, done that and therefore have left the arena.

Thank you Iraklis and Fartoomuch. I enjoyed the debate

Iraklis, you've got a closed mind. It so happens that the same things would be said by me if the dominant trainer  was someone else. I am not saying these things out of envy,  I have bred and raced many horses that have competed successfully at the top level. including one trained by Mark Purdon. All I am saying is that this dominance will result in the Industry grounding to a slow but ever closer death. I will have nothing further to say on this subject as we so far have both made our point without resorting to insults. Best regards for your future involvement in harness racing

Thank you Iraklis and Fartoomuch. I enjoyed the debate

If you read my posts, you will see that I have not blamed All Stars for the current situation. What has occured is the result of one stable completely dominating the harness racing scene, with turnovers going down due to the increased dominance of hot favourites and consequently the resultant inability of clubs to increase stakes. This dominance is not good for the industry as is a monopoly is bad for any industry. It destroys competition as it gains in strength and sucks the live blood out. I don't Mark Purdon, he is making hay while the sun shines but there are dark clouds on the horizon. I blame the administrators who must see the direction harness racing is heading and have sat on their hands and done nothing, They have tinkered with the handicapping and achieved nothing but a huge glut of horses in the one win grade who find it hard to win another because they are racing  4 and 5 win horses due to the wide range of ratings that clubs use to make up their fields. As I have said before the only solution is to increase stakes for the lower class of horse by reducing stakes for horses racing in the superior classes, it is not socialism as stated by Fartoomuch but  a redistribution of funds in order to achieve the continuance of the industry

Iraklis, you've got a closed mind. It so happens that the same things would be said by me if the dominant trainer  was someone else. I am not saying these things out of envy,  I have bred and raced many horses that have competed successfully at the top level. including one trained by Mark Purdon. All I am saying is that this dominance will result in the Industry grounding to a slow but ever closer death. I will have nothing further to say on this subject as we so far have both made our point without resorting to insults. Best regards for your future involvement in harness racing

In an earlier era the winners were shared around a number of trainers who each had their loyal group of owners, the trainers premiership was shared amongst a large group of trainers and often went right down to the close of the season before it was decided. Group races were also shared amongst a large group of owners. Now one trainer has all the owners and they now just have shares in horses as it is no longer affordable to have a horse in training by yourself. The stakes for ordinary races are so low that even if you had a horse capable of winning 4 races in a season you would be lucky to break even. Now one trainer wins all the group races and quite often fills the first 3 or 4 placings. If a Purdon horse goes to the front, as happens in most races they contest, no one dares to try and take the lead off them, except one of his stablemates and then the lead is given up without contest. It was refreshing to see Tiger Tara's driver attack Purdon's horse in the cup as no New Zealand driver would have the balls to take on a Purdon horse. At the yearling sales when Purdon is bidding on a horse very few dare to bid against him and many a horse goes to his stable at a price well below its true value. Is it any wonder that people are selling their horses to Australia or the USA and not buying replacements. Young trainers struggle to buy horses and establish a training  establishment due to the huge cost involved. Without the support of a parent in the game or a wealthy sponsor it is well nigh impossible. None of these things are caused by the rating system as it has been changed so many times and each new system has ended up with the same result. The main problem is the concentration of money into 2 and 3 year old racing and the low stakes for ordinary class races. Before I get attacked by the AS brigade I would like to state that this is not an attack on Mark Purdon and his team. I admire Marks success and regard him as the best trainer I have seen. Unless things change however I cannot see the industry surviving for much longer and then Mark Purdon will just have to race his own horses against each other. In fact in many races this is almost happening already

Fartoomuch and Iraklis, you are both obviously Mark Purdon fans and I presume you have a share of a horse or two in his stable, you would therefore find it very difficult to see things from the other side. We are each entitled to our opinions and I'll stick to mine

Fartoomuch and Iraklis, you are both obviously Mark Purdon fans and I presume you have a share of a horse or two in his stable, you would therefore find it very difficult to see things from the other side. We are each entitled to our opinions and I'll stick to mine

If you read my comments correctly Iraklis you would have seen that I was not blaming Mark P. I was just describing what the situation is like for everyone but Mark Purdon. His success is incredible but the effect of this success is that the rest of the industry are suffering from a slow strangulation. Mark had 2 main helpers to get him self established, the financial assistance of his father and the reputation of the Purdon name. In addition he had huge financial assistance from John Seaton. These factors plus his own natural ability made it easy for him to rise to the top. Very few other trainers have such assistance from families and friends. Mark has established a super market system where huge numbers of horses are processed, those with ability rise to the top, the rest are discarded. Many of those discarded horses have the ability to win races but not Group or classic races. Other trainers could be likened to the corner dairy struggling to survive with the little they've got. This situation is not a recipe for a successful industry and could well be the cause for the situation we find ourselves in at the moment with the Inca investigation as many people struggle to make ends meet. Turnover on harness racing is down 20% this season and if we continue to decline at that level then most of those so called corner dairy trainers will have to close up shop. If we look at reducing the stake levels for  the many group races and redistribute these funds to the lower rating classes there would be a huge boost in stakes for the lessor grade races without too much damage to the higher tier of racing. For example would it make any difference to the quality of the field if the NZ Cup was worth $500,000 instead of $800,000. It would simply mean that Mark Purdon would earn less and there would be enough left to provide a liveable wage for the remaining trainers

If you read my comments correctly Iraklis you would have seen that I was not blaming Mark P. I was just describing what the situation is like for everyone but Mark Purdon. His success is incredible but the effect of this success is that the rest of the industry are suffering from a slow strangulation. Mark had 2 main helpers to get him self established, the financial assistance of his father and the reputation of the Purdon name. In addition he had huge financial assistance from John Seaton. These factors plus his own natural ability made it easy for him to rise to the top. Very few other trainers have such assistance from families and friends. Mark has established a super market system where huge numbers of horses are processed, those with ability rise to the top, the rest are discarded. Many of those discarded horses have the ability to win races but not Group or classic races. Other trainers could be likened to the corner dairy struggling to survive with the little they've got. This situation is not a recipe for a successful industry and could well be the cause for the situation we find ourselves in at the moment with the Inca investigation as many people struggle to make ends meet. Turnover on harness racing is down 20% this season and if we continue to decline at that level then most of those so called corner dairy trainers will have to close up shop. If we look at reducing the stake levels for  the many group races and redistribute these funds to the lower rating classes there would be a huge boost in stakes for the lessor grade races without too much damage to the higher tier of racing. For example would it make any difference to the quality of the field if the NZ Cup was worth $500,000 instead of $800,000. It would simply mean that Mark Purdon would earn less and there would be enough left to provide a liveable wage for the remaining trainers

In an earlier era the winners were shared around a number of trainers who each had their loyal group of owners, the trainers premiership was shared amongst a large group of trainers and often went right down to the close of the season before it was decided. Group races were also shared amongst a large group of owners. Now one trainer has all the owners and they now just have shares in horses as it is no longer affordable to have a horse in training by yourself. The stakes for ordinary races are so low that even if you had a horse capable of winning 4 races in a season you would be lucky to break even. Now one trainer wins all the group races and quite often fills the first 3 or 4 placings. If a Purdon horse goes to the front, as happens in most races they contest, no one dares to try and take the lead off them, except one of his stablemates and then the lead is given up without contest. It was refreshing to see Tiger Tara's driver attack Purdon's horse in the cup as no New Zealand driver would have the balls to take on a Purdon horse. At the yearling sales when Purdon is bidding on a horse very few dare to bid against him and many a horse goes to his stable at a price well below its true value. Is it any wonder that people are selling their horses to Australia or the USA and not buying replacements. Young trainers struggle to buy horses and establish a training  establishment due to the huge cost involved. Without the support of a parent in the game or a wealthy sponsor it is well nigh impossible. None of these things are caused by the rating system as it has been changed so many times and each new system has ended up with the same result. The main problem is the concentration of money into 2 and 3 year old racing and the low stakes for ordinary class races. Before I get attacked by the AS brigade I would like to state that this is not an attack on Mark Purdon and his team. I admire Marks success and regard him as the best trainer I have seen. Unless things change however I cannot see the industry surviving for much longer and then Mark Purdon will just have to race his own horses against each other. In fact in many races this is almost happening already

In an earlier era the winners were shared around a number of trainers who each had their loyal group of owners, the trainers premiership was shared amongst a large group of trainers and often went right down to the close of the season before it was decided. Group races were also shared amongst a large group of owners. Now one trainer has all the owners and they now just have shares in horses as it is no longer affordable to have a horse in training by yourself. The stakes for ordinary races are so low that even if you had a horse capable of winning 4 races in a season you would be lucky to break even. Now one trainer wins all the group races and quite often fills the first 3 or 4 placings. If a Purdon horse goes to the front, as happens in most races they contest, no one dares to try and take the lead off them, except one of his stablemates and then the lead is given up without contest. It was refreshing to see Tiger Tara's driver attack Purdon's horse in the cup as no New Zealand driver would have the balls to take on a Purdon horse. At the yearling sales when Purdon is bidding on a horse very few dare to bid against him and many a horse goes to his stable at a price well below its true value. Is it any wonder that people are selling their horses to Australia or the USA and not buying replacements. Young trainers struggle to buy horses and establish a training  establishment due to the huge cost involved. Without the support of a parent in the game or a wealthy sponsor it is well nigh impossible. None of these things are caused by the rating system as it has been changed so many times and each new system has ended up with the same result. The main problem is the concentration of money into 2 and 3 year old racing and the low stakes for ordinary class races. Before I get attacked by the AS brigade I would like to state that this is not an attack on Mark Purdon and his team. I admire Marks success and regard him as the best trainer I have seen. Unless things change however I cannot see the industry surviving for much longer and then Mark Purdon will just have to race his own horses against each other. In fact in many races this is almost happening already

In an earlier era the winners were shared around a number of trainers who each had their loyal group of owners, the trainers premiership was shared amongst a large group of trainers and often went right down to the close of the season before it was decided. Group races were also shared amongst a large group of owners. Now one trainer has all the owners and they now just have shares in horses as it is no longer affordable to have a horse in training by yourself. The stakes for ordinary races are so low that even if you had a horse capable of winning 4 races in a season you would be lucky to break even. Now one trainer wins all the group races and quite often fills the first 3 or 4 placings. If a Purdon horse goes to the front, as happens in most races they contest, no one dares to try and take the lead off them, except one of his stablemates and then the lead is given up without contest. It was refreshing to see Tiger Tara's driver attack Purdon's horse in the cup as no New Zealand driver would have the balls to take on a Purdon horse. At the yearling sales when Purdon is bidding on a horse very few dare to bid against him and many a horse goes to his stable at a price well below its true value. Is it any wonder that people are selling their horses to Australia or the USA and not buying replacements. Young trainers struggle to buy horses and establish a training  establishment due to the huge cost involved. Without the support of a parent in the game or a wealthy sponsor it is well nigh impossible. None of these things are caused by the rating system as it has been changed so many times and each new system has ended up with the same result. The main problem is the concentration of money into 2 and 3 year old racing and the low stakes for ordinary class races. Before I get attacked by the AS brigade I would like to state that this is not an attack on Mark Purdon and his team. I admire Marks success and regard him as the best trainer I have seen. Unless things change however I cannot see the industry surviving for much longer and then Mark Purdon will just have to race his own horses against each other. In fact in many races this is almost happening already

In an earlier era the winners were shared around a number of trainers who each had their loyal group of owners, the trainers premiership was shared amongst a large group of trainers and often went right down to the close of the season before it was decided. Group races were also shared amongst a large group of owners. Now one trainer has all the owners and they now just have shares in horses as it is no longer affordable to have a horse in training by yourself. The stakes for ordinary races are so low that even if you had a horse capable of winning 4 races in a season you would be lucky to break even. Now one trainer wins all the group races and quite often fills the first 3 or 4 placings. If a Purdon horse goes to the front, as happens in most races they contest, no one dares to try and take the lead off them, except one of his stablemates and then the lead is given up without contest. It was refreshing to see Tiger Tara's driver attack Purdon's horse in the cup as no New Zealand driver would have the balls to take on a Purdon horse. At the yearling sales when Purdon is bidding on a horse very few dare to bid against him and many a horse goes to his stable at a price well below its true value. Is it any wonder that people are selling their horses to Australia or the USA and not buying replacements. Young trainers struggle to buy horses and establish a training  establishment due to the huge cost involved. Without the support of a parent in the game or a wealthy sponsor it is well nigh impossible. None of these things are caused by the rating system as it has been changed so many times and each new system has ended up with the same result. The main problem is the concentration of money into 2 and 3 year old racing and the low stakes for ordinary class races. Before I get attacked by the AS brigade I would like to state that this is not an attack on Mark Purdon and his team. I admire Marks success and regard him as the best trainer I have seen. Unless things change however I cannot see the industry surviving for much longer and then Mark Purdon will just have to race his own horses against each other. In fact in many races this is almost happening already

That was the Judges statement when the charges were first presented. All evidence has now been provided to the defendants and their Barristers and I can assure you the evidence looks pretty thin in most cases. It has also been presented to HRNZ and I can assure you they were shocked about the weakness of the police case against many of the people charged. This is all a storm in a tea cup and the police will come out of it with egg on their faces

How many shares are being sold at $50,000 and what entitlement does that give you?

Riccarton track today will be heavy. The rainfall in Christchurch over the last 36 hours has been torrential

Lawyers for their defence took time to prepare the appropriate documents for the submissions to the RIU and the RIU took its Time responding to their submissions. I can assure you there was no delay from the defendants because of doubts about their innocence.

Lawyers for their defence took time to prepare the appropriate documents for the submissions to the RIU and the RIU took its Time responding to their submissions. I can assure you there was no delay from the defendants because of doubts about their innocence.

So sorry to hear that, he was a fine man

So sorry to hear that, he was a fine man