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Once again you avoid answering the questions put to you whether your name is zzz zzzzz, The Prodigal Son. pullyourselftogether, mr x or editor. Is it not true that the Galloping code received in excess of $9 million dollars this last financial year from Pokies?? Just explain without all the unecessary vitriol where you would find the same amount of money to prop up the Stakes so badly needed?? Or do you subscribe to selling off assetts to prop you up again and again??? You talk about your principles as though you are a knight in shining armour, and tell me I have none. You do not know me or anything about me other than I disagree with your cowardly attacks on people while hiding behind a series of non de plumes. That's truly principled. You resort to gutter language again while hiding behind the fact that you own Race Cafe and can break every rule you set out in your "unshackled " thread. That's truly principled. You call me selfish again hiding behind your "editor" alias. Why don't you just accept that your reasoning is need of treatment. Your attack on Pat O'Brien and the Bluegrass Trust is completley unwarranted, and you still have not answered my question in relation to the amount of funding they have made available this year. You have repeatedly brought the racing industry into disrepute and have no foundation to base your unprincipled accusations on. As I said earlier Pat O'Brien is held in higher esteem amongst his peers that you ever will be. Dum spiramus tuebimur

Hi Matt, You may well be right, but until someone comes up with a way to contribute another $20 million to their coffers what else can be done. You like a bet that I know. just as I do. I like playing the pokies and whilst I know it sometimes is wasteful I know that some money is going back into the local community. It is fun and if treated as such then that's fine by me. I work hard and if I want to have a bet I will whether it be the Pokies, Casino or the TAB. I do not bet with any one but the TAB in both Aus & NZ so at least some of my money ends back in stakes.

Is it not true that the Bluegrass Trust was set up to provide the Racing Industry with a Trust almost solely to dispense funds to that same Industry. Seeing you know so much about them you will also know that from their small outlet base they have given almost 50/50 to both Galloping And Harness Clubs. I think you will find that Pat O'brien is held in higher regard than yourself in all codes. I believe also that last year both Gallops and Harness received nearly $20 million between their respective codes from Pokie Trusts. Perhaps you could work out someway that amount of money could be replaced if all pokies went. You are supposed to be a trainer and as such are not supposed to say or do anything that will bring Racing or its Participants into disrepute. I would have thought in your interest to play the ball and not the man, especially presenting your arguements the way you do. Look at the thread dated 23/02/10 by "balmynight" and this is just a repitition of the same old garbage discussed then. So unless you have some concrete evidence against the Bluegrass trust I would suggest you confine your comments to the truth and not wild speculation. Racing needs Pokies.

So your arguement is that ?? Racing Clubs ( not Harness or Greyhound ) do not benefit from Grants made from Trusts. or That only Harness Clubs are involved in wroughts. See the result of the Lion Foundation Grants made in the Northern Region April 2010 to June 2010, and see who is the biggest benefactor. http://www.lionfoundation.org.nz/helped/grant-history/northern/acc/201101/ You have one rule for yourself and one for others. Liars, Cheats and Frauds come from all walks of life. Singling out Harness Racing and referring to them the way you do does you no credit. Most Sporting Clubs in NZ have benefited in some way from Charitable Trusts and why should they not. Not every Charitable Trust is crooked and those that have broken the rules have been found out and punished. Maybe I've missed something but where does your infatuation with the O'Briens involvement evolve from???

A: 3 B: 8 C: 2 Either I win here or lose $15. $5 to win on my picks has netted a small profit so far.

http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/slideshowajax/newslideshowleague/114863/tough-men-of-league.slideshow Courtesy of Courier Mail. Will no doubt create some interesting comment. For me they've left out two Broncos in Shane Webkhe and Brad Thorn.

Race 1: 7 Race 2: 6 Race 3: 8 Race 4: 3 Race 5: 9 Race 6: 6 Race 7: 9 B/B Race 8: 3 Race 9: 10 Race 10: 2

Race 1: 11 Race 2: 10 Race 3: 7 Race 4: 6 B/B Race 5: 13 Race 6: 11 Race 7: 4 Race 8: 6 Race 9: 13 Race 1p: 3

Race 1: 6 Race 2: 10 B/B Race 3: 5 Race 4: 6 Race 5: 10 Race 6: 5 Race 7: 5 Race 8: 3

You are wrong about the Entertainment Centre. It was a very good investment for Addington Raceway at that time. I know how much it earnt Addington then, do you?? As I've been gone for 7 plus years I do not have any information regarding its input into the Raceway coffers other than the Financial report I along with all Members receive each year. From memory The Entertainment Centre pays it's way. Have not had the pleasure of meeting Shane, but I do hear good things about him. As for the Committee "fightening" the previous CEO that's a beauty.

btw: true Agree the decision not to go ahead with the conversion of the Canterbury Park area was regretable. Who was to blame?? I think we know the answer, but as you say 2 of the 3 players are no longer with us. I do not remember the Godfather of Harness Racing is in respect to your comment. The Excelsior, was if I remember correctly a DB bar prior to being taken over. If we signed up it may have been to keep DB in the loop, but it was a long time ago. I heard about the proposal put forward, but as you say it was after my time. Like I said it should have happened long before that. People who were on the original Board of the merged 3 Club new Met were in agreement in principle, but our then CEO was reluctant and did not move with the time frame we would have preferred. Sadly Kypros was not accepted by some in the decision making process. Shame really. If I reacted to your first statement it was because after reading a lot of ill informed people talking about the Pokies at Addington I took your comments seriously. The first Board was made up of good people with Harness Racing first and foremost. They were committed to the success of the Club. Only one area I along with three or four others were really concerned about was the general catering, but that's another story. I hope the new CEO and current Chairman are able to change the Council's point of view. Politics??? Now to Kevin Morton/zzz asking me to respond. Unlike them I no longer am required by obligation ( which I enjoyed ) to jump on Race Cafe just to respond to any such question. Kevin I remember a really proud man at the Shirley Working Man's Club when you started out as a budding young Jockey, so I've been around for sometime. I know Eclipse was a capable CEO. Did I knock him?? I think not but as I said to him in this post the original Board was a capable body of people and I believe his post says that. Hope that helps.

10 years ago the Board Members included the very people that gave the Company you worked for solace rights for Beer at Addington. So I suppose your last sentence is true. You obviously were privvy to Board discussions or so you may have thought, but the truth is that the subject of Pokies and Bar at Addington were very much debated. So much so that I would agree that a mistake was made then to go outside and buy a Hotel which again your then Company benefited from. You have no idea how much effort was put into trying to get certain Board Members to agree otherwise. Yes we missed the boat but not because of your view of what you believe occured. I do agree though that the handling of the approach to Council could have been better handled. It is a shame that the old Canterbury Park Bar was not converted then. That was the time to do it. We had the vision but lacked the right people to make the final decision.

Melbourne: 1 Brisbane: 4 Sydney: 3

Race 1: 7 Race 2: 8 Race 3: 12 Race 4: 4 Race 5: 1 Race 6: 15 Race 7: 3 Race 8: 7 Race 9: 10 B/B Race 10: 3