tasman man 11

Sure did , gave Stig it's toughest run for a while. That horse that was hellbent on taking the lead will sleep well tonight. Alan gave a good interview too !!!!

One compelling reason could be the C0 Trot , a classic example being Forbury tonight. A second reason could be horse numbers.....Cambridge seemed to attract some poor C0 trot fields and and also poor 2700m C0 pacing fields....in fact often several small fields. I would not say Amateur fields are regularly in Pick 6.......pick 6 for some time has not been overly popular at the lesser Harness meetings. A question for you Jack......What is the difference between an Amateur driver and many 'Pro" drivers who drive as infrequently ??? Another possible justification could be in Amateur races there is less difference between the best and worst drivers in the race !!!! And often the Amateur horses are better as they don't drive maidens !!!!

Not so long ago Junior Drivers races were upsetting the punters....horses breaking ,especially favourites , poor tempo and poor decisions. Then the C0 trotters ruined betting options...too many breakers. Then the standing starts became the focus.....ban em....shambles !!! Recently the mobile car has been driven at inconsistent speeds , ruining races. Throw in relatives ,brothers etc.....they have turns !!! It's never been easy ,but I have noticed this......for years there has great value with harness dividends ,especially Pick 6. The Amateur races are among the easiest to pick......most times easily nailed in a maximum of 3 picks and I heard the commentator pointing out that one driver was dominating the Northern meetings. Also there are many meetings without these races....they aren't every meeting ,and horse numbers often exceed other races on the card. If you bet on multis,again there are many options. If you like doubles....I'd ask why ??the pools are puny. If you like trebles there are others on each card. Quaddies and pick 6 covered above. I don't see what the hoo-haaa is about. Last week I saw Saddle Trots on Aussie Harness and saw them live on Ballarat cup night last year. Now that looked like fun !!!!

I remember in 2004 hearing Murray interviewed on radio prior to a ride and he said he had not ridden a winner for 28years...classic !! I bump into him from time to time and in recent years he has continued his interest and passion in working with horses ,riding trackwork etc at Trentham in particular and also possibly Karaka and even Aussie. He's a nice guy....I remember him when he was an apprentice in 1970's to A.N.Didham [young Arthur] at Wingatui...he rode a very fast sprinter called Shewetta. In addition he did the rounds with a young apprentice called zzz zzzzz and recalls a number of 'interesting' situations they found themselves in !!!!

Picks r1 9 & 10 r2 1 & 3 r3 2 & 10 r4 1 & 2 r5 3 & 10 BB r6 1 & 2 r7 7 & 9 r8 1 & 4 r9 4 & 11 r10 5 & 8 BB Cheers ps...from the sharks to the big sharks !!![Crusaders]

Pick M4 r7 #8 Miss Pelear [if scr #7 Full of S ] Thanks

The start [first time] was a shambles ,and a couple of horses went rough during race ,but overall the race didn't seem out of place on a fairly 'average' card. Certainly the number of starters OK and BETTING on the race seemed to be quite good.....very good cf later races. There have been several Amateur races run since the last negative posts, so generally they must be accepted as part of the scene now. Certainly the participants seem ,in the main, seem hard-working industry folk. Some argue thats fine ,they will stay involved regardless...just keep em non-tote out of publics ete. I actually enjoy watching them ,and having a nibble on em. If you don't like them ,don't watch and don't bet on em. Often good value divis on them...as per tonite !!!!

haha Young Gun you scallywag !!!!! From out of Avondale if I remember correctly....talking the smack !!! How did you get a degree?????? What about Sunlineboy ????....and bradez......what those 'young guns' up to ,have they left school yet ??

Very unusual......that horse had not been backed @ previous starts even after a useful third. My guess is that a punter ,possibly Aussie , intended to bet on the 'next race' at the NZ Dogs ,but bet next race and got the Trots. The #5 dog was 'hot' and got second....hot dog and tomato sauce and all that !!!!! I saw a similar mistake reported recently where an Aussie punter had a lick at what he thought was an Aussie Harness race ,but went on 'next race' ending up on a very 'rough' NZ Dog. Aussie-luck clicked in and the NZ Dog upset and won !!!!!

Happy New Year PJ, Hopefully the Aussie residents will line up for the Sharks again !!! I'll be a 'goer' again. Thanks

I see the youthful face of Chris Bayliss and a few of his thoughts on page G5 Career Guide in the SSTimes. He's....'uncompromising in his belief in his team and relentless in his pursuit of talent'. He is leading the NZRB with head,heart and guts. Reads like he empowers his staff and his retail managers[at TAB level] will be running their TAB as if its their own. It all sounds good !!!! He may even have a job for some of you !!!!....send him your ideas !!!!

It's that sort of field......no Blue Blood's ,Seachange ,Mufhasa or Aussie sprinters.....not even the Railway winner !!!! The fav currently on tote at $8 ,with next 4 over $10 !!!! The 2 stories I saw featured the one on local horse Final Touch and Durham Town. Many of field from #9 down ,relatively inexperienced hence few wins ,while top 8....easy to find reasons against them. If I was doing a preview[for other than the Press] , I'd feature Durham Town and Giuseppina ,especially after last year's race. Plus they have well-known owners !!!! Then maybe Nashville , who seems to have huge potential even tho 1200 possibly too short. Blue Blood won 3 times ,then the following year a lower-class 'hack' horse Extra Flash won @ $60.Them was rough odds!!

M4 R9.......#10 Burgundy . I'll stick with the peleton !!!! Thanks

Correct......time races by so we forget that Spiro ,tho he has been second in a few big races ,hasn't won for close to 2 years.\ He's won good money ,but in handicaps gets crucified with weight.

Ahhhhh Rumpole, the Duoro must have been some race if you can't even remember ONE winner !!! Trentham was the champagne turf , sadly now it is the champooo turf !!! You Wellington folk have not supported it.....you lost the National Sales , and lack of local support saw the power move north. Harness racing left years ago ,time Trentham closed too.....Most of the horses in CD are much closer to Awapuni , more people would attend throughout the year its much easier to get to etc and the track surface must be better, There have been some shockers in recent years. In the Halcyon days of 1960's and 1970's all the best horses from Takanini and the Far South [horses scarce there now too !!!] would converge on Trentham ...it was a true "National Championship"......hence the CD horses could still fill the fields at Ashhurst. Back then the Duoro was a big 'hack' race ,which was targeted in similar fashion as the Dunstan Stayers which did have a stake of $100k.[now $80k].The Duoro had a nice stake. Now it is just another Premier $30k race....in fact many Premier R85 races are worth $35k ,so it doesn't cut the mustard. Probably find a race at Gore or Waikouaiti worth more for that class of horse. The costs and inconvenience of getting to Trentham not worth it. The Public facilities @ Trentham are poor , weather average and Wellington people don't support the place. Extensive marketing ,Fashions ,the Telegraph and the 1200m shute gives it two OK days each year. The place should be closed !!!!

Lance would be a 'knight' if he was a Kiwi.....7 tour wins, wow !!!! Cycling is a puzzling sport , even in little ole NZ. At the weekend just gone there was a major National road race , and at end there was some sort of altercation between the winner {HRalston] and one of his main rivals. Then the race itself ,where the leader possibly slowed down to let HRalston ,his team mate, win. The Press photo showed the two holding hands just prior to the finish line ,making the write-up about the final stages sound like BS. Some wit wrote to todays Press pointing this farce out , comparing it with a controversy [badminton] @ Olympics where competitors were sent home for not trying/throwing games etc. Meanwhile ,some Kiwi cyclist {Swart ???} was awarded NZHerald's Kiwi of year for 'whistle-blowing' on Sir Lance ,even tho he himself admitted he took drugs and helped Sir Lance win while obviously not trying to win himself !!! Possibly tipping opposition into ditches etc !!!!! Puzzling Sport this cycling !!! Hell the hell did Sir Lance win 7 times when the whole field was cheating , has anyone checked the stop-watches used in the time-trials !!!!

This horse has a lot of potential and I too thought he would probably win. However , he is only 3 and was giving a start to most of his 'older' opposition. It was only his second standing start and his driver was having his first drive for the season ,after having only 7 last season. In view of the fact that this horse will be chasing the 3 yr old Group races later on in the season , he was unlikely to be at peak and certainly not driven aggressively. Despite the above he still nearly won , though Dragon's Den did come from behind him in straight. Plus it is hard to fault his record....has been very consistent ,especially for a young trotter. Couldn't quite do it on the day.

I Can Doosit Idle Scott Indianapolis In The Pocket Inky Lord Iraklis

Well it insures that the race takes place.....my guess is that there will be at least 2 scratchings. The stake is $16,000 so that should pay a few Waikouaiti expenses. Bring back brackets !!!!!

No attack at all , just asking if you ever attend and experience these days.Without the extra effort and costs put into these days ,attendances and turnover would fall further .Enjoy them while you can.One off occasions eg NZ Cup day [x2] and even Melbourne Cup carnival go a long way to balancing their clubs books.In NZ , gate charges are rare , but on the few days they do, to help them keep going , crowds are good.Strange ,yes...that really is my point !!!

People on course , betting trends improved ,food sales.Improved bottom line for many of the smaller clubs.No I don't have specific figures ,but I believe that recent Waikato Cup meeting exceeded previous years ,and I know committee folk from a various smaller clubs who have exceeded previous years and budgets etc with their Christmas/Summer promotion which does come with increased costs as well.

In recent years ,these Summer /Christmas racing promotions have continued to grow crowds and have been very successful.Sadly racing has less of a following than in the past....everyone knows that.....but ironically the week in/weekout meetings which are mostly FREE to attend continue to fall in attendance and betting yet the Christmas /Summer racing promotions have done well with attendances similar to the 'good ole days'.The reasons are many , but the continual whinging by negaholics who claim to be 'racing enthusiasts' certainly does little to improve the situation.In NZ ,live audiences in our #1 sport Rugby away from Test matches has also suffered and some of the reasons are similar.I'll take the time some day to note the reasons ,but I think most on here understand the situation ,it's not rocket science.Sadly ,with NZ's population things are unlikely to improve....especially with our time-zone.Comparing small country race -courses running between 2 and 4 meetings a year with our Casinos in the big cities or our Lotto shops inside a Whitcoulls.....thats a bit dubious , the economics of each is quite different I'd suggest.Munchy ,do you ever go on-course to a racemeeting ????Are you talking from experience ???

This subject is raised every year about now as the Christmas/Summer racing promotions take place. I cannot understand how folk who profess to be passionate about racing resent paying a gate-fee which allow these clubs to maintain their track and what facilities they have , and put on meetings which allow for 'casual racegoers' to enjoy a social day at the races. I know of dozens of families who take their own food and drink and their families to the track for an enjoyable day out....the kids get entertained cheaply for a few hours......many of these folk may not even have a bet. I have whinging pom neighbours who make their bi-annual trip to the track ,they willingly pay the gate-fee as they understand that volunteers largely keep these meetings going etc etc. Those who argue that free entry will increase the clubs income from extra betting , please explain why the recent record crowds have attended ,despite the gate-charge. The Westports,Nelsons,Omakaus Cromwells, Taupos.Thames,Tauherenikau,Waikouaiti,Roxburghs etc etc have become part of our holiday entertainment and fair enough they charge. If you are a regular punter ,the TAB,Internet , phone is still available.....Mabel ,I and the 8 kids will be taking our chilly bins to as many of these meetings as possible....last year the kids had a load of fun , Alan won a prize for best dressed , naturally young Nathan won all the running races and Mabel got tiddly on OP's. The best $20 we ever spend , river swim on the way home....sure beats the Mall, 10-pin and Ice-skating !!!

I assume this thread refers to Habibi. You have a very nice filly there , so congratulations and good luck for future features .

My guess is...he is out injured !!! Thought I heard it on Trackside TV in recent days.