jayar

Insider, like you have had a number over the years and currently have shares in three with Te Akau and have had friends take shares in the same three horses, again with some having raced a number previously with various stables. 
We have a rising 4yo, a rising 3yo and a rising 2yo so one each of the last three years. All three are currently in work at Matamata. 
The overwhelming consensus from everyone is the communication is second to none. Every Monday morning a video comes through of each horse being trotted up with trainers comments on how it is doing and what is coming up in the way of work, jump outs, trials etc. During the week we may also get another video sent through of the horse on the training track with trainers comments and plans, video's of any jump outs. Pre race information and post race report shortly after a race.
Just tonight we had videos sent through of them working at the track confirming jump out dates, trial dates and one race date next month all going well for one. So we are kept right up to date with each horse and can see the work and planning that goes into each one. Hence what prompted me to reply to your post.   
A couple we met through ownership who live in Taranaki came up a couple of weeks ago and went over to see the horses and they paraded them, nothing was too much trouble and it's been that way throughout.          
From our perspective and speaking with the others our experience with Te Akau has been one of positivity and having the enjoyment of racing a horse which is the primary reason for being involved. 
Like owners everywhere we are looking forward to the new season with hope and expectation for our runners and enjoying the excitement of racedays with the other owners. 
Best of luck to everyone who is in ownership of such beautiful animals.  
  

Great to see Luk Chin on the Guerin report tonight.What a character 83year old and more spritely than most 60year Olds.

Hi Bruce,
The very first horse I had a share in won his second race at Kaikoura on a wet track in 1975, and trotted the two miles in 5.07. It must surely be one of the slowest 2 mile races to have been run.

A few weeks out from a big birthday combined with an email from the Forbury Park TC saying I no longer have to pay a subscription as I have been a member for fifty years has got me reminiscing about the "good old days" of harness racing (or trotting as we used to call it). I joined illegally as an 18 year old student and hardly missed a meeting for forty years..
So here are a few random memories.The first few are general and the last four are more personal so please indulge me.
1) I grew up in Southland surrounded by harness racing so was hooked at an early age.I'll always remember my best friend telling me in about 1969 that  Young Quinn was grossly overrated and would be found out when he went north....I've never let him forget it.
2) It was common for horses to start twice a day then but amazingly Hi Foyle started in consecutive races at Addington one night and was not disgraced in either.
3) I'm not sure of today's rules but a trotter called Puketapu was found to have a disqualified owner. He had won quite a few races but they were all stripped from him and under a rearranged ownership went back to maidens. 
4) Again it couldn't possibly happen now but I remember mid-70's that there was a smash with just over a lap to go at Invercargill but the race carried on. The ambulance parked on the track while they attended an injured driver. When the field came round again they all went around the ambulance except Robert Cameron who went inside and came from the rear to win the race. All hell broke loose but the result stood. Nowadays of course it would be a no-race
5) Believe it or not but for many years the Cup class horses raced at Forbury. One night commentator Lachie Marshall said that Lord Module was "hard held" as they crossed the line intimating that he may not have been trying. All hell broke loose again and he was strongly reprimanded.
6) I remember having a maiden nominated for a race which had sixty entries. It was very hard to get a start as there were far fewer meetings than today.
7) I attended a lot of meetings at no longer existing tracks...Harness at Forbury, Waimate, Waikouaiti and Greymouth and gallops at Beaumont,Tapanui,Wyndham and Orari
Now to a few punting stories:
8- I was caught by a policeman betting at Invercargill when I was sixteen. I then had to go to Children's Court along with a lot of very scary young men who were being charged with various assaults, sexual charges etc. I was embarrassed to say I was up for betting with my own money. My non-racing father was appalled at having to meet with various police and social workers. They also approached my school to talk to my teachers about why I had gone so wrong. 
The judge asked me my future plans so I told him I was going to Otago University to study Law.He then dismissed the charges and I was cheeky enough to ask if I could have the confiscated ticket back as it was a winner worth about $30. He ordered that it be handed over to me and wished me "good luck" with a wink. He then asked the prosecution why they were wasting his time.All these years later I've never faced any other charges.
9-Two years later (still underage) I got the treble on Cup Day 1975 (Lunar Chance year). It paid about $2500. To put that into context my father was earing $4500 a YEAR at the time. As I'm sure many of you will understand I was hooked for life.
10) Shortly after a friend owned a horse which had been unlucky and was working well. It was entered in a maiden race at Wyndham and we confidently expected it to pay $15-$20 and were all geared up to have a go. Those days legally there could only be nine races so if clubs had too many entries they would split a race and run it in divisions. Because that meant there were too many horses for the tote to handle each horse was paired with a runner in the other race.
Guess what...our mystery runner was bracketed with the red hot favourite in the other race and the bracket was only paying about $2.50. What made things worse was the the hot favourite failed and our horse won so what should have a $10 plus dividend was $2.50. I've never had a win that I was so unhappy about.
10) Jump forward to 1982 Cup day at Addington. I'd had a reasonably good day so took $100 worth of double tickets on Bonnie's Chance.You only took one leg then if it won you could see the approximate double dividends from the TAB pool (remember doubles were huge then).
Bonnie's Chance beat Armalight by seven lengths paying $4.65. The second leg was what we now call the Junior Free for All with a good field of C8,C9 and Open class horses but there was a quiet word out of Southland for Zabadak. The approximate dividend went up at $180 but so many of us put our tickets on it (I put $50) that when he stormed down the outside paying $21.70. to win going away the double paid $127.75 to return nearly $6400 which became the deposit on our first house.
11) Weirdly I've kept the racebook from every meeting I've attended from 1970-2000 before I was "asked" to stop.
12)  I've gambled hundreds of thousands of dollars on horses over the last fifty years. Undoubtedly overall I've lost a lot but many, many times a large lump sum has paid for an overseas holiday or car.
The only sports bets I've ever had were a regular $4 week on the TAB rugby pools but one day in 1999 I won $93,000....really weird.
Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear other peoples stories and memories.I'm convinced that racing is a sunrise industry which has long since had its best days and I  personally don't think it's salvageable so we were lucky to have the best of it.
 
 
 
 

A not so new race is one to find a seat out of the wind and maybe cold on Cup Week

LOL🐎 Was my second choice..Say No More took mine.🏇.

1. Ellerslie R3                2,  4.
2. Ellerslie R4               4,  16.
3. Eagle Farm R1          8,  13.
4. Eagle Farm R2         2,  11.
5. Eagle Farm R3         1,   8.
6. Eagle Farm R4         8,  13.
7. Eagle Farm R5          2,  10.
8. Eagle Farm R6         16,  18.
9. Eagle Farm R7          1,  10.
10. Eagle Farm R8        1,  3.
11. Eagle Farm R9         3,  17.B.B.
12. Eagle Farm R10       6,  9. B.B.
              Cheers and Thanks..
 

Scratching Replacement..
                     Ellerslie Race 4 Replace No.6 with No 10.
                                                 Thanks..

Wilson House is a very articulate well spoken young man and certainly deserves every success whether its driving or training in the future.

This is spot on,.Especially at Addington and Riccarton during Cup week
Regular Patrons are now treated like the proverbial bird crap..

This is spot on,.Especially at Addington and Riccarton during Cup week
Regular Patrons are now treated like the proverbial bird crap..

This is spot on,.Especially at Addington and Riccarton during Cup week
Regular Patrons are now treated like the proverbial bird crap..

This is spot on,.Especially at Addington and Riccarton during Cup week
Regular Patrons are now treated like the proverbial bird crap..

This is spot on,.Especially at Addington and Riccarton during Cup week
Regular Patrons are now treated like the proverbial bird crap..

This is spot on,.Especially at Addington and Riccarton during Cup week
Regular Patrons are now treated like the proverbial bird crap..

TeRapa. -          Race 8, Klairelle.
Whanganui.-    Race 9, Youledo.
Caulfield. -       Race 6,  Crosshaven.
                           Cheers and Thanks....

Ageism pure and simple. This decision would have been made by the young bucks who know nothing about racing and less about horses. There will be karma for them later in their careers.

Tony is one of the best race callers there has been in NZ..for him to be told to go is really sad, why could they not have just let him go after two years like the others are doing, he makes most of the ones they are keeping look 2nd rate...poor decision and I for one wish him well in whatever he chooses to do from here on...thanks for all the great calls over the years Tony and thanks for your lifetime of service to the industry.

No. 2, Kiku
No.5, Chain of Lightning
No.6, Roots
  Cheers and Thanks......
 
 

Te Rapa.  Race 3, Farravallo  Joker.
Te Rapa.  Race 7, Sakura Girl.
           Cheers and Thanks..
 

Randwick  R3, No5. Floating
Randwick  R5, No5. Gravina
Randwick  R7, No1. Don Corleone
                         Cheers and Thanks...

Te Rapa,     Race 5,  Bea A Roca.
Randwick, Race  6,  Bankers Choice.
                          Cheers and Thanks..

Te Rapa,     Race 5,  Bea A Roca.
Randwick, Race  6,  Bankers Choice.
                          Cheers and Thanks..

From left to right Ted and Lynda McLachlan (Taiki Manager) Sally Blyth  (NZTROF VP) Chiaki Yanagida (Taiki's sister) Mike Getting Auckland Owners Assoc Pres)
 
  

Sadly passed away after a tragic fall today at Ashburton...thoughts and prayers at this very sad time to her family, friends and close associates in the Racing industry...fly high with the angels Megan...taken way too soon.