allaboveboard

Not sure if it was late 70's or early 80's. Ken Browne had a 13 year old horse either having it's first start or it's first start for six or seven years. It was in a chase. Not certain if the name was Chessington or Choc Wallace as the Brownes had both of these jumpers and I routinely backed both. Which ever it was I couldn't believe a horse that old was having it's first start so I took that as a guide and punted it. The horse won. I've never seen anything like it since.

All old favs. Was Tono Bungay ridden by Bill Skelton? I thought that was late 70's but I've been wrong once before
 
London Trader was another fav of mine. Gus Glutterbucks name comes to mind with him. Did Eric Temperton train him?
 
I recall having one of my biggest single bets of the 80's on the Wellington Steeplechase. It was on Arthur Carwen. He paid around $10. I had $3000 on his nose. Was ridden by R Thompson who sadly died not that long after.
 
Crown Star won two Grand Nationals for Ken Browne. 
 
Hunterville won the third of his Great Northerns 
 
Sea Swift winning the Auckland Cup
 
Westminster and Mr Tiz deadheating in the Railway
 
Cubacade and Koiro Trelay winning Wellington cups
 
Speculation for Maurice Campbell and the superb but ill fated Southern horse Powley. Another brilliant horse that also left us far too soon was Altitude.
 
The very good mainland sprinter Flying View
 
etc etc 

We all have presenters that grind on us for different reasons. Personally I like the style of Steve Davis. He has a background and long history in the industry and as such has viewer credibility. He also has an outgoing confident personalty and a keen sense of humour which shines through. I feel we are fortunate to have him to be honest.
 
It's also a good thing when a presenter has enough gonads to point out negatives. ie. That rider dropped his hands just before the finish and just got pipped...I'm sure the driver regrets handing up the lead... If he had been more aggressive it would have been a different result..if you got that first four people you are entitled to feel hard done by...etc etc etc. His bosses won't like him saying those things but the truth is he's only saying what the viewers are thinking and saying at home. Respect is due to him for doing so. No other Trackside presenter will say it.
 
He does do a lot of tipping when I watch him with "just get on people" "just put more on" etc etc etc. To me he is just trying to be helpful and stimulating himself. He's doing a long stint in front of the camera and the colour he uses with his tipping will help prevent him getting bored. Same scenario when he encourages viewers to get the pool up over x amount. I tuned in last week and he was talking about an American race and said "if this pool does not get over 3k I won't do the American races again".
 
In my opinion Trackside need three more just like him.

Those who have been around the traps for a while would well remember Barry Cook when he trained for many years out of Paeroa. He loved winning races anywhere but especially so on his old home track of Paeroa. He had a handy team around him with many going extra good on wet tracks. Pearls Paul is one that springs to mind. We won a small fortune off his runners then he disappeared off the radar six years ago. Not sure of the reason but I recall the Paeroa course were putting a stop to the track being used as a training centre around that time.
 
Today I noticed a horse racing at Otaki called Buffalo Boy with the trainers name Barry Cook,Cambridge. I wondered if this could possibly be the same Barry Cook. The horse won brilliantly at big odds and has a nice future. At a time when some trainers are moving away from NZ or flagging away I wondered if this was one returning after six years. What a story to highlight there.
 
Then he was interviewed post race by "Bevan" and there he was as large as life and great to see. Bevan asked him about his first two runs despite the fact it clearly states in the racebook it was transferred into his care from the Autridge stable after those two races. Some homework would have been handy Bevan. Then Barry points out this is his first horse he's trained for six years since he trained at Paeroa. There was Bevan's cue to ask him about that etc. Instead Bevan didn't even acknowledge he'd said it. Then he crossed back to "Russell' in the studio who said "Excellent work Bevan".
 
Pity these guys don't know which way is up but that aside it's great to see Barry back. 
 
Wish him the best of luck.

Person sets out to deliberately scam those who can least afford it. The offending is so serious and involves enormous amounts of money that the Serious Fraud Office takes over the investigation and devotes a considerable amount of time and effort into the case.
 
Ramni Kumar admitted ten charges of fraud involving 3.9 million dollars. The maximum sentence is 7 years prison and this offending is at the top end. The fact all of the victims are low income earners highlights the impact this offending must be having on the victims. It should be remembered that when a person pleads guilty to x amount of charges they have usually been offered deals too good to be true. For example you plead guilty to 10 and we will drop 14 other charges. Another typical offer is "you plead guilty and I guarantee you a minimal sentence where you don't serve ANY time in prison".
 
For this major case the offender was sentenced to 250 hours community work and 12 months home detention.
 
Lets examine that penalty.
 
You've been sentenced to 12 months at home. You can still do all the things you enjoy doing but you just have to do them at home. It's considered by most as an enforced "holiday at home".
 
Then we have the 250 hours community work. This penalty is considered laughable by most who know how to get around it. Periodic Detention is a different ball game. With that you are supervised from 8am till 4.30pm every Saturday while you cut gorse etc etc. It's akin to being in prison for one day a week. Community work on the other hand is often farcical. All you need is someone with a minor restrictive issue to write a note saying you worked for them for x amount of hours. The offender in this case used documents to commit fraud so will have no difficulty getting a family friend who's had a hip replacement to say you've mowed her lawns and did a load of gardening for her that took 250 hours. It happens EVERY day.
 
In short after a long and very costly investigation to the taxpayer this offender has been convicted of serious offending that warranted a long stay in prison. Instead they have received a comical sentence.
 
How is this justice?
What sort of slap in the face is this to the victims?
Where is the deterrent factor in the sentence?
Why bother having a 7 year maximum sentence available?
Why even bother investigating the case?
 
 
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/22321378/no-jail-for-role-in-3-9m-mortgage-fraud/
 
 

If it had been me I would have been more concerned about Kunta Kinte raping my beautiful girlfriend than stealing my bog rolls and toothpaste. I know he has to come out with a defence but this one treats everyone like they have had their brains removed and replaced with a sultana. 
 
Agree on the greyhound races. Only difference is I would make him the bunny. Tie him up by the nuts and take the muzzles of the dogs just to make it more interesting. I would quickly convert to greyhound racing.

Person sets out to deliberately scam those who can least afford it. The offending is so serious and involves enormous amounts of money that the Serious Fraud Office takes over the investigation and devotes a considerable amount of time and effort into the case.
 
Ramni Kumar admitted ten charges of fraud involving 3.9 million dollars. The maximum sentence is 7 years prison and this offending is at the top end. The fact all of the victims are low income earners highlights the impact this offending must be having on the victims. It should be remembered that when a person pleads guilty to x amount of charges they have usually been offered deals too good to be true. For example you plead guilty to 10 and we will drop 14 other charges. Another typical offer is "you plead guilty and I guarantee you a minimal sentence where you don't serve ANY time in prison".
 
For this major case the offender was sentenced to 250 hours community work and 12 months home detention.
 
Lets examine that penalty.
 
You've been sentenced to 12 months at home. You can still do all the things you enjoy doing but you just have to do them at home. It's considered by most as an enforced "holiday at home".
 
Then we have the 250 hours community work. This penalty is considered laughable by most who know how to get around it. Periodic Detention is a different ball game. With that you are supervised from 8am till 4.30pm every Saturday while you cut gorse etc etc. It's akin to being in prison for one day a week. Community work on the other hand is often farcical. All you need is someone with a minor restrictive issue to write a note saying you worked for them for x amount of hours. The offender in this case used documents to commit fraud so will have no difficulty getting a family friend who's had a hip replacement to say you've mowed her lawns and did a load of gardening for her that took 250 hours. It happens EVERY day.
 
In short after a long and very costly investigation to the taxpayer this offender has been convicted of serious offending that warranted a long stay in prison. Instead they have received a comical sentence.
 
How is this justice?
What sort of slap in the face is this to the victims?
Where is the deterrent factor in the sentence?
Why bother having a 7 year maximum sentence available?
Why even bother investigating the case?
 
 
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/22321378/no-jail-for-role-in-3-9m-mortgage-fraud/
 
 

Person sets out to deliberately scam those who can least afford it. The offending is so serious and involves enormous amounts of money that the Serious Fraud Office takes over the investigation and devotes a considerable amount of time and effort into the case.
 
Ramni Kumar admitted ten charges of fraud involving 3.9 million dollars. The maximum sentence is 7 years prison and this offending is at the top end. The fact all of the victims are low income earners highlights the impact this offending must be having on the victims. It should be remembered that when a person pleads guilty to x amount of charges they have usually been offered deals too good to be true. For example you plead guilty to 10 and we will drop 14 other charges. Another typical offer is "you plead guilty and I guarantee you a minimal sentence where you don't serve ANY time in prison".
 
For this major case the offender was sentenced to 250 hours community work and 12 months home detention.
 
Lets examine that penalty.
 
You've been sentenced to 12 months at home. You can still do all the things you enjoy doing but you just have to do them at home. It's considered by most as an enforced "holiday at home".
 
Then we have the 250 hours community work. This penalty is considered laughable by most who know how to get around it. Periodic Detention is a different ball game. With that you are supervised from 8am till 4.30pm every Saturday while you cut gorse etc etc. It's akin to being in prison for one day a week. Community work on the other hand is often farcical. All you need is someone with a minor restrictive issue to write a note saying you worked for them for x amount of hours. The offender in this case used documents to commit fraud so will have no difficulty getting a family friend who's had a hip replacement to say you've mowed her lawns and did a load of gardening for her that took 250 hours. It happens EVERY day.
 
In short after a long and very costly investigation to the taxpayer this offender has been convicted of serious offending that warranted a long stay in prison. Instead they have received a comical sentence.
 
How is this justice?
What sort of slap in the face is this to the victims?
Where is the deterrent factor in the sentence?
Why bother having a 7 year maximum sentence available?
Why even bother investigating the case?
 
 
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/22321378/no-jail-for-role-in-3-9m-mortgage-fraud/
 
 

It's business. How many horses will come along that have a realistic chance of winning multiple Derbies? The connections have mapped out a plan they want followed to the letter. It's their horse. It's their call. Personally I believe their is probably more to it than just one questionable ride. Perhaps they feel he is arrogant and if you're driving their Ferrari you must drive it only how they instruct you. Who knows maybe they feel a rider that describes his fellow riders as muppets may also result in riders being unhelpful to him in races?

I've just been and watched the replay of this race again especially the last quarter and completely disagree with you. You can start making ground on the leaders prior to asking your horse for it's best effort. The driver sat as quiet as a church mouse at exactly the time he needed to be shortening the distance between himself and the front runners some distance ahead of him. By the time Lee asked the horse to get serious the race was effectively all over. If his goal was to win the race it was at best a poorly judged final quarter. If on the other hand his goal was to just give his charge a good blow out he did the job perfectly.
 
You are right in saying he has a horse for next time but it would be foolish to suggest anything otherwise if he had displayed more urgency and started making up ground on the front runners sooner.
 
I note the horse was going better and stronger than all other runners at the line which adds more weight to the obvious conclusion that a more positive result would have been easily achieved with a more positive drive.
 
I'm not suggesting this is the case here but very few family or friends etc of a driver will ever concede the driver got it badly wrong etc. Their motivation somewhat different to that of others. Some who got their fingers burnt on the punt feel strongly one way while family and friends will defend regardless.
 
I invested nothing on the race and don't know the driver personally so feel my perspective is neutral.

More diabolical attacks on tourists. 
 
Everything about this crime is shocking.
 
Overseas tourists should be able to enjoy our beautiful country without being brutally attacked as if they were in a high crime area of some diabolical war torn third world country.
 
It's also a horrendous and totally unprovoked attack against woman in general.
 
Tourists deserve protection and respect. Woman deserve protection and respect.
 
As NZ relies on significant income generated from tourism such attacks are also an attack against all of us and our Country.
 
The latest air thief piece of shit offender sounds like a mad wild dog that should be taken out the back and shot immediately. No further expense to NZ and it's people. Forget rehabilitation. A TOTAL lost cause who has more than given up his right for ANY consideration. Sending the strongest possible message to the other human excrement out there considering the same crimes on "soft targets" is vitally important  Any money being considered to spend on him should be redirected toward many fine kiwi's who simply cant afford to pick up their all important prescriptions from the chemist etc etc etc etc etc etc etc. 
 
Instead he will have a long drawn out case centering around the fact he wasn't breast fed for long enough. He will receive a totally inadequate sentence and then the tax payer will be held to ransom for all his wants and needs.
 
Surely we have a million other places we can spend those millions?
 
 
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/22267590/armed-stand-off-ends-west-coast-pursuit/
 
 
 
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/22267590/armed-stand-off-ends-west-coast-pursuit/

I completely agree. Apart from the odd exception every Trackside presenter valued and appreciated by viewers has been shown the door by Trackside. These were people with a long history in the game who had real credibility and value. If they saw something that was good they would say so. If they saw something that was not good they would also say so. They were real.   They possessed all the qualities experienced viewers want and expect from a racing / gambling presenter.
 
They have all largely been replaced by totally unsuitable presenters that are fronting a gambling / racing TV channel. For the most part they do one or all of the following.
 
Read cue cards
State the obvious
Just repeat the words of the race caller.
Smile
 
They have virtually no credibility with experienced punters etc but they are extremely important to the decision makers at Trackside. They will do what they are told exactly as if they were a puppet. They will be devoid of personality but stick to the script down to the letter. NEVER mention anything negative or controversial. Just pretend everything in the game is 100% perfect. It's like one big completely unreal Saatchi and Saatchi advertisement. Highlight the positive and completely ignore / sweep everything else under the carpet. All very nice but devoid of reality and credibility. It's like watching the news but having it all completely sanitized. Don't show or talk about what's real. Just focus on who won lotto last week and the story of the kitten being rescued from the drain etc etc. Ignore the rest. Everything is just fine and dandy and they all lived happily ever after. How nice.
 
We are all the poorer for it as a result. 
 
We should use Australia as our benchmark for presenters. If the TV racing presenter is not good enough to front their racing show then they shouldn't be fronting ours.
 
To be fair on the presenters they all seem like nice people. They are not the issue. The problem is with the people hiring them.

I completely agree. Apart from the odd exception every Trackside presenter valued and appreciated by viewers has been shown the door by Trackside. These were people with a long history in the game who had real credibility and value. If they saw something that was good they would say so. If they saw something that was not good they would also say so. They were real.   They possessed all the qualities experienced viewers want and expect from a racing / gambling presenter.
 
They have all largely been replaced by totally unsuitable presenters that are fronting a gambling / racing TV channel. For the most part they do one or all of the following.
 
Read cue cards
State the obvious
Just repeat the words of the race caller.
Smile
 
They have virtually no credibility with experienced punters etc but they are extremely important to the decision makers at Trackside. They will do what they are told exactly as if they were a puppet. They will be devoid of personality but stick to the script down to the letter. NEVER mention anything negative or controversial. Just pretend everything in the game is 100% perfect. It's like one big completely unreal Saatchi and Saatchi advertisement. Highlight the positive and completely ignore / sweep everything else under the carpet. All very nice but devoid of reality and credibility. It's like watching the news but having it all completely sanitized. Don't show or talk about what's real. Just focus on who won lotto last week and the story of the kitten being rescued from the drain etc etc. Ignore the rest. Everything is just fine and dandy and they all lived happily ever after. How nice.
 
We are all the poorer for it as a result. 
 
We should use Australia as our benchmark for presenters. If the TV racing presenter is not good enough to front their racing show then they shouldn't be fronting ours.
 
To be fair on the presenters they all seem like nice people. They are not the issue. The problem is with the people hiring them.

Perception the key along with your own bar of quality etc. My benchmark for quality of greyhound caller in NZ starts with Peter Early at the top. I'm not saying he's a great caller only that in my opinion he's the best going around in NZ at present.  Running a close second is the new guy down South Jason Teaz who does a good job as does the young guy Tom Wood. Don't like either especially doing harness. Both error ridden.  I enjoyed the CD caller Brian Martin who got the Spanish Archer from Trackside. Good calls. Passionate and always colourful. Came across as a person with immense knowledge along with empathy for punters. He also owned a personality. The code much the poorer for his exist.
 
The guy Trevor in Christchurch seems confused to me. His calls are often error ridden and he places far too much priority on his own selections.
 
Dave in the deep South is ok but in every race there seems to be something roaring or rocketing home from fifth to four. Excitement in races is great but contrived excitement in a so so race quickly becomes old.
 
To my ear Mark Rosanoski is suitable for trials and as an emergency back up caller. To my ear his voice is clear but weak and is compensated for by calling too quickly. Just personal opinion. Clearly knows his greyhounds and an asset to Trackside. Just not certain in what capacity.
 
The guy you speak of Darryl Robinson does not have much to beat to be the best in the CD. He's the only greyhound caller specializing in the area is he not? Sorry I don't enjoy his calls. A switch is flicked on. A switch is flicked off. Every race the same. Stiff,colourless and a zillion words per ten seconds. Impossible for me to enjoy that style of call. As a Trackside presenter he'd be very good doing the dogs but like Craig Roberts he's well and truly out of his comfort zone with other codes. I don't wish to be harsh but I've seen no evidence whatsoever of a personalty. Looks a fish out of water. Totally acceptable as an emergency back up presenter but can't imagine why anyone not completely bias / a regular Lysergic Acid user or has the bar set very low would describe him as a "Great Presenter".
 
Trackside seems in chaos to me. Most of the presenters have an emergency back up look and feel about them. Race callers all over the place trying to cover up for the fact that area does not have a caller good enough to do the job. They fly presenters around the country instead of having a decent local presenter. They use a lead presenter on feature days that does nothing with that code for every other day of the year. Seems to be a band aid fix on just about everything on Trackside.
 
As an aside. I tuned into a few dog races from Wanganui in recent times. Difficult to imagine a starter at the boxes looking less interested than the guy you have at present. Every time the boxes opened he's looking in the total opposite direction. Clearly not remotely interested in an exciting part of the race. Can't help feeling if he's not interested at all then why should I be? At least pretend you're interested ffs

Perception the key along with your own bar of quality etc. My benchmark for quality of greyhound caller in NZ starts with Peter Early at the top. I'm not saying he's a great caller only that in my opinion he's the best going around in NZ at present.  Running a close second is the new guy down South Jason Teaz who does a good job as does the young guy Tom Wood. Don't like either especially doing harness. Both error ridden.  I enjoyed the CD caller Brian Martin who got the Spanish Archer from Trackside. Good calls. Passionate and always colourful. Came across as a person with immense knowledge along with empathy for punters. He also owned a personality. The code much the poorer for his exist.
 
The guy Trevor in Christchurch seems confused to me. His calls are often error ridden and he places far too much priority on his own selections.
 
Dave in the deep South is ok but in every race there seems to be something roaring or rocketing home from fifth to four. Excitement in races is great but contrived excitement in a so so race quickly becomes old.
 
To my ear Mark Rosanoski is suitable for trials and as an emergency back up caller. To my ear his voice is clear but weak and is compensated for by calling too quickly. Just personal opinion. Clearly knows his greyhounds and an asset to Trackside. Just not certain in what capacity.
 
The guy you speak of Darryl Robinson does not have much to beat to be the best in the CD. He's the only greyhound caller specializing in the area is he not? Sorry I don't enjoy his calls. A switch is flicked on. A switch is flicked off. Every race the same. Stiff,colourless and a zillion words per ten seconds. Impossible for me to enjoy that style of call. As a Trackside presenter he'd be very good doing the dogs but like Craig Roberts he's well and truly out of his comfort zone with other codes. I don't wish to be harsh but I've seen no evidence whatsoever of a personalty. Looks a fish out of water. Totally acceptable as an emergency back up presenter but can't imagine why anyone not completely bias / a regular Lysergic Acid user or has the bar set very low would describe him as a "Great Presenter".
 
Trackside seems in chaos to me. Most of the presenters have an emergency back up look and feel about them. Race callers all over the place trying to cover up for the fact that area does not have a caller good enough to do the job. They fly presenters around the country instead of having a decent local presenter. They use a lead presenter on feature days that does nothing with that code for every other day of the year. Seems to be a band aid fix on just about everything on Trackside.
 
As an aside. I tuned into a few dog races from Wanganui in recent times. Difficult to imagine a starter at the boxes looking less interested than the guy you have at present. Every time the boxes opened he's looking in the total opposite direction. Clearly not remotely interested in an exciting part of the race. Can't help feeling if he's not interested at all then why should I be? At least pretend you're interested ffs

Perception the key along with your own bar of quality etc. My benchmark for quality of greyhound caller in NZ starts with Peter Early at the top. I'm not saying he's a great caller only that in my opinion he's the best going around in NZ at present.  Running a close second is the new guy down South Jason Teaz who does a good job as does the young guy Tom Wood. Don't like either especially doing harness. Both error ridden.  I enjoyed the CD caller Brian Martin who got the Spanish Archer from Trackside. Good calls. Passionate and always colourful. Came across as a person with immense knowledge along with empathy for punters. He also owned a personality. The code much the poorer for his exist.
 
The guy Trevor in Christchurch seems confused to me. His calls are often error ridden and he places far too much priority on his own selections.
 
Dave in the deep South is ok but in every race there seems to be something roaring or rocketing home from fifth to four. Excitement in races is great but contrived excitement in a so so race quickly becomes old.
 
To my ear Mark Rosanoski is suitable for trials and as an emergency back up caller. To my ear his voice is clear but weak and is compensated for by calling too quickly. Just personal opinion. Clearly knows his greyhounds and an asset to Trackside. Just not certain in what capacity.
 
The guy you speak of Darryl Robinson does not have much to beat to be the best in the CD. He's the only greyhound caller specializing in the area is he not? Sorry I don't enjoy his calls. A switch is flicked on. A switch is flicked off. Every race the same. Stiff,colourless and a zillion words per ten seconds. Impossible for me to enjoy that style of call. As a Trackside presenter he'd be very good doing the dogs but like Craig Roberts he's well and truly out of his comfort zone with other codes. I don't wish to be harsh but I've seen no evidence whatsoever of a personalty. Looks a fish out of water. Totally acceptable as an emergency back up presenter but can't imagine why anyone not completely bias / a regular Lysergic Acid user or has the bar set very low would describe him as a "Great Presenter".
 
Trackside seems in chaos to me. Most of the presenters have an emergency back up look and feel about them. Race callers all over the place trying to cover up for the fact that area does not have a caller good enough to do the job. They fly presenters around the country instead of having a decent local presenter. They use a lead presenter on feature days that does nothing with that code for every other day of the year. Seems to be a band aid fix on just about everything on Trackside.
 
As an aside. I tuned into a few dog races from Wanganui in recent times. Difficult to imagine a starter at the boxes looking less interested than the guy you have at present. Every time the boxes opened he's looking in the total opposite direction. Clearly not remotely interested in an exciting part of the race. Can't help feeling if he's not interested at all then why should I be? At least pretend you're interested ffs

Perception the key along with your own bar of quality etc. My benchmark for quality of greyhound caller in NZ starts with Peter Early at the top. I'm not saying he's a great caller only that in my opinion he's the best going around in NZ at present.  Running a close second is the new guy down South Jason Teaz who does a good job as does the young guy Tom Wood. Don't like either especially doing harness. Both error ridden.  I enjoyed the CD caller Brian Martin who got the Spanish Archer from Trackside. Good calls. Passionate and always colourful. Came across as a person with immense knowledge along with empathy for punters. He also owned a personality. The code much the poorer for his exist.
 
The guy Trevor in Christchurch seems confused to me. His calls are often error ridden and he places far too much priority on his own selections.
 
Dave in the deep South is ok but in every race there seems to be something roaring or rocketing home from fifth to four. Excitement in races is great but contrived excitement in a so so race quickly becomes old.
 
To my ear Mark Rosanoski is suitable for trials and as an emergency back up caller. To my ear his voice is clear but weak and is compensated for by calling too quickly. Just personal opinion. Clearly knows his greyhounds and an asset to Trackside. Just not certain in what capacity.
 
The guy you speak of Darryl Robinson does not have much to beat to be the best in the CD. He's the only greyhound caller specializing in the area is he not? Sorry I don't enjoy his calls. A switch is flicked on. A switch is flicked off. Every race the same. Stiff,colourless and a zillion words per ten seconds. Impossible for me to enjoy that style of call. As a Trackside presenter he'd be very good doing the dogs but like Craig Roberts he's well and truly out of his comfort zone with other codes. I don't wish to be harsh but I've seen no evidence whatsoever of a personalty. Looks a fish out of water. Totally acceptable as an emergency back up presenter but can't imagine why anyone not completely bias / a regular Lysergic Acid user or has the bar set very low would describe him as a "Great Presenter".
 
Trackside seems in chaos to me. Most of the presenters have an emergency back up look and feel about them. Race callers all over the place trying to cover up for the fact that area does not have a caller good enough to do the job. They fly presenters around the country instead of having a decent local presenter. They use a lead presenter on feature days that does nothing with that code for every other day of the year. Seems to be a band aid fix on just about everything on Trackside.
 
As an aside. I tuned into a few dog races from Wanganui in recent times. Difficult to imagine a starter at the boxes looking less interested than the guy you have at present. Every time the boxes opened he's looking in the total opposite direction. Clearly not remotely interested in an exciting part of the race. Can't help feeling if he's not interested at all then why should I be? At least pretend you're interested ffs

Perception the key along with your own bar of quality etc. My benchmark for quality of greyhound caller in NZ starts with Peter Early at the top. I'm not saying he's a great caller only that in my opinion he's the best going around in NZ at present.  Running a close second is the new guy down South Jason Teaz who does a good job as does the young guy Tom Wood. Don't like either especially doing harness. Both error ridden.  I enjoyed the CD caller Brian Martin who got the Spanish Archer from Trackside. Good calls. Passionate and always colourful. Came across as a person with immense knowledge along with empathy for punters. He also owned a personality. The code much the poorer for his exist.
 
The guy Trevor in Christchurch seems confused to me. His calls are often error ridden and he places far too much priority on his own selections.
 
Dave in the deep South is ok but in every race there seems to be something roaring or rocketing home from fifth to four. Excitement in races is great but contrived excitement in a so so race quickly becomes old.
 
To my ear Mark Rosanoski is suitable for trials and as an emergency back up caller. To my ear his voice is clear but weak and is compensated for by calling too quickly. Just personal opinion. Clearly knows his greyhounds and an asset to Trackside. Just not certain in what capacity.
 
The guy you speak of Darryl Robinson does not have much to beat to be the best in the CD. He's the only greyhound caller specializing in the area is he not? Sorry I don't enjoy his calls. A switch is flicked on. A switch is flicked off. Every race the same. Stiff,colourless and a zillion words per ten seconds. Impossible for me to enjoy that style of call. As a Trackside presenter he'd be very good doing the dogs but like Craig Roberts he's well and truly out of his comfort zone with other codes. I don't wish to be harsh but I've seen no evidence whatsoever of a personalty. Looks a fish out of water. Totally acceptable as an emergency back up presenter but can't imagine why anyone not completely bias / a regular Lysergic Acid user or has the bar set very low would describe him as a "Great Presenter".
 
Trackside seems in chaos to me. Most of the presenters have an emergency back up look and feel about them. Race callers all over the place trying to cover up for the fact that area does not have a caller good enough to do the job. They fly presenters around the country instead of having a decent local presenter. They use a lead presenter on feature days that does nothing with that code for every other day of the year. Seems to be a band aid fix on just about everything on Trackside.
 
As an aside. I tuned into a few dog races from Wanganui in recent times. Difficult to imagine a starter at the boxes looking less interested than the guy you have at present. Every time the boxes opened he's looking in the total opposite direction. Clearly not remotely interested in an exciting part of the race. Can't help feeling if he's not interested at all then why should I be? At least pretend you're interested ffs

All old favs. Was Tono Bungay ridden by Bill Skelton? I thought that was late 70's but I've been wrong once before
 
London Trader was another fav of mine. Gus Glutterbucks name comes to mind with him. Did Eric Temperton train him?
 
I recall having one of my biggest single bets of the 80's on the Wellington Steeplechase. It was on Arthur Carwen. He paid around $10. I had $3000 on his nose. Was ridden by R Thompson who sadly died not that long after.
 
Crown Star won two Grand Nationals for Ken Browne. 
 
Hunterville won the third of his Great Northerns 
 
Sea Swift winning the Auckland Cup
 
Westminster and Mr Tiz deadheating in the Railway
 
Cubacade and Koiro Trelay winning Wellington cups
 
Speculation for Maurice Campbell and the superb but ill fated Southern horse Powley. Another brilliant horse that also left us far too soon was Altitude.
 
The very good mainland sprinter Flying View
 
etc etc 

On course when HUNTERVILLE won his third, on course when CASTLETOWN won his third, on course when ALTITUDE sucked it,
 
 
talking jumpers, PATRONE, Le ROY, Mr HICKEY, DEINOs RULER (a mud sprinter, who couldn't win at 1600 m and then won 2 steeplechases !!), Stevo winning on BOOMALONG and AFTERNOON ?,  taking Hillis and Gilles in every bet .......
 
 
and most of all, WATCHING from OUR open roof grandstand, before they decided to build their new stand.

DRUM
FOUNTAIN COURT
 
..and FLYING LUSKIN was another., Zee~Films used him to make documentry coverage with a camera mounted on the underneath girth strap.
Can't recall what the 'doco' was called
 
Joe Karam was at least a part owner i remember.......

There have been a few over the years that got through that made me wonder if they were being more relaxed about it or the name just went over their head.
 
The one named after Tasman Man Gary Williams always bought a smile. Richard Cranium 

Do you really need to be a wanker all your life?
 
Five horses I remember well for their ability. The other two for their names that always bought a smile.  I appreciate a boring stick in the mud brown nose like you is to busy sucking up and bending over to appreciate that. 
 
Take a break from being you for a day. Will be a holiday for you

Do you really need to be a wanker all your life?
 
Five horses I remember well for their ability. The other two for their names that always bought a smile.  I appreciate a boring stick in the mud brown nose like you is to busy sucking up and bending over to appreciate that. 
 
Take a break from being you for a day. Will be a holiday for you

Watching horses being allowed to walk them in front then surprise surprise leave the field standing prior to the home turn is an absolute turn off. I've walked away from many races prior to the finish such was my disdain for what was unfolding. Screaming at runners "IT'S A FARKING RACE FOR FARK SAKE SO RACE!" didn't work.
 
Neil Brady is a family friend and we were there when all the bullshit unfolded with Franco Ice. We lost a lot of colour from our Northern harness races when he moved to Australia. Neil had no issue telling people exactly what was on his mind and the way the suits treated him as revenge over milkshaking etc was disgraceful.