biff

Dear Silver Lad - Mrs Biff here - happy to respond to your query (without malice). As a professional breeder, the question is to sell for big money in the short term and risk long term pain through a downgraded pedigree page. If you do the stats, most of the young horses sold as yearlings to HKG do not reach the racetrack....sold off the track is a different proposition. Think how many beautiful colts have gone through the rings in both NZ and Oz and for most of them not to reach the track....so your lovely mare that you keep sending to top line stallions is looking awful after a few years as she seems not to get any to the racetrack...so what do you do? You then have to hit the market to find another nice mare, spending all the money you'v got from the Asian purchases...so what's the point...people in this country have not yet woken up (don't want to admit) to this fact. Very few horses adjust to the conditions in HKG or Singapore. Most of the local trainers in HKG are very ordinary...how could they be good trainers???If some of the lovely colts sold to Asia were kept here in NZ or OZ, then NZ stud masters wouldn't have to pay money to buy 2nd rate Aussie sprinters to stand here at stud.

I feel sorry for you buggers on SPARK contracts, what a bunch of bastards they are, we got out as soon as our contract was up, too many issues and too much deceit, the lies the local retail shop spun us would flatter the beehive, a blight on NZ that mob, 2 degrees so much better.

Yep, and there go's the pedigree page Ted, the necessary evil for NZ.

Liz, there is a cartel, whilst many breeders Mrs et Moi inc are small, passionate and nearly always broke [as we choose to never send our horses to Asia] it will be a battle, the cartel however has chugged merrily along these past decades without inquisition!........I'm privy to the machinations [through the Mrs] as to how many became so big, not all, but some, it would make a Four Corners story or better a sixty minutes story, however for our personal well being and safety, that story will stay in a box on the top shelf until my beloved Mrs leaves the planet and seeks another gig, then I promise, should I have outlived said treasure, I will unload, and then some will never had life so bad!.......have a lovely day.

Puha, if everyone voted alternate, a protest vote if you like, and I'm talking everyone involved in the industry, there would be a change of GOV.......neither the PM or the goose from Otaki give a continental about our industry, unemployment would be the only way they'd acknowledge, however as I've said a trillion times, the cartel have never had it so good, they'll never vote alternate anyway due to indoctrination, and when it only means downsizing the BMW 7 to a Range Rover should things tighten, well unless it's all for one and one for all, we are well and truly ......

There we're some lovely types that went for half what they would have last year, at least those vendors met the market, the Kiwi dollar is too high also, that's killing off a few.

I think quite a few breeders got a reality check today Turny, the pass in rate was high, going on the pre - 'show' hype they thought it was put in take out.......unrealistic reserves, not meeting the market. Tomorrow may be different, a strong session pedigree wise, however the real judging will come Wed onward, then we'll see how the industry sits. Asia was very very quiet today, if it continues pain will set in for the needy and greedy and the dough eyed racing minister and the delusional Petone set will circle the wagons.

Good on you Jimbob, that's why most do it, it's goodwill and helps the punter......of course there are some crusty buggers who want a better price as per Jack Denham, and fee you a furphy!

Well one thing surfaced anyway, your Tony Pike is a paper tiger, like the rest, cozy, why rock the boat when we're sweet as, but he ain't Robinson Crusoe for that matter.

Grimm's Fairy Tales, bullshit sells, where's the accountability for that?

If this was a listed public company, and we all stockholders, how many divs would have been declared? and how many of us would have flogged our shares? In fact would the board even resemble what it looks like now after all these years of misery?

We've heard it all before, same as back in 2011 when Purcell all starry eyed released Grimm's Fairy Tales, problem is, The Aussies pissed themselves when they read this, well the Aussies I know anyway, ''who wants to bet on NZ races'' that seems to be the cry, there would be far more investment on the animated gaming product there, in NSW called Trackside.........the NSW state gov gave the racing board 120 mil to kick start the ATC once the merger was confirmed, that capital investment funded the stakes increases, to start with. You can't just pull money off trees, it has to come from somewhere tangible. The squander here is mind boggling, all it would have taken was to send someone credible to SYD to study their model, however where would you find someone credible here? suggestions welcome.

How sickening to see the 'racing minister' greasing up to the winning owner/manager, he's lost poor soul, he really must believe he's liked.......in fact it's quite sad.

Midget told us all, Tony Pike is the man......well, Tony, I for one are waiting to hear from you as to the upward direction for all trainers, maybe Paul Belsham et al would welcome an announcement........some of us are pondering is it worth continuing, Hughes and co don't have my confidence, nothing has changed, nothing......I feel for all of us, what a joke, 'we'll discuss at our March 28 meeting, how many more will leave by then.......FFS.

I've never seen anyone, anyone, resign from a salary as big as the top dogs are being paid, they will need to be shoved, not pushed shoved.......I wish them luck in their next endeavours, however don't call me for a reference.

Thanks to many of you for your lovely comments, and to those of you that have PM' me. It was written with the passion I have for the industry in whole, be it here or in Australia where I spent 43 years, in corporate life and in racing, sometimes both. Most of you will be unaware, however a few weeks ago I took my first runner to the races here in New Zealand, it ran last, and only last week I took my second, being the same horse, for the same result.......downhearted? disappointed? both and more, but only because I would have liked to replicate how I started my training career across the ditch, my first runner in Victoria won at Cranbourne, my first runner in South Australia won at Cheltenham running an unbroken track record and my first runner in NSW ran 2nd and then won by 7 lengths giving Dwayne Dunn his first winner in NSW, so, what a contrast for me here in NZ! Brings one back down to earth somewhat..... The positive to that, I remain committed to grass roots racing and the people that matter most here, grass roots!........even though my corporate life is demanding, I want to commit to our industry and grow our team to the size we planned when we first mooted our move to New Zealand back in 2012 after deliberating Mr Purcell's promised land prophecies. Our global investors have always been friends away from business, and although they have withdrawn their financial commitment of importing Gr placed Argentinean fillies/mares and colts to race and breed here [for the moment] I would like to think I can re-invigorate them in the future should we be able to turn the industry around. I don't mind wearing my heart on my sleeve, age is meant to bring wisdom, am I more wiser? you betcha booties I am, as I said previously, I wont believe another statement/press release from Petone until my confidence and trust is restored, millions of dollars out of pocket, but as yet not totally out of love.....thank you all once again.

Let's pretend for a moment shall we? Let's pretend we all live in a place, let's call it ''Peoples Republic Of The North and South Islands''.....now, with all this opportunity to unite the downtrodden and forgotten at an impending important race meeting that was going to receive national media coverage, a group of industry people gathered behind a crowded grandstand, [the only time for the year more than a handful sat in the seats] and set about with their plans to show the nation that they were more than upset. With the backing of owners who had runners engaged in the most important race that day, and the jockeys, and with a few 'in the know officials' they planned to canter to the barriers for said race and then as the starter called them into line, whoa, yeah nah, we're all off back to the mounting yard, where the trainers and owners had just unfurled a huge banner voicing their discontent and were calling for action from the Racing Minister [who was ensconced within the luxury of the committee rooms] re the senior management and the disaster that had befallen the racing industry. All hell broke lose, the stewards were powerless in the face of such numbers, and in fact many of the stewards were in the corner of the disenfranchised, and although the television coverage was directed to cease and go to commercials, a few radical employees denied their bosses and let the feed run......social media was in meltdown and iphone's became instant webcams. The global response was astounding, the feedback coming through was overwhelmingly in favour of the militants, and after a delay of some 2 hours and many meetings behind closed doors, the Trainers spokesman came to address the waiting media......''Gentlemen'' we are pleased to announce the meeting will proceed as planned, there will be a special meeting of industry luminaries in two days time to discuss the future of racing in the Republic and the Prime Minister will attend in person, the Racing Minister will not, as he is leaving his portfolio the Prime Minister will take this portfolio in caretaker mode until further notice. The spokesman continued in a controlled manner, ''In addition, we have received news that there will be two resignations to follow shortly, we are not at liberty to disclose to you who these people are, at this moment anyway, all we can say is, we have been well received, in fact the civility is humbling considering the militant action we deemed necessary''. ''In closing, we do not regret this action, we regret we had to take this course, however it has achieved the required result, with luck, we know of at least ten families and countless former workers and wage earners within this marvellous industry of ours who will return to the fold, and that in itself is extremely gratifying. 'As further news comes to hand, no doubt you will all be informed, on behalf of all owners, trainers and jockeys we thank you for your understanding''. During the following years racing prospered and grew in the Republic, bookmakers were licensed, thousands of new jobs created, and most importantly, the Government received billions of dollars in taxation revenue, The North and South Island became the talk of the racing world, and the people were united, representatives from the racing board were very respected and such was the state of the industry Hong Kong sent their own people to the Republic to learn the pathway forward...... The most auspicious date in the racing calendar became the 29th January 2017, the day the racing industry in the republic was reborn.

Apparently Elvis is going to front, and a strong rumour Lord Lucan also.

Bayliss maybe?

No you might forgive her, I don't, what a load of bollocks, spoken like a breeder with true self interest.......don't insult trainers, remember Midget, you're no longer a trainer, I bet if you were you'd be more pissed than you show......how dare she, her comments highlight her ignorance, right time, right place Kylie, grass roots is about to rise up.

I've been lucky enough to have heard/listened to most of the top Aussie callers, on a reg basis, there will be none better, ever, than the great Bill Collins, however John Tapp and Des Hoysted were brilliant, Alan Thomas in Brizzie, and in ADL Ron Papps, I can't really vouch for your Kiwi callers, Peter Kelly was doyen here when I left, although on a business trip back here several years ago I heard your Tony Lee, very very impressive, I don't know the machinations of his leaving, not my business, however I'm sure he would fit wonderfully with new NZ Racing if it ever happens...IMO.

Absolutely Col, although, when you first analyse this mess, does the MH370 scenario spring to mind, [with respect to anyone who may have lost loved ones in that horror] their [NZRB] ability to survive will be truly tested when this industry hits the water.

Oh God Trakdap, they can't manage their own, ours, give them other peoples money and watch the mayhem.

Practice Manager? what Practice? A Proctologist per chance?......and who are they going to practice on? God the mind boggles.

Gee, I hope she doesn't read racecafe