Chris Wood

One could bring on the other when I think about it!

Def times, distances I am not sure about!

Sadly the times have never ever been accurate at Counties! Thats been the case for 20 plus years!

Let’s set a few things right here guys. I left this morning from Cambridge at 8.00am with 3 horses onboard. Rusavy and Side Eye to race, another taken down for an owner of mine to pick up from the track as she has been retired. I checked the NZTR website, a Dead 4, perfect. By the time I got to the outskirts of NP, I could see there had been a few showers, nothing of much consequence. I unloaded my horses and put them in the yards over by the 1600m mark, didn’t need to cover my horses as it was quite warm, and they were happy. Another couple of light showers occurred over the next hour or so, nothing of too much note. I went for a walk out on the track, dug my heel of my boot (not a riding boot) into the track and left a nice indent on the track. Perfect footing I would have said. All 80 kegs of me, so you can imagine what a horse footprint would have done. So next thing I hear the races are Called off, jockeys not happy. I hear there was a delegation of senior riders went out to view the track. 3 didn’t want to ride and one did, so that was end of it. 300mm of rain has fallen on this track, including the day the last meeting was called off, and that would t have penetrated into the track, for fucks sake, blind Freddy could see that it was there, remembering the last meeting was called off because of surface water, and you think the Track manager is to blame for that? You are a gullible lot if you fall for that one… The jockeys are meant to be professionals, a good trainer here in Cambridge approached me the other day with a good idea, a group of senior jockeys rotating, should go to the course that is being raced on that morning and gallop two horses on that surface if there is any doubt about the meeting going ahead, no doubt they would want to be paid, NZTR could stump up there with the money coming from Jockeys fines, no use sending them out with an umbrella, some wouldn’t know which end to put in the ground! Tongue in cheek! So as I waited for my owner to come and pick up his mare, I walked the entire track, digging my heals into what I thought was a perfect surface, and if anything, after the first, a downgrade to a dead 5, possibly a 6. I rang Carey Hobbs, he was gutted, two galloped in the morning, no problems, then this pops up after a few light showers, sad for him, his club, sponsors etc… What I am saying here is what a lot of trainers are thinking, but they won’t speak up/ out, I am speaking on their behalf, and note I don’t hide behind a bogus name, I am here, shoot me down, but something has to be done to correct this. I realise OSH plays a big part in this once the Jockeys wave the white flag, but just recently some have gone in with pre conceived negative thought and think this doesn’t help matters whatsoever. Anyway, just my thought, along with a lot of others, but what would I know, an ex Hurdle rider! That could be the key to it, run Highweigths as the first race, we never wavered when sent out there to test run the track, food for thought!

Great effort from one of NZ’s finest, go well and may there be a good few more!

Held the ship together, not an easy task in these testing times.

Track was in great order, the break has done it the world of good, nice take with the undersowing!

I think he is a good choice, skin in the game, from a Racing background, down to earth. Attended a meeting about 10 days ago and he presented very well, got his point across in a diligent manner, and was prepared to listen to the floor. Only time will tell, but I think he is a good choice. Best wishes to Bernard Saundry, I think he has done a good job in tough times and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

I heard 20 horses galloped on the course proper on the morning of the races, not sure if this is right or not? Anybody out there that can confirm this?

I would like an honest answer, did any stipe walk the track prior to the meeting? Going back a few years( I hate saying the old days) , Warwick Robinson used to ride a gallop on the track and give an honest assessment, picking that has gone out the window!

No, down at the stables working, I was taking my own horse over and doing the strapping as well. Shame for the club, they don’t frame the meeting times! I understand say no more, but we as the providers of the product don’t get a say in these decisions. A few in the last race were from over the Bombays, they wouldn’t have seen their bed until at least 10.30pm by the time they got their horses done. 6.30 pm plenty late enough!

Abandoned, change of dinner plans now, I won’t be eating at 9.00pm!

Also cop a shitty day with rain and low cloud, what happens then? It can happen!

No thought whatsoever for the Participants, great if it was a Premier meeting I suppose and your competing for real money. An almost Maiden day and we cop this?

I can’t really comprehend why the TAB or NZTR want to run a race meeting on a Wednesday, a low key meeting , the first race at 2.38pm and the last at 7.34pm. You guessed it, I do have one in the last, but I am not the only one complaining about it! Your thoughts?

He has really stepped up, proud parents! Reon Murtha played a large part in modelling him, along with a lot of other commentators and his hard yards down South were a great stepping stone for him. Singapore, then to the mega racing hub HK, where all the best Trainers and Jockeys ply their trade! He will return one day, in the meantime, HK is the place him and his family call home! His brother joined him up there 18months ago, bloody Covid and the travel restrictions these days……..

Nice call Tom!

Just check on that Chevy, I heard he is living in Australia.

Jeff Simpson owned that one, Snabben. Gary Barkla trained him, won lots of races. Peter Simpson trained Sirstaci for his father in law at the time, Bruce Madden.

What you are born as, should hold sway in what gender you compete in…. Geez, did you cop the armpits?

He came and stayed at TeRapa , Doug Holden accompanied him on that trip,, took my Grandma down to see him, he was her favourite.

Hard gig guys, nice to see lots of young fellows coming through, you have to start somewhere! Armchair critics are always right…..

They will still be conducted on the Course proper and chase track. The new track is inside the main grass, looks like a great circumference.

I don’t really see that Berri to be honest, I think the field sizes are adequate, be interesting to see how many Riccarton can accomodate. To me, more of a concern is where the horse numbers will be coming from, I hear so many small breeders not sending their mares to stud, foal crop will once again be down on the previous year, it will hit home eventually!

Can’t say I have followed this closely, my horse Funtonic didn’t have a problem. Look at the judicial reports for the meetings on Saturday and see how many horses that ran and the riders blamed the track conditions, and TeRapa is one of the better surfaces, just saying!