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https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/heart-of-horse-racing-seeks-to-tell-a-different-story/

Hope springs eternal.  Sharrock is gone, presumably because of the tracks issue and presumably with pressure from Entain, which would suggest Entain will have a big say in his replacement and ensuring the longevity of the industry other than stake levels, will be uppermost in the mind of whoever is chosen. Entain have come to the party in underwriting the funding side and pretty much saving the industry.  Now it is NZTR's job to step up I can't recall the last CEO of NZTR who was widely well regarded, so  ?????

I think so. Using the whip rule as an example, when I show a race finish to a non-racing person though possibly some experience with pleasure horses etc., they are appalled. However, when I ask them whether they realise that the horses are only being hit every second stride, they say no, that's not what it looks like. So horse welfare aside, a change to the rules requiring hands to be returned to the reins between strikes could go some way to mitigating the negative perception and say requiring 3 strides to give the horse a chance to respond would be better from a welfare and public perception stand point. I could go on, but the lack of public response to the recent very public concerns about synthetic track injury rates is another example. Simply saying what they are doing to remedy the situation and what the researchers are doing to track the progress on that would help.

bassenthwaite

They need to be pro-active about a lot of things,  but much of it seems totally beyond them.

MEETINGS: Nottingham, Southwell, and Wolverhampton All selections to win only for half point Nottingham Race 2    4. Knicks Nottingham Race 2    7. So Smart Nottingham Race 3    4. Bay Breeze Nottingham Race 3    8. Thornaby Pearl Nottingham Race 4    2. Expressionlist Nottingham Race 4    10. Diamand De Vindecy Nottingham Race 5    2. Kehlani Nottingham Race 5    4. Leap Year Lad Nottingham Race 6    5. Ring Of Gold Nottingham Race 6    11. Ya Rayah Nottingham Race 7    1. Commander Crouch Nottingham Race 7    5. Sense Of Reason Southwell Race 3    4. Silky Robin Southwell Race 3    6. Eeh Bah Gum Southwell Race 5    9. Cuban Lynx Southwell Race 5    10. Talk Time Southwell Race 6    2. Finbar's Lad Southwell Race 6    4. Papa Cocktail Southwell Race 7    3. Autumn Angel Southwell Race 7    12. Moreginplease Southwell Race 8    8. True Promise Southwell Race 8    9. Princess Shabnam Southwell Race 9    7. Vecchio Southwell Race 9    12. Tiger Trap Wolverhampton Race 1    6. Monks Mead Wolverhampton Race 1    9. Sir Titan Wolverhampton Race 2    2. Lady Nagin Wolverhampton Race 2    3. Bankrupt Wolverhampton Race 4    1. Kit Gabriel Wolverhampton Race 4    12. Toussarok Wolverhampton Race 5    1. Diamond Ranger Wolverhampton Race 5    11. Dashinwhitesargent Wolverhampton Race 6    5. Shahnaz Wolverhampton Race 6    7. Beveragino Wolverhampton Race 7    1. Ormolulu Wolverhampton Race 7    3. Straight A Wolverhampton Race 8    1. Jazzy Angel Wolverhampton Race 8    8. Al Shabab  

So, does NZTR need to be more proactive in 'spinning' the positives of the industry and what steps have, or are being taken to allay welfare concerns, such as whip use, which does seem to be the highest profile one

I agree but public perception is paramount here. If we lose government and taxpayer support, we are stuffed.

UK selection results for Tuesday 22/10/2024 Curragh Race 3    1. And So To Bed (2ND) Curragh Race 6    2. Party Dress (3RD) Curragh Race 8    2. Nahori (4TH) Curragh Race 8    5. Racing Royalty (3RD) Yarmouth Race 3    4. Autumn's Breeze (2ND) Yarmouth Race 4    7. Baroque Buoy (2ND) Yarmouth Race 7    5. Moreginplease (NR) Newcastle Race 5    3. Northerner (2ND) Newcastle Race 7    4. Zousca (3RD) Newcastle Race 8    7. Ana Emaraaty (2ND)  Newcastle Race 9    2. Spartan Fighter (WINNER @ 15.00) 1 winner, 9 placings, and 1 non-runner from 35 selections Starting balance 01/01/2024: 200 pts Currently: 140.98 pts  

I note also these groups that are opposed to racing, present only what suits their narrative, not the full picture As an example, i would point out Barry's post 600 Urban dogs are euthanised each month in Auckland alone, hundreds of which are abused & mistreated. Let’s hear these organisations talk about & focus on this, instead of worrying about the 1% of Greys that have issues, most are well cared for.