Rusty

On 4/17/2022 at 9:21 AM, Happy Sunrise said:

Blair Orange gets 2 days for causing careless driving but goes on to keep the race and the winning stake. While in his wake is carnage including a horse which had to be euthanised.

Bloody sad.

My first thoughts are with the horse's connections. Anyone that has lost a horse knows what it's like. Sure makes for a long, lonely, sad journey, pulling an empty horse float home from the racecourse. 

Two days holiday for B Orange hmmmm. I can't help but think if a different driver was in the sulky, what the penalty would have been. What would Colleen Negus get? Or Sam Thornley? Or how about Colin DeFilippi? The rules of racing are the same for all participants. But how they are enforced and the penalties imposed, are in my opinion quite different, depending upon the individual that breaks the rules. 

The stipes report makes mention that Orange is NZ's busiest driver. So 2 days holiday is going to be a greater number of driving opportunities than most other drivers. Orange made a mistake, and either directly, or indirectly, resulted in a horse dying.

Noone is perfect, and we all make mistakes. But Orange got off light.

But in this jurisdiction, under the current regime no one is surprised, and unfortunately, Happy, it appears noone on this platform anyway, gives enough of a toss to pass comment on it. "That's racing." Is the phrase that comes to mind. Well if "that's racing" they can indeed shove it where the sun doesn't shine. 

R.I.P Ready I Am. 

1- 4, 8

2- 1, 4

3- 4, 5

4- 1, 6

5- 4, 7

6- 1, 5

7- 5, 6 Joker

8- 1, 7

9- 6, 8 Joker

10- 2, 5 

Many thanks 

Next year the meeting is to be held on a Friday night.

6 minutes ago, Lightning Blue said:

Do you want me to disagree with you then ? ...... having trained horses for 15 years mate then did vet for 15 years, so have got 'some clues' thanks.

I couldn't care less if you agree or disagree, you are fully entitled to your own opinion. 

I'm reminded of a quote from William G McAdoo; 

"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument." 

So I shan't bother engaging further. 

I have said my piece.

Clueless.

So one of the key take-away messages from that news article is the same as what I have been saying since the early 90's; 

Not all illegal performace enhancing drugs are (a) tested for, and (b) detectable when a horse is swabbed. 

Too many naive followers of the sport (usually casual observers, or punters, and not those actually working in the sport), simply believe that because swab testing is not revealing positive results, then all is hunky dory and there is nothing to see here, and you can't dare even remotely suggest otherewise, as "you have no evidence." Well I do. I just elect not to share it in a public forum. 

Performance enhancing drugs that are not detectable with swabbing practices (at the time) have been occuring in NZ since as long as I can remember, and there is no reason to think it has changed now.

 The authorities in this country, and every country I suspect, do the best job they possibly can, within the limitations of their available resources at their disposal. 

"Garage chemists" as the aforementioned article describes them, have been around for decades, and will continue to be, for so long as there is stakemoney in racing, with inadequate testing facilities. 

5 hours ago, karrotsishere said:

Is anyone else starting to get a vibe, something maybe quietly brewing in background? Like an dormant volcano at risk of going off.

1. For example this announcement of Rustys.

2. The client list being publicly published of guilty US disgraced vet Fisherman. 

3. Speculation starting on every passing day as to why Interdoms heats/finals hasn't been paid yet.

4. In NZ nothing further on C Jones case, other than 1 journo saying likely no charges due to witness pulling statement. 

5. The Irish publication Enteebee shared which told the story of what has been happening in Ireland. 

Dunno maybe the volcano may not go off & may remain dormant. Then again it may go off & NZ might get a tsunami warning. 

 

No volcanoes Karrots. 

Personally, I think there is greater chance of an earthquake that gives a specific region a short, sharp jolt when they are least expecting it. The shockwaves will however be felt far and wide. 

When it occurs however, is anyone's guess. But it's just a matter of time. It's not if, but when. 

Remember the old EQC slogan back in the day? 

"Fix. Fasten. Forget."

In Christchurch noone really took earthquakes too seriously, until it was too late. 

My point being the same thing will happen with this hushed up MOU between MPI, SPCA and the RIB. They are just getting their ducks in a row now, and one day the earth will come crashing down for some. 

The penalties (jail time and/or fines) are clearly there in the Act.

Lets just hope the Judges in the courts have the moral courage to utilize the penalties available. I am more hopeful than confident, but time will tell. 

27 minutes ago, karrotsishere said:

Does this mean they could get jail time?

Short answer, yes, the Act does provide for the alleged offender to potentially go to the big house. 

1 minute ago, karrotsishere said:

Thanks for sharing Rusty. This was your NZ Cup week news, was still wondering what it maybe. This is great news for animal welfare.

Yes, you got it Karrots, this was it.

I just couldn't share it until now, as it had been kept under wraps by the agencies concerned.

I love the horse. They are such cool creatures, they are amazing. Anyone that has ever patted one, ridden one, feed one, smelt one, been breathed on by one and spent some time with one, will know just how awesome they are. Most of them are such gentle giants, and a fair few do such great work with kids with disabilities.

That is why, I get pretty pissed off, when people do things to horses that they shouldn't. You are right, this is great news for animal welfare. 

7 hours ago, Happy Sunrise said:

Hopefully it puts the fear of God into any current or future Alfords out there.

It's not widely known about the MOU. I'm guessing that MPI, RIB and the SPCA wanted to keep it all hush hush, to asssit with the first few investigations, and have the element of surprise.

Most normal people would be a lot more fearful of any punishment/prosecution brought about by an MPI led investigation, than the RIB. 

Then again, most normal people wouldn't inject an animal with a bit of formaldehyde, for financial gain or reward. 

I think it will take the first prosecution, and the book thrown at a horse person, until there is even a remote possibility that such low lifes will stop and try to think about any repercussions. 

I posted this in the harness section initially, but the gallops guys and gals may find this of interest too, given the recent headlines of a galloping trainer and dead horses: 

The Racing Integrity Board (RIB), the SPCA and MPI's Animal Welfare NAIT Compliance unit, have joined forces to create a three pronged attack to ensure the  best use of resources in the fight against animal cruelty in both horse and greyhound racing.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the three agencies during New Zealand Cup week in November, with the purpose of information sharing between the parties regarding “animal welfare incidents", including the administering of prohibited substances into race horses. 
The three agencies have committed  to a “no surprises” communication approach, and will share high level summaries of individual animal welfare related cases. 
The RIB will continue to oversee and enforce race day incidents, however the more serious ones, including positive dope tests for horses, will be referred to MPI within 48 hours, whilst deaths of race horses in competition will be reported to MPI (Ministry Primary Industries) on a monthly basis. Upon receiving the notifications, MPI may elect to investigate the matter under their legislative powers and enforcement, something that the Minister is believed to be keen to see. The spotlight has been on the greyhound racing industry for sometime, but with the highly publicized cases of positive doping cases in race horses, attention is now moving towards the equine codes. Reports of formalin, which contains formaldehyde, being injected into race horses, has left not only the hard working honest racing participants outraged, but also the wider general public, as the minor sport has often featured in mainstream media reports for all the wrong reasons in recent times. 
There have been quiet murmurings of frustration within MPI for some time, as their officers have encountered some what perplexing RIB officialdom at times when the lines of investigation into animal cruelty are often blurred regarding who should be the lead agency, and the lack of sharing resources and information, for the good of the animal. 
It is suspected that the MOU will also include the use of the whip in horse racing. Norway is the only country in the world to have previously banned the use of whips in horse racing and Sweden is set to join them from April, as calls for whip use reform gains momentum worldwide. 
Personally, it made me stop and think today, when at the end of a race, a 3 year old girl asked me, “what are those sticks for"? I didn't have the heart to tell her what they were, and why jockeys  were using whips on horses, especially the horses that were well beaten, in more ways than one. 

The Racing Integrity Board (RIB), the SPCA and MPI's Animal Welfare NAIT Compliance unit, have joined forces to create a three pronged attack to ensure the  best use of resources in the fight against animal cruelty in both horse and greyhound racing.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the three agencies during New Zealand Cup week in November, with the purpose of information sharing between the parties regarding “animal welfare incidents", including the administering of prohibited substances into race horses. 

The three agencies have committed to a “no surprises” communication approach, and will share high level summaries of individual animal welfare related cases. 

The RIB will continue to oversee and enforce race day incidents, however the more serious ones, including positive dope tests for horses, will be referred to MPI within 48 hours, whilst deaths of race horses in competition will be reported to MPI (Ministry Primary Industries) on a monthly basis. Upon receiving the notifications, MPI may elect to investigate the matter under their legislative powers and enforcement, something that the Minister is believed to be keen to see. The spotlight has been on the greyhound racing industry for sometime, but with the highly publicized cases of positive doping cases in race horses, attention is now moving towards the equine codes. Reports of formalin, which contains formaldehyde, being injected into race horses, has left not only the hard working honest racing participants outraged, but also the wider general public, as the minor sport has often featured in mainstream media reports for all the wrong reasons in recent times.
There have been quiet murmurings of frustration within MPI for some time, as their officers have encountered some what perplexing RIB officialdom at times when the lines of investigation into animal cruelty are often blurred regarding who should be the lead agency, and the lack of sharing resources and information, for the good of the animal. 

It is suspected that the MOU will also cover of the use of the whip in horse racing. Norway is the only country in the world to have previously banned the use of whips in horse racing and Sweden is set to join them from April, as calls for whip use reform gains momentum worldwide. 

Personally, it made me stop and think today, when at the end of a race, a 3 year old girl asked me, “what are those sticks for"? I didn't have the heart to tell her what they were, and why jockeys were using whips on horses, especially the horses that were well beaten, in more ways than one. 

On 1/28/2022 at 12:40 PM, karrotsishere said:

Sweden thinks the same & has moved forth to ban the whip from gallops.

https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/swedish-racing-bans-the-whip/

Good on Sweden, in my opinion it is a good move.

1 hour ago, Happy Sunrise said:

But it involves a horse going to J Dunn's again without being notified.

Key word being "again". 

1 hour ago, far too much said:

tom Bagrie does not train at the beach so no pattern

Perhaps I can see one, as I was brought up looking for patterns on Sesame Street. 

Anyone else starting to see a pattern here? 

I would like to see the $150 fine ramped up to $1,000 and the "caretaker" trainer also gets whacked with it. 

If trainers are as professional as what they think they are, then there is no way they would get Dunn, sorry I mean done for it, multiple times a season. 

The current set up is another example of letting the punter down and not fully protecting their interests. Happens all too often, and when it does happen, man how good does the horse go in that race? Rarely has a bad performance, they often win, and win paying more on the tote than what they would have if the notification was formerly advised. Or to put it another way, if the rules were not broken. 

1 hour ago, Happy Sunrise said:

One of the few advantages of being able to cash out.

Just as a side note, on the cash outs - when the Novak drama was playing out in the aussie open tennis, he was still in the NZ TAB market as favourite ($2.25). When the judge ruled that he had to leave Australia, Novak continued to remain in the market, so at that point, I grabbed a wee piece of Nadal at $9's. 

Cash out for Nadal was available, up until he made the final. I was interested to see what the cash out figure was, when it was confirmed his opponent would be the Russian concrete block wall, but it never eventuated at all. Even during the final match, the cash out option was showing "suspended." Luckily!

I can't help but think that maybe it was a combination of the poor punter missing the decimal point when placing the bet on his cellphone, and also having fat fingers?

Perhaps it was meant to a final field win bet of $16.50, but unfortunately he missed out the decimal point altogether and the fat finger hit the zero twice. 

I have actually done this before unfortunately. Wasn't a 5 figure bet thank god, but it did end up being a significantly larger bet than I had planned. Also when bidding on an auction in ebay, I forgot to add the decimal point on a last second maximum bid. I don't really want to talk about that though. I have only just recovered. 

Or, the punter's wee 3 year old grabbed his cellphone and started pressing all sorts of buttons.

No other explanation for it. Poor bugger. 

Off N Gone won her 4th, 5th, 9th and 10th race day starts, for the Dunns I believe and furthermore, I think she commenced her racing from that stable. Pretty good record that, a horse winning 4 races from her first 10 starts. A credit to the Dunns. 

So if she had commenced her racing career from that stable, and established a fairly good record early on in her career, it is probably not the best candidate to hold up as an example of a horse "drastically improving" after being transferred to the magical golden sands of Woodend Beach. 

Simply put, she doesn't fit the criteria that Happy as previously mentioned. Which I understand it to be, a reasonably well tried horse, transferred to the beach, from another stable. 

3 hours ago, Enteebee said:

There are many honest trainers who share our concerns and all are talking about it but they cant say anything in public because of the rules of the executive.

100% dead right. 

And not just honest trainers, which most are by the way, but also other industry participants too (like drivers, owners, breeders, even farriers and vets that I know), many of them all share the same concerns, but can't say boo about it publicly. 

3 hours ago, Lightning Blue said:

You  (happy, rusty) are truly being UNKIND to some of Nz best horsepeople  . Jacinda won't be happy !!!! lol.........

Hey comrade Lightning Blue, that's a bit unkind saying I'm unkind to some of NZ's best horsepeople. 

I can honestly say I've never said a bad word against any of NZ's besthorsepeople; Phil Williamson, Paul Nairn, Jimmy Curtain, Ken Barron, Jamie Richards, Lisa Allpress, David Walsh etc, etc, all NZ's best horsepeople in my opinion. 

2 hours ago, karrotsishere said:

@Happy Sunrise what is this Crystal Drayton factor thing you speak of?

Hahaha Karrots!! 

That is like furiously waving round a red tablecloth in front of a bull and asking him, what's this piece of material? Is it a flag, is it a bedsheet, a beach towel, a pair of bloomers?

Now where is my popcorn? 

46 minutes ago, mardigras said:

I could understand punters moving to a more attractive product. I'd see that as being offshore gallops or sports. So if the shift is from harness to Oz gallops, likely expected. Just the same as NZ gallops to Oz gallops. A better product with more punter trust.

100% agree. Also with the aussie gallops, the presentation of the product is a class above, which is just one further aspect that makes it a more attractive option too. 

I and many of my punting homies have predominantly moved our punting dollar to gallops from harness. Still have a go on the trots, but not as much. Gallops is in my opinion, and a few others, is eatting into the harness market share. No official stats to back that up. It's just from our own experiences. 

Addington makes the point of punters leaving in droves (from the harness code). I tend to agree, if my circle of friends and family are anything to go by. TAB retail operators have also shared the same viewpoint. They didn't say "droves" but a noticeable decline. Perhaps it's the shift to gallops. Or sports betting, or to online betting. Or people just tightening their belts a bit with the cost of living increasing at the fastest rate in decades.