Happy Sunrise

There comes a time when the only thing that can change the current state of affairs is personnel. Would Foster resign? Would Foster drop Taylor, Whitelock, Cane and Smith? Everyone has an expiry date.

As long as they are not exported in the next few months. Surely Gary Woodham can ask his own questions 😁

Rating 73 so win need to win a couple. Wouldn't be out of place in it. The great thing is it could be the best dog fight in years to qualify for the Cup.

Was great to watch a very willing race last night. Refreshing after the lame recent racing. Hezasport will add a bit of interest to the Cup but it looks like the winter horses eg Smiffy's Terror are not up to those returning to the races now. Anybody who backed Laver and The Falcon at triple figure odds will be happy they did.

Not sure why he drifted from 13s. Hard as nails.

Only if the majority don't turn up. Hopefully they all do which will mean the most competitive field in years. Another by product, would be the dogfight to even get in which would mean big fields in the lead up races. He appears to be but has won over 2600m. If he sat quietly while all hell broke loose around in the Cup he might be a chance. No good in Lochinvar Art's race at weekend.

The odds have finally become of interest if you have a fancy. I say of interest because I don't think all of the favs will start so if you think a horse is on the up it may well be the time to back it, especially since you get your money back as bonus bet if it doesn't start in FF market. Akuta may not start. Copy That may not start. Lochinvar Art ran second last night in Oz after a long lay off so hard to make anything of that. Would they really come with the inter-dominions soon after? South Coast Arden doesn't seem to be the same horse unless trained by the All Stars in covid times. A G's White Socks is / was going awful in Australia and is now an 8 year old so surely he won't start. Old Town Road has come a long way in a short time and suddenly gets thrust into 31s after winning last week. Still only a rated 76 pacer. Franco Indie surely won't start in this rarified race. Pembrook Playboy seems injury plagued and I wonder if we will ever see the best of him, last year might have been his best chance. Not sure but it would be good to see go well. So who is on the up? I would say Majestic Cruiser, Alta Wiseguy, Krug, Hot and Treacherous and Shan Noble. Who could cause some carnage? Laver who was 15ff top 3 now into 9ff and Cranbourne with Matty W on. And then we have Self Assured who they all have to beat but 2.80ff will be a race day go for the big punters and multi makers.

Still inappropriate isn't it. No wonder the RIB is disliked. What kind of thinking takes place in their brain to do such a thing? Heresay. Almost as bad as the inappropriate questioning of the females. Shouldn't be allowed if true. Wonder if they just pocket the expenses. And there you have the motivation for the whole article - a dislike for the stipes so the whole thing needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

Lined up? I can't believe they would do this in such a fashion. I would say it is poor reporting and a poor use of words. Is this the RIB domain when they have the website 'whenracingwins' if an employee has issues they would go through this wouldn't they? And then assistance would be given by HRNZ not the RIB?

Only in harness.

“I think we’re doomed in Auckland. Harness racing could be extinct in the north in five years. We’ve been on a slippery slope for so long and breeders have been treated like toe-rags for years. What has HRNZ done for the north? “It’s amazed me how many people have had blinkers on and nothing’s been done. HRNZ’s been little more than an administrative organisation.” They can't even work together to discuss the handicapping of the big races before going public. Recently announced plans by HRNZ to introduce incentives for breeders could be too little, too late, he says. Is it enough to stop the tide going out? “There’ll be an even bigger exodus of horses to Australia when we can’t get races for the good horses. Owners want good horses racing in good races. Copy That can race in country cups over there just about every week - the Kilmore Cup is worth $80,000 - but what have we got here? A shitty $30,000 race at Oamaru.” Why would Copy That stay in NZ? Maybe HRNZ and it's Aussie equivalent make an Australasian grand circuit? John Dunn has got his charges out early because they won't win the races in October and November, good on him trying to get the money early.

The fields will increase soon. HRNZ have tapped the winter horse population dry over winter all for turnover which they don't even publish anymore. Wonder why. Gutless and hiding the fact it will be low. The way the punters have cleaned up on the fixed odds plunges recently they could almost be losing money. Addington twice a week for 2 months is boring.

The Auckland Trotting Club has programmed a 2200 metre sprint on Thursday night for rating 55 and faster pacers, with a maximum back mark of 30 metres metres It is dead.

But what happens to most horses here? Just because they are sent to Asia (so must be bad) you have a horse rights issue going on inside you? If you search horses on HRNZ , a few are hacks, a few are dead, some are exported but most are not racing and have nothing about them. Wonder what happened to them?

End up in Mongolia don't they?

With the weather over the winter, the current cold snap and seemingly endless rain, what are the odds they actually race on the grass at Methven in mid September? Will it end up at Ashburton or go to the now condemned Geraldine TC like it has previously? Grass track racing is the winning equation for harness but with Geraldine going and Rangiora under the bean counters gaze I fear one of it's strengths will be disappearing, especially after the shambles in process and leadership over the handicapping of the Cup etc I am not so sure the leadership group at HRNZ know what they are doing.

What are the odds of open class racing in the North before the Cup? Next to zero?

I thought there were less. You have the secretive 'Harness Xpress' on facebook for all of that. Says it has a website but the link is dead. No mention of how much it costs. Think you have to email someone to sign up for it which is pretty weird in this day and age. Seems amateurish set up despite the articles seeming ok.

That is a big bus. So why on earth did HRNZ put the proposed changes out in the public before the end of the review and before the Board ratifies any of them? Next, HRNZ will be giving cost of training payments to the All Stars.

In an age of buzzwords, where sustainability is near the top, the Government come up with this. The fact your household income makes no difference is ridiculous. A person could be married to someone on 500 000 and still get it. The lack of brain power is incredible.

That is my point. Why would a committee made up of horsemen and vested parties set a programme of standing starts over sprint distances if they were not wanted by fellow horsemen? Here are some breakdowns of mobiles V stands in recent programmes. Mobile numbers first. If you want a 50% reduction in standing starts then you might as well make it 0% because if there is a need or want for stands you will not be meeting it. 7-4 5-3 4-4 5-3 7-3 8-2

It is not really a matter of being absolute eg no stands at all. It is about finding what is best for harness racing. Does having standing starts assist horses? I think I see trainers reluctant to start their horses in mobiles, why is that? Why do Methven TC programme stands?

All mobiles at Addington 3 times a week by 2025? No thanks. The variety within harness is being diminished which I don't enjoy.

So why Methven do them then?

Methven TC, who have tried to be innovative with their programming still have short course stands over a mile or 1700 in their twilight meeting. I would think they would be trying to meet the need of horses or trainers would they not? Always a place for stands but an even bigger place for a good starter.