Happy Sunrise

47 horses for 6 races on Friday. How long before meetings are cancelled and the future of the whole show in Auckland is in doubt? Sell up and move everything to Cambridge with a grass track circuit in summer?

Never fails to surprise me how much information the stipes put in a report which could be deemed private or how they make social judgements which I don't know how they possibly could. The Summary of Facts record that Mr Orange's two breath tests results were at levels almost twice the prescribed limit. In explanation he said that he had stopped drinking at a social function "at midnight" the previous night. "He has clearly shown remorse and knows he has let a lot of people down, including himself. He showed a commitment to improve himself and avoid this happening again in the future starting with his attendance at an AA course." The RIU contended, strongly, that: "Mr Orange needs to recognise he has an ongoing problem with alcohol .... and needs assistance to commit to a treatment plan. This is for his own welfare and to ensure that he does not put himself and others at risk in the future and that he has professional support that will enable him to return to racing." Mr Orange maintains his non race day driving work with another licensee so will have some income, and he tells us that he earned $37,000 in December and January. A fine of $1,000 is also required.

I would agree with your estimation. Hard to know if he will pick up many drives. He could drive all of Bagrie's horses perhaps since Butt is out too. I doubt he would step in for any of House's horses. Stuart's horses will be driven by Robbie Close. What about McGrath's horses? The big question is who will Barron have drive for him?

My 2 cents worth because it annoys me! The confusing (and maybe unscrupulous) actions of HRNZ continue after reading the article on Stuff about how Geraldine Trotting Club may lose their date for 2021. Geraldine is battling to hang on to its November trotting meeting at Orari. Denise Weaver, a Geraldine Trotting Club member, sent off a petition to Harness Racing NZ (HRNZ) on Tuesday urging them to reverse a decision to take the meeting from Orari and allocate it to Methven for 2021. It seems very odd that 2 dates are taken away initially by the HRNZ review, then one is given back and then taken away again. What has changed for this club to lose their November date for a second time? Where are the reasons why by HRNZ? Are Timaru, Forbury, Westport etc holding onto their dates in the new calendar? Wouldn't there be an outcry from them if it wasn't the case? Gary Woodham, the new CEO, has been reported to being getting around clubs and committee members as part of his new job but he needs to do more than meet and greet. I just can't understand the lack of logic by HRNZ in removing the date from Geraldine. Mid - South Canterbury need a back up grass track to act as support for Methven. I do not believe Methven is capable of holding trials / workouts and races under a heavier schedule. If the weather is poor in spring and early summer then they will struggle to manage. Then, like a wee while back, the meeting will be transferred to Ashburton. Motukarara can be a bog in early spring too so both could be out of action in a time of very poor weather. No one wants that as the backbone of the industry is grass track racing. It is a also a disservice by HRNZ to expect Geraldine to operate as a trials and workouts track only. If that is the case then HRNZ can pay for the volunteers and maintenance of the track. You can't have your everything your own way and be cheap while you do it. Geraldine TC provides a key service in supporting grass track racing so deserve at least a single race date for their efforts. Marshall said the Orari meeting was the second biggest in the South Island behind Cup Week in Christchurch, with strong corporate and public support. Not sure I would go that far as Banks P has some pretty bit crowds over Xmas but Geraldine would leave Oamaru, Rangiora, most meetings at Methven for dead in terms of crowd and business support. Just seems odd that a good track, with big crowds and higher than usual stakes would be struck from the list for no publicly given reasons for a second time. HRNZ don't seem to show much overt leadership in their dealings. Not from Holden, and now not from Woodham. Time for whoever the hell is in charge to get on the front foot and share some thinking publicly or they will end up alienating communities around the region and erode support for the game.

Does he ever get a licence again?

The latest article here exposing Kerr's transgressions. There is no way he will get out of these even if the 'addiction made me do it' card is played. The industry can't tolerate this kind of thing full stop. High profile sports players allegedly cheated by star harness racing trainer Mitchell Kerr Martin Van Beynen05:00, Feb 06 2021 A Black Cap, an All Black and several wealthy businessmen are among those allegedly cheated by a star harness racing trainer who is believed to have lost nearly $1 million through an Australian betting agency. Mitchell Kerr's spectacular fall from grace surfaced publicly when he handed in his training and driver's licence to Harness Racing New Zealand in November, citing “mental health” as the reason for the break. By then the now 29-year-old star had 87 wins to his credit and had won nearly $900,000 in stake money in a three-year solo training career. He was also being investigated by the Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) over a raft of allegations, including selling a non-existent horse, charging owners for insurance not taken out and over-selling shares in horses. Kerr is now facing several charges of breaching harness racing rules, namely committing frauds connected with the industry. The alleged dishonesties are thought to total hundreds of thousands of dollars. The date for a hearing before the racing industry’s Judicial Control Authority is yet to be set. The scale of the alleged offending has become clearer as more details have emerged as part of a Stuff investigation. Stuff can reveal that Kerr is alleged to have lost close to $1m since the beginning of 2019 by gambling through an Australian betting agency. Some of his alleged frauds have affected household sporting names like Black Cap Matt Henry and All Black Anton Lienert-Brown. Stuff's inquiries show Lienert-Brown was part of a syndicate, including Canterbury racing identities Wally Power, Keith Ovens, Gary Fyfe and Michael Walters, that bought about 60 per cent of gelding William Wallace last year from Queensland businessman Peter Varcoe. Kerr organised the purchase, telling the buyers Varcoe wanted $100,000 for his share. It is alleged Kerr paid Varcoe only $30,000 making an easy $70,000 profit. Ovens, a wool industry figure, is supporting Kerr and describes his gambling problem as a terrible disease. Matt Henry, who was a close friend of Kerr since their school days at Christchurch’s St Bede’s College and included him in his wedding party last year, owned at least three horses with Kerr, including four-year-old gelding Matt Damon. He has since found some of those horses were oversold, reducing the value of his share, and is still waiting for prize money the horses won. Stuff has also learned more details about the sale of the non-existent horse. In September 2019 Kerr allegedly organised for Varcoe and Varcoe’s friend John Beverley to buy an unraced three-year-old, sired by champion stallion Bettor's Delight for about $40,000. The horse did not exist, and when Varcoe and Beverley, who were paying for the horse’s upkeep and training, insisted on proof, Kerr said it was a dud but quickly began looking for a similar horse. He agreed to buy a horse called Franco Lebanon for $25,000 from Canterbury's Nevele R Stud, but the deal fell through when Kerr did not pay. On top of the purchase price, the owners paid about $26,000 to Kerr for expenses for the non-existent horse. Varcoe told Stuff he believed Kerr had sold several of his horses including Matt Damon, Smokin’ By and William Wallace for a lot more than he had declared. Kerr’s alleged frauds felt like a betrayal, he said. “He was like family. He stayed with us in Brisbane, and he went to Kaikōura with us as a family unit. There’s a lot in this.” Kerr’s gambling addiction was no excuse, he said. “What happened to honesty and integrity to people who treated you like family?” Kerr’s family, whom he had known for a long time, “asked me not to do anything”. “But when my family became involved I thought f... you.” Stuff can also reveal how Kerr allegedly oversold a number of horses under his control. An example was the two-year-old colt California Dreaming, bought at the 2019 New Zealand Breeders Yearling Sales for $20,000. The owner and Kerr allegedly did a 50/50 deal, an industry device where the owner and trainer have joint ownership. The owner does not pay training fees and other expenses and any stakes money the horse wins is split 50/50. Kerr is said to have sold his 50 per cent share in California Dreaming to more than 10 other owners for about $90,000, virtually selling the horse twice over and diluting each of the shareholdings. Matt Golding, one of the owners affected, said he remained friends with Kerr and, like others in Kerr’s circle, was “trying to help him through it”. Another friend told Stuff Kerr had demons he had to deal with but was “not a bad rooster”. Another case of alleged overselling related to a three-year-old colt called The Major, bought by Kerr in 2019 for about $50,000. He was supposed to sell 100 shares at $1000 per share but allegedly sold up to 180 shares. In another alleged fraud emerging from Stuff’s inquiries, Kerr cheated his friend and client Scott Carnochan when their breeding mare was serviced. Kerr owned one third of four-year-old Bonavigo, and Carnochan, a dairy farmer from Leeston, owned two thirds. Carnochan wanted Bonavigo to be serviced by the stallion Bettor's Delight at the Woodlands Stud and paid Kerr about $21,000 in advance for the service fee and expenses. However, Carnochan later found out that Kerr had arranged a cheaper service with stallion Sweet Lou and had pocketed the full upfront fee for Bettor’s Delight. It appears Kerr invoiced some owners for insurance premiums on policies he never took out. He allegedly charged the Travelling Reserves Syndicate nearly $10,000 for insuring the horse Manhattan but no insurance policy existed. One owner told Stuff, Kerr had charged him for non-existent insurance regarding four horses. Stuff can also reveal several clients have reported allegedly forged signatures on ownership transfer papers that Kerr arranged. Varcoe alleges he did not sign ownership change papers relating to William Wallace, although they carried his signature. Kerr worked for his father, and for trainers Robert Dunn, at Woodend Beach, and Gareth Dixon in Auckland before he went out on his own in 2017 after securing 10 boxes and a barn at Rangiora Raceway and developed the outside yards and paddocks. He is back working for his father, a licensed trainer, at Ohoka Park in Ohoka and also selling fruit and vegetables. Kerr did not respond to messages from Stuff seeking comment.

And me taking it easy on you if we go head to head in the comp 😂 Just joking Rusty. Hope you are 100%

The Peter Davis and Margo Nyhan situation exemplified this trait in the industry of helping out in times of need but the "bad eggs" are pretty prominent at the moment. I do know there are a small percentage of people in society who never change and are incapable of change and will continue to do bad things to others. The question is whether these harness boys fall into this category. If not, then they could be given a second chance at some stage but that is up to the people who are in charge. I think in Matt Anderson's case he needs to see out his full penalties before being reconsidered for a license. Same for Mitchell Kerr and whatever he receives. Assault and alleged stealing from clients are about as big as it gets other than doping your horses to go faster. Part of getting back in the game is taking your penalty and accepting it. Trying to circumvent it will win you no friends in my view.

I believe it would be based on drives so I would would expect Blair Orange to get something similar to his first ban. Blair O hasn't got his defence sorted yet since it was not heard last night?

I should read the article more closely. Anderson is not coming back anytime soon given this sentence. First test for Woodham in his new job and he seems to have passed.

Right on cue... And the muppets who say they support harness racing lay blame direct their attention at Van Beynen's feet for writing an article against harness racing. How thick are some people? Honestly, they are just are so thick and clueless it defies belief. He won't write articles if ammunition is not given to him. The only person who is responsible for this mess is Anderson himself. HRNZ should stick to its rules and only allow him back when whatever sanction given to him is truly over. The only thing worse in society at the moment than bashing a horse is bashing a woman. Proven in court by the way, not just alleged. If HRNZ want to get involved with this kind of shit they can take heat for it and expect another round of Van Beyen articles and they will fully deserve it. And to think Anderson drove for Kerr. A former harness racing star who kicked and choked a woman, leaving her fearing for her life, wants to become a trainer and is receiving support from industry figures. Matt Anderson is a former New Zealand representative and national premiership-winning harness racing driver who is banned from racecourses until at least next year due to his criminal offending. Two racing industry figures – former trainer Peter Jones and former Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) chairman Ken Spicer – have recently met with new HRNZ chief executive Gary Woodham to discuss a “pathway” for Anderson to get back into the industry. Spicer is still on the board of HRNZ. Jones, whose stepdaughter is Anderson’s partner, has publicly stated he believes racing needs a better mechanism for getting people like Anderson back into the sport. He points to rugby as a template for rehabilitating errant players. Spicer, in a series of text messages, said Anderson had approached him as a friend to “help him understand what the process is around trying to get a pathway back into the industry” as a trainer. “If a young person asks for assistance I will assist them. It's only you journos looking for another negative story that worry about how it may look [for a person in his position to be seen to support Anderson],” Spicer, a horse breeder, told Stuff. “There is a process to follow, rules to be adhered to and a stringent licensing criteria to be met.” It was not “his call” to decide whether Anderson deserved to be allowed back into racing, he said. Anderson said it would be inappropriate for him to comment. Under harness racing rules, Anderson is banned from racecourses for at least two years. He can apply for an exemption but that is rarely granted within the ban period. At the expiry of the ban he will still need to apply for an exemption and will also need to meet character requirements to qualify for a training licence. Matt Anderson was discharged without conviction on drugs charges at the Christchurch District Court last year. In November, Anderson was sentenced to three months’ community detention and 12 months’ intense supervision after he was found guilty of charges of assault and strangulation in a judge-alone trial at the Christchurch District Court. The court heard how he grabbed his victim around the neck and choked her, then threw her out of his house and locked the door to prevent her from getting her car keys that were still inside. The victim managed to crawl through an open window, but was assaulted and kicked in the side of the face as she lay on the ground. The victim called 111 and told the emergency operator she thought Anderson was going to kill her. She was told to run towards the road. She jumped into a ditch and hid until she saw a police car arrive. Anderson’s racecourse ban came after a six-month stand-down imposed on August 1 after he was charged for acts deemed detrimental to the interests of harness racing. It related to a district court appearance where he was discharged without conviction after admitting possessing the party drug MDMA for supply, and two charges of supplying MDMA. Woodham, a former high-level member of the TAB's executive team, who recently took over as chief executive of HRNZ, did not respond to messages. However, Woodham told The Star the meeting with Jones and Spicer was an opportunity to discuss many aspects of Anderson’s case. “I must emphasise, however, that it was an informal meeting and not an official request for reinstatement,” he said. “The upshot of those discussions, and subsequent inquiries regarding eligibility, is that Matt Anderson is not able to be reinstated and that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.”

Like you leading the comp and Cambridge next up?

Very true. But one could write a book on how fragmented the industry is.

Will only change once individuals start taking some responsibility for their actions. Kerr, McGrath, Anderson, Orange, Munro etc If harness falls on really hard times in the future participants can be partially to blame.

Is sad the right word? Everyone knows the rules and they broke them. Those that hate the system which includes the stipes and the rules of racing can try and defend the both of them but there is no excuse. I would see this as the system actually working as it stopped a person(s) with alcohol in their blood from taking to the track and possibly preventing an accident.

Will he even try to come back?

This was the penalty last time so it will be a bit more severe. Double it? Bob Butt doesn't drive that often so he could be out for awhile longer despite it being his first offence Penalty Mr Orange has drives at Roxburgh and Cromwell. He was stood down from driving at Omakau, so he has already served the equivalent of one day’s suspension. Mr Orange is suspended from the end of racing on 6 January up to and including 14 January (4 days — Oamaru; Nelson (2); Invercargill). He is also fined the sum of $1050. This is in effect 5 days’ suspension (35 drives) and the fine of $1050 equates to 21 drives. The total is thus 56 drives.

Here it is

It will come out in the stipes report soon. If the talk is true and it is the second time for Blair Orange he can probably expect a bit longer on the sidelines than what he got previously. Twice in 5 years for the same offence is hardly a concerning trend but given the tirade he gave stipes while under the influence last year one will have to wait and see if they tie that to today's events.

Matt Anderson's ban for doing an ecstasy deal with drivers finishes very soon. It was 6 months from August 1 last year. I see he is unlicensed but does anyone know if he will be reapplying? The spanner in the works is his subsequent assault conviction which would stop him going onto a racecourse for two years unless he is exempted by one of the RIU's committees. His future in harness seems to be in the hands of the RIU, not the courts.

The best driver in the country who has people punt on his drives just because of who he is and this gets notified after race 1. Not medical, not traffic, not anything. Matt Cross has avoided any mention from what I have heard. Hasn't talked about the driver changes. As I said in the Mot selections thread, it means it is not good. I will eat my hat if it is a justifiable reason because in harness racing nothing bad ever gets explained. I will bit my tongue at this stage.

Last minute bet on the tote might be the go. What else do you like?

I see it has been sold so probably be out of Friday nights race. Just a note to my fellow competitors in the comp 😁

Sums up the age we live in.

Didn't Dean Martin say 'I’d hate not to punt. Imagine getting up in the morning and knowing that’s as good as you’re going to feel all day' My next tip is 'Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime' at Addington. Frank and Sammy told me it is starting so it is my BB. Drink anyone...