Happy Sunrise

Phil Williamson: “It’s very disappointing,” Williamson said. “But then a lot of things are disappointing in the game at the moment. “It’s disappointing HRNZ doesn’t listen to more of the industry’s participants who own the horses.” Graham Bowen, Chairman of Cambridge: Bowen said he could see no solutions coming out of HRNZ, only road blocks. Getting to a point after all the shambles this year that questions have to be asked. What surprises me, is that people are still looking to HRNZ for leadership, there clearly is none and that was shown by the debacle over the proposed handicapping of the NZ Cup.

Not much hope if this kind of carry on is happening. This is serious, consider an owner with a Phil Williamson trotter up there, no races for it, transport costs and looming 10% reduction in stakes coming. Why bother racing a harness horse? Maybe the big crowd was relative to what they usually get 😂 Oamakau looked big on the TV, Mot was large (though poor to non existent internet due to the crowd was frustrating for many and since it was so hot everyone had to use the stand which meant sitting on by estimation 25 year old bird shit which is everywhere, the club need to literally sort there shit out with this issue as it is embarrassing) and Westport and Reefton were their normal buoyant self. Addington and Alexandra Park are the weakest crowd wise as no one wants to attend a concrete jungle but the reality is no one really cares about attendance. It is all about turnover.

If you want evidence the industry has no one leading it this situation reinforces it. Yet, they reduced the stake of the Franklin Cup was week because only 4 runners were in it. Crisis? What crisis? They should always be making decisions. If you are getting paid what they are, you are on call 24/7. The 2 articles raise interesting points, Lincoln Farms again following their own agenda. An exciting finish has nothing to do with the viability of last week's race. Thinking it is a long term promotional tool is delusional as well. The money bet on the race was so small it would not match a maiden at Otaki. A measly $4800 in the win pool. While last week’s Lincoln Farms’ sponsored Franklin Cup would have been a loss for the industry with a stake of $50,000 and reduced betting it still proved a great showcase, and a long-term promotional tool with a big crowd and one of the most exciting finishes of the year when Copy That was nailed in the last stride by Alta Wiseguy after an engrossing mid-race chase from his back mark. David Branch is quite rightly frustrated but pinning his hopes on HRNZ finding a solution seem slim since they are indecisive. They can either make a statement and say 5 or less equals no race, no exceptions or they can keep having these high class races and reduce the stakes accordingly. Running the races at a loss is just not sustainable. Either way is not ideal but there has to be a decision made. Phil Williamson must be so pissed off through wasting time and money. The lack of leadership yet again is diminishing confidence in the industry at a great rate. “It’s incredibly frustrating to put it nicely and Harness Racing New Zealand needs to find a solution to this problem.

You have to watch the video to see it properly but this is a great way to finish off the harness year. You don't see this too often. I can only imagine Robbie Close turned down the drive on Pegasus Pearl. HRNZ should run a competition asking people to turn it into a meme.

Just watched Mick Guerin talking about this on the Box Seat. He has been talking a bit of sense recently but he is way off beam with his support of the running of the Franklin Cup. His argument you have to run the race to instill confidence for the future is valid but said in a vacuum of information. How can you say it should run but never mention the fact of the 10% harness funding hole. You just can't take him seriously when this is not mentioned. Confidence? goodness, run a race so you won't lose tightly assessed horses overseas, well, the industry will be losing plenty of horses because of the 10% reduction.

Have you ever come across a more self serving bunch than Lincoln Farms. They can twist a story any which way they want. Cry like babies when it goes against them but come across as condescending propagandists when it falls for them. https://www.lincolnfarms.co.nz/stories/copy-that-can-spark-new-years-eve-fireworks-even-in-four-horse-race-at-alexandra-park/

So they run the Franklin Cup with 4 starters. If harness racing folk think they are well served by this current administration, good luck to them. Blind support like this for 4 sets of owners, trainers etc while 99.99% of the rest will be taking a 10% pay cut soon enough is lunacy. Most people don't give a toss though, that is evident by the lack of reaction to the reductions. When the next lot of reductions eventually arrive, and they will, I hope they don't start jumping up and down when their liveliihoods are risk. You had plenty of warning. Harness racing is heading in the direction it deserves.

HRNZ just got handed a late Xmas present, the 2 group races at Auckland have 2 and 4 horses in them. They shouldn't run which would result in a saving of $90 000 in combined stakes . I hope they don't scout for horses out of their depth to boost numbers because it still makes the race a joke.

Does that money contribute to Addington stakes or straight into Addington coffers and not HRNZ?

It is very non-descript and in the middle of nowhere. I can't imagine many folk from Melbourne going to the trots. If Addington stays, how do you think the rest of the tracks in the region should be managed? Do you think the same applies to Alexandra Park? I am blown away by the lack of response to the 10% reduction in stakes, if one looks at Guerin or Knight on twitter they say nothing. Nothing in the Herald. Nothing pretty nothing anywhere which surprises me since it affects just about everyone in some shape or form.

Race 1 Oh My Love Missed the start in the mobile by 8 lengths at Rangiora but was only beaten 6.7L and was not extended, was nicely held through and after the line. It's previous start at Motukarara saw it come out of the gate from 8 or 9 and sit parked, was still there before breaking in the home straight. The stand should be better for it (gone away in trials) especially since it is on its home track. Robbie Close on is a big big bonus. 11FF on opening into 8.50 but still nice enough odds. An interesting note is the 2.80FF Olivia's Star, The person who wrote the description of its previous mixed up the stablemates and thought Olivia's Star was Philadelphia Filly at Addington. Olivia's Star was pretty plain so don't believe the good write up. No value whatsoever.

This is the biggest challenge harness racing has probably ever faced.

It is time for radical action. See original post.

So many questions to ask about this but where does one start. 10% of not a lot is likely to quicken the spiral. And HRNZ chuck $100 000 at the Race By Grins............

A measly 83 nominations for a 10 race card at Westport on Boxing Day. I suppose with Ashburton and Addington running this week so close to this meeting it was bound to happen, Rangiora on New Years Day and Banks on the 8th of January has just milked the resources dry and given trainers too many options. What will happen on the second day if they don't all back up or it rains? Tiny fields are not conducive to betting as we know, Reefton must be clenching their butt checks for their nominations.

Who told you that? Doubt it.

I don't think there are many out there who would willingly do this to horses so maybe there are other issues at hand for Mr Boyd. The Treaty of Waitangi, The Munich Agreement of 1938, 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement, HRNZ Code of Conduct....need I say more.... Addington and Cambridge seem to be the only big ones who have any clue, HRNZ and ATC have no idea. Braid Reid's latest article on Harnesslink shows they do whatever they want, anyway they want. On a brighter note, the summer holiday racing on the coast and central will be fun. I wonder if we will get the slog in the wet again that we had last year at Westport. There is something entralling about horses racing closer to the outside rail than the inside one.

So here is the next follow up story about it. It is a shame that HRNZ leadership don't use it as an opportunity to remind licence holders they are there to help if they are struggling with their horses or know of situations where intervention may be necessary. Maybe another reminder about the welfare services they have contracted for participants in the industry. Hard to believe nobody saw the state of these horses before they were mostly rescued. Pretty sad. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/130793062/fifteen-horses-too-dangerous-to-handle-euthanised-after-being-seized-from-racing-breeder

So why the limited response to the news at the time from HRNZ? And where is the follow up to their statement? Has it come out yet?

Time for some honesty, because who would invest in breeding or ownership if this rumour is doing the rounds.

Not enough boys for the jobs?

See Hayden Cullen is off to Telfer's.

And I might add 13th, 15th and 17th of January on all weather. That is really stretching the ranks.

Good question. It is a worry. There is so much racing coming up it will be interesting to see how it holds up in Canterbury. Wednesday and Thursday back to back next week before 3 days on the coast and Rangiora on the 1st.

The concept of the Inter-dominions that many of us grew up with is long gone. The fact 'dominion' is in the title of the series is probably a big hint it is from a bygone era that no longer exists.