slam dunk

Hesi I like your method of thinking. My little idea is combining electric car racing with horse racing. For example Pukekohe is ideally placed to offer a family day out combining the two. Especially electric scooter racing for teenagers.

Thanks for the video Max, I like a good mystery. What was the day at Awapuni? The best clue is No1. Paris Lad ridden by Bill Andrew. Unfortunately I don't have a Turf Register. Also highly unlikely a first leg would have been a 1200m race so TVNZ has played a trick. The stipe refers to previous Autumn day so my guess is the first leg is the Anzac Mile mile of 1974 or 1975. The reason I'm interested is that I won the race preceding the Anzac mile in 1975 with rider Ronnie Franklin. A northern horse I think Prepak won the mile and Champagne Lady the second leg. Colour TV came along 1974 I think but with Peter Kelly not wearing a poppy perhaps not Anzac day. ?????

Refresher for those here not part of that era. Note the fluency as opposed to some of the screaming some current commentators get into. Style still gives excitement even more so. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA6nfXJkAsc

This week Radio NZ is celebrating 100 years of broadcasting. During that time racing broadcasting have played a huge part in NZ'rs way of life. The best commentator undoubtably Peter Kelly. So are we going to see mention of some of these quintessential broadcasters or the pioneers that delivered the service.. I doubt RNZ will give a fig and NZTR/TAB too apathetic to bother with any recognition.

Its all very well putting effort into marketing but if you don't know what your function is you don't see the whole picture. From NZTR website..."New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Inc (NZTR) is the governing body of the thoroughbred code in New Zealand. Essentially it supplies the thoroughbred product for wagering and sporting customers and is ‘captain of the team’ for the thoroughbred code." So there you have it. It's all about the participants in racing. What about the infrastructure viz. the racetracks and all the non racing activities on those locations. There needs to be another organisation combining all the clubs to maximize the commercial side whilst minimizing the costs.

Thats the problem. Those getting on club committees etc haven't got the acumen to think outside the square except with their own businesses.

Clubs should not sign off on any TAB monopoly. TAB should have nothing to do with oncourse betting instead new technology virtually off the shelve means clubs can run pools including at at fixed odds all at little cost. This means clubs can work in with sponsors wheras sponsors products form part of the prize pool. Good example being the cars clubs like Otaki offered some years ago. The TAB should be an enterprize that offers betting on everything and if it means amalgamating with offshore agencies then let that be a business decision but leave open options for clubs.

I was looking forward to the $31 offered on Verstapen not on the motor race but at Te Rapa. So can anyone figure why the odds now $14. Suggests some knowledgeable money as both its runs this time in have been a bit flat. Perhaps it has turned the corner. Why is Ashvin Goindisamy now riding another horse and Sarah Macnab on who has never ridden for the Williams and only 3 times on the course???? Verstapen is a $1/2M yearling sale and at this stage the most promising Oaks contender. Sam Spratt was hugely impressed with it winning at Avondale and on looks is all class. Maybe the $7 a place for the 1000guineas looks the best option.

not so confident now. Mind you when Poetic Prince bolted in the Caulfield Guineas the interference was far less.

Anamoe with 49kg would have to be the greatest certainty to run on a racetrack for 100 years h'mm maybe 75 years allowing for Phar Lap.

Could well be nobbled. Shades of Big Philou. Like to know it the temp reading was independent and what physical signs were exhibited. Lets assume a trainer keeps various substance readings for just below the max and does lab testing overnight. Opens up various scenarios

I would say the Cassidy brothers but that would mean Larry being placed in the GN steeplechase. Can't see that. Larry was probably champion in Sydney then meaning Jim riding in a steeple. Headscratcher?

Perhaps a good method of attack would be listening to the horses in the race La Mer won i.e. 1979 Air NZ Stakes at Ellerslie ???? Can't imagine importing a horse to stand in Hunterville although there was a full brother to something like Faux Tirage (by Big Game)

Peter, you are slow to catch on. They were looking at your wife !!!

Just a guess. Herb Rauhihi. John Grylls.

Peter, brings back a few memories.. You may have mixed up the manager of the estate who was the accountant with Pat Sole. If you moved to the Veale Rd/Frankleigh Rd area then it was Pat Sole. The accountant I think got caught up in the big scandal with the President of the Jockey club. (not fair to mention their names after so many years.) This story may give you a chuckle. You obviously have had a lot to do with marketing yearlings. Back in early 1960's my father had been given a horse which after some determination was a Balloch mare. Mr Alexander who had just imported Copenhagen was so impressed how the mare looked he basically gave him a free service. Now the the old man was basically on a minimum wage, not that great at English having been in the country only a dozen years or so. Anyway managed to get the resultant yearling to the yearling sales at Trentham all done on a shoestring. I was pretty young but I distinctly remember when in the box at Trentham the Wright Stephenson rep coming in and saying "tell your father he will have to take down the montage of photos from the stable door". Back in 1963 the only bit of advertising allowed in the front of the boxes was the standard catalogue page. Nowhere else at the sales did I see any extra material on the front of the boxes and that included all the big studs although they had their hospitality tents. After the yearling was sold the Aussie buyer was quite aggressive he wanted the photos. It was quite obvious he only bid on the horse because he saw the photos.

Except for one race when Peter Graham rode her which probably means he was regular trackwork rider for her. So I was keen to findout who actually did the trackwork on her. I knew the "owner" of La Mer very well. He was the Chairman of the High School Board because the late L.A. Alexander had bequeathed his estate for the purpose of setting up an Agriculture College. The chairman Pat Sole would have all sorts of fights with the rest of the board who were aghast at the prospect the future education of their little darlings depended on a horse race. Finally they sold her for over $1M.

Peter. hopefully you tune in. Magic Incanto offcourse won Taranaki's main F/M race on Saturday which got me thinking was Freddie Pratt La Mer's regular track rider? About that time I was doing bit of a owner/trainer stint and young Fred did some trackwork for me. He was the head lad for Malcolm Smith and had the reputation as the strongest rider at the track also a popular character. Just thought the La Mer connection something the Racing Desk reporters didn't pick up.