Nothing cynical about that.

We'll get him this week on National TV Aussie free to Air this Sat. It is only one of the 2 nights per year we get Harness racing on the national racing Channel. They always get Mick over from NZ , as the kiwi horses take on the Hunter Cup and the Great Southern Star this week .  He's funny as hell as every time they ask him a question in the studio , he goes all Monotone for 5 minutes with the answer and Bamboozles em' All completely 😂. can't wait to see what he has to offer Saturday night this time . he lampooned Keyang Zahara last time on Vic Cup night,  much to the horror of the hosts lol  😆

Mick must use " Natural Glow " or " Thin Lizzy " to look so young . When I was driving he was around back then with Leo George 

I think he is about the only one who isnt.

I remember when Roy Purdon was training in Harness . His motto was if a horse didn't show anything in 3 starts it was out the gate . Not knocking Mark but I always had confidence when Jamie trained their horses , they were more consistent . The way some of his horses race around the country , they should be sacked as it only reflects badly on a trainer if they suck money out of owners just for the sake of it 

You morons were warned what would happen when this prick took office. And so it begins…. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/27/politics/trump-special-project-january-6-prosecutors/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/25/politics/january-6-justice-department-database/index.html?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/26/politics/january-6-rioters-charges-convictions-dg/index.html?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc  

Not quite correct according to this: RaceInfo Meetings Meeting News Central Date/Venue Changes - March/April/June Meeting News Central Date/Venue Changes - March/April/June   NZTR advises that the physical work for the Awapuni track reconstruction was completed successfully in December. Since then, the focus has been on carrying out subsoiling work and monitoring the “grow in” of the new grass. While very good progress has been made with grass growth, NZTR and RACE have agreed that the track is not quite ready to have horses on it. Accordingly, a decision has been made to defer a return to racing at Awapuni until Anzac Day to ensure that the track is in the best possible condition when racing recommences. Experience has shown that returning to racing too soon can create issues with track performance. NZTR and RACE have agreed, therefore, to take a conservative approach. As a result of the deferral of the return to racing at Awapuni, the following venue and date changes have been approved by the TAB NZ Dates Committee.  The NZ Pattern Committee has also approved the venue changes for the affected Pattern races. Current Dates Calendar New Calendar Notes Sunday 2 March - Awapuni Sunday 2 March - Trentham   Lowland Stakes Day Thursday 6 March - New Plymouth Thursday 6 March - Waverley   Saturday 8 March - Trentham Saturday 8 March – New Plymouth   Saturday 29 March - Awapuni Saturday 29 March - Trentham Sires Produce Day Friday 4 April - Whanganui Friday 4 April – Woodville   Saturday 5 April - Awapuni Saturday 5 April - Whanganui Manawatu Breeders Stakes Day Saturday 7 June - Awapuni Saturday 7 June - Trentham  

An important asset over there. 

Can't wait for Hokey and Mitey to about turn like Petro, just a matter of time they will be chanting USA USA like the Maga patriots.

Distance a big factor: Otaki 535 km from Pukekohe while Hawera only 378 km.  Most Canterbury trainers wouldn't drive to Invercargill for similar staked races.

There were conversations about sending Thorpedo Anna to the Dubai World Cup (G1), but McPeek said that while that hasn't been ruled out, the more likely follow-up to the Azeri Stakes (G2) would be the Apple Blossom Stakes (G1) at Oaklawn.View the full article

Apparently, the difference in temperatures is not the only polar opposite between New York and Florida at the moment. It also extends to their breeding programs.View the full article

The Queens M G, winner of the Adirondack Stakes (G3), looks to return to her winning ways Feb. 1 in the Forward Gal Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. She faces a deep field including stakes winners My Denysse and Stunner. View the full article

I found it odd that they would want to begin racing in May when it will more than likely be a wet track , surely that is not what you want on a brand new surface . I suspect that you are correct in assuming that racing will begin next season .

Can’t say I’m a fan of hrnz but I do think the one thing they have got right (imo the only thing) is their website 

The Listed 2yo race has been taken off New Plymouth this season , I presume because of poor numbers and quality .  But a new Listed 2yo race on the same day has been has now been programmed at Ellerslie , the nom's for this bright shiny new race are out and only 5 nom's , 1 winner and 4 mdns , 3 unraced .  Now the first question is "Would this have been any worse if it had still been run at NP ?", and the second is "Will this race still be run if there is no increase in runners ?". This proofs to me that there is a real disconnect in the programming and calendar , and that there needs to be complete overhaul of these . The more cynical part of me thinks that it is a continuation of the slow drift of races being moved north for convenience .

At absolutely no surprise to anyone…racing by the looks wont be back there at all this season!

It's so embarrassing, I'm almost embarrassed for them. It's off-putting though, and I've found in recent weeks I've reduced from a small-time weekend-only punter (it's a long time since mid-week meetings floated my boat, but they did once upon a time) to an even smaller-time big-meeting-only punter. Just reviewing my betting there was a little rush around New Year's Eve & New Year's Day, then virtually nothing until KM night. And funnily enough, the reduced attitude has been successful financially too!!! Although that's more likely to be a temporary illusion 🤣. Even a couple of timers I can see where I've turned the tele on and just had one random bet on whatever was up next on a Sunday, and even those bets have had some returns at good odds, but as for the watching all afternoon and punting on this, that and the other, l just can't be bothered. maybe once the next Australian carnivals kicks off it may restore some interest, but we will see.  i tend to rely on the comments more than many race fans, as i don't watch as much as l once did, and my memory is not what it once was. Therefore, with the crap Entain is serving up now, it makes it difficult for me to "get involved" outside of the big races where the form is more exposed and l do know the horses ca little more. I'm certainly not going to back anything using their "tips".  

Great moms for Hawera, so different from Otaki last week.

UPDATE: CA FIRES — A Forensic Arborist has Determined that Nearly All Wildfires in California since the Paradise Fires have been Caused by Direct Energy Weapons. • Robert Brame has over 38 years of experience as an arborist and has spent the last 48 years studying the plant kingdom, focusing on California's native flora. • He has conducted extensive fieldwork, making 106 trips to the aftermath of 38 different wildfires mostly in California. —— According to his analysis, he determined that only THREE of these fires were due to natural causes. • One example he provides is the Coffey Park Fire, in Santa Rosa California in 2017. —— Several highly flammable trees were left entirely intact despite homes burning to the ground around it. Like what we see in the LA Fires. In all of his 120 trips to fire ravaged areas mostly in California, he has found strange consistent anomalies… • Aluminum has a melting point of 1300 Fahrenheit degrees, but was found in long string-like puddles away from vehicles. —— this suggests that the ground itself was heated beyond the point of 1300 degrees. • Glass has a melting point of 2700, and in all of his trips, he found glass completely melted out of vehicles. This is concerning because Wildfires can reach temperatures as high as 1,472°F (800°C) in the MOST INTENSE parts of the fire. —— However, the average temperature typically ranges between 572°F (300°C) and 1,112°F (600°C). —— Using that logic, there is no way Glass would melt. —— Using that logic, for any aluminum to melt, it would need to be in the most intense parts of the fire, which would NOT occur to vehicles in the middle of a road. • In other scenarios, fence posts made of wood only ignited near the screws or metal, leading him to believe it’s being heated up with some kind of microwave technology. • Another example he shows are trees that are literally cooking from the inside out, burning, while not one single leaf burned on the same trees. • Brame strongly believes some of these fires, like those in Lahaina, Maui, have been started or exacerbated by directed energy weapons (DEWS).