Track at Waipuk looked outstanding for the trials there today...what a sad waste.

How to trash an economic superpower in 100 days Analysis by Allison Morrow, CNN  4 minute read  Published 4:00 PM EDT, Mon April 28, 2025         New YorkCNN —  The president doesn’t control the economy, right? Every election year, that’s the reminder voters get from historians, politicos, journalists and academics of all stripes. It’s practically a cliché — voters make choices based on gas prices and grocery bills, even though those things are largely out of any one politician’s control. The political adage isn’t wrong, per se. It is, in fact, difficult for a single president to drastically improve the economy writ large. But President Donald Trump is proving that a politician can absolutely harm the economy when they lack any regard for the consequences, borne largely by the people who elected them.       RELATED ARTICLECorporate America is sounding the alarm on tariffs Tuesday marks the 100th day of Trump’s second term. In those 14 weeks, the president has unleashed an economic agenda so punishing that the only way to understand it in a historical context is not through a lens of policy but of plagues. If the Trump tariffs remain in place, the negative shocks could eclipse the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. While Trump campaigned on a pledge to “immediately bring down prices, starting on Day One,” the White House has made scant progress on that promise beyond a broad executive order demanding federal agencies “deliver emergency price relief.” Trump’s only major economic initiative, a sweeping tariff agenda, amounts to a massive tax increase on American consumers. And it has landed the US at the lonely center of a global trade war — the sole aggressor, lobbing tax bombs at friends and foes alike.     The “sell America” trade — in which global investors yank their money out of US assets like the dollar and Treasuries, worried about the country’s stability — was practically unheard of before Trump’s second term. But over the past month, it has helped wipe out trillions in market value. Despite Trump’s tariffs, the US economy remains, by some key metrics, in good shape — unemployment is low and inflation has cooled to around 2.5% this year from a pandemic-era peak of 9.1% in 2022. Of course, unemployment was low and inflation was falling under the Biden administration, too. Economists say gauging the impact of Trump’s tariffs, at least in the near term, will be difficult, in part because consumers have been shopping more to try to get ahead of price increases. That rush of spending may not last. But longer term, the chances of a recession, according to virtually every economic forecaster, are higher now than they were 100 days ago. Estimates vary between a coin flip and 70%. Prediction market Kalshi currently puts the likelihood of a US recession at 57%. Businesses are paralyzed, unsure whether to believe that Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs will stay in place. Consumer confidence — which had held strong even under generationally high inflation during Biden’s term — is wavering.     RELATED ARTICLETrump took the US economy to the brink of a crisis in just 100 days Absent from Trump’s tariff plan is anything that would immediately address the cost-of-living pain that voters overwhelmingly cited as their reason for re-electing him. Much of the public is now angry. A new CNN poll conducted by SSRS found that 59% of the country now believes Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions, up from 51% in March. Tariffs, in particular, are not going over well. Price increases are already being felt, with 60% of US adults saying Trump’s policies have increased the cost of living in their community. Just 12% said Trump’s agenda has helped to bring prices down. The CNN polling tracks with other readings of the national mood. Consumer sentiment in April hit its fourth-lowest level on records going back to 1952, according to a closely watched University of Michigan survey. Inflation expectations reached their highest level since 1981. While that kind of polling isn’t the kind of “hard data” policymakers typically rely on, the way people feel about the economy matters, especially when it comes to prices. When people expect the economy to sour, they tend to pull back on spending, which slows economic growth. Right now, nearly 70% of Americans think it’s at least somewhat likely the US will go into a recession in the next year, according to the CNN poll. We can see that caution already playing out: Airlines are cutting flights ahead of the summer travel season as fewer people plan trips. Companies are lowering or altogether scrapping their earnings guidance, citing uncertainty around tariffs. Shipments carrying goods from China to the US are expected to fall dramatically in the coming days. According to Ryan Petersen, CEO of logistics conglomerate Flexport, ocean container bookings from China to the United States were down more than 60% industry-wide in the three weeks since the US’s 145% tariffs on Chinese imports took effect. Trump’s “Liberation Day” speech on April 2 promised a renaissance of American manufacturing that few outside the MAGA faithful believe is possible, or even preferable. But Trump offered one prediction that day that turned out to be truer than he could have imagined. “This will be an entirely different country in a short period of time,” he said. “It’ll be something, the whole world will be talking about it.”              

It amazes me how HRNZ think having races with huge stakes will attract people into Harness Racing especially in the North . That may work for the bigger stables but not others . I like Trackside but that has destroyed many clubs with on course turnover and who wants to go to an average meeting when you can sit home , keep warm and watch them on TV . People who have been paid over many years are that arrogant they haven't listened to people in the game and this stems back to over 20 years ago , even Steven Reid left North to go down South . I can see Alex Park in the coming years fold completely which would be a tragedy . I never thought I would ever see this happen 

Yes. How many fans did the J Dunn drive lose us? That was one of the worst drives I've seen. Get The Chocolates had zero chance driven like that. punters robbed, multi bets gone. He didn't give his horse a fair chance. And it was a G1 race. He should have been charged in my opinion, but stipes said nothing! I guarantee Australian stipes would've acted, he'd get six months on the sideline. Shocking!

BH Interview: Mark CutlerView the full article

Chunk of Gold is one of this year's "feel good" stories heading into the Kentucky Derby (G1) because the modestly bred gray or roan colt who cost just $2,500 as a yearling makes every fan feel like they, too, could one day realize their dream.View the full article

Godolphin USA director of bloodstock Michael Banahan paused for a moment to think of an adjective to describe Kentucky Oaks (G1) favorite Good Cheer before remembering her accomplishments to date didn't need added definition: "She's undefeated."View the full article

Will be a long time coming Shad, the Club not that flush with $ like most clubs

Spot on Blue. Clueless for decades…and now a questionnaire to find out if anyone still cares……

Nikola Tesla registered more than 700 patents in 35 countries of the world, and many of those inventions brought progress and prosperity to mankind. However, Tesla, when he died in New York, was penniless, and if he wanted money he would be one of the richest in the world. “Scientia potestas est.” Nikola Tesla 1st Electric Car in 1918 That Regenerate Electricity from the Earth. This is Nikola Tesla's 1921 Pierce-Arrow electric car, powered by pure etheric electricity. It is a self-charging car; it does not run on batteries, oil, or gas. Electric cars have been around much In 1931, Nikola Tesla presented and tested a new automobile. Tesla had developed it with his own personal funds. The motor had been removed, leaving the clutch, gearbox and transmission to the rear wheels uninterrupted. The power receiver (gravity energy converter) had been built by Tesla himself. It was installed in front of the control panel. A heavy antenna, approximately 1.8 meters long, protruded from the converter. This antenna apparently had the function as that of the moray converter (radiant energy!). "Now we have power," said Tesla? he said there was enough power in the converter to light an entire house, plus run the car's motor. The car was tested for a week, reaching a top speed of 144 km per hour effortlessly. Someone commented that no gases were coming out of the tailpipe. Nikola Tesla replied, "We have no motor." Credit Goes To The Respective Owner              

Yes I realize that but that is preaching to the converted - these other issues are what are turning people away - these are the issues that they should be looking at

100% agree Idol...start small and can easily lead to big...but still a ton of fun..a win is a win...nothing like the thrill of that.

That "paltry" $50 per month can mean as much to some people as $50,000 per month would mean to others. A cancellation may even mean more to them as it's likely their only horse, whereas the big spenders could possibly have shares in several runners over different days each week. Don't belittle today's small spenders. They may catch the bug and later on put more into the sport than they are now, and racing is definitely a sport that needs more owners just as it needs more breeders and more foals.  

Jockey Umberto Rispoli, set to ride favorite Journalism in the May 3 Kentucky Derby, joins a special two-hour episode of BloodHorse Monday April 28 as Louie Rabaut, Sean Collins, and Kali Francois preview the race and speak with connections.View the full article

I've not seen anything that resembles marketing of the Harness Racing Industry for many, many moons.

Not really a statement Insider, more of a comment to the question of getting the Trainers and owners involved. Not sure what they can do about the receday track situation and there already seem to be experts galore unable to come up with an answer.

A wet track would be the only risk. Jimmysstar will be too far back to run down Ka Ying Rising, who has an ability to sustain its speed throughout and not get tired at the end. It will be great to finally see an HK sprinter head overseas, so hopefully he comes.

On a quiet April 28 morning at Churchill Downs for Kentucky Derby (G1) prospects after a half-dozen breezed April 27, three Derby entrants notched their final high-speed workouts for the 1 1/4-mile classic, the opening leg of the Triple Crown.View the full article

Msybe they shouldn’t have gone then Liz ? 🤔

Has to get there of course, but wet track and Jimmysstar ( $7 for the adventurous ) look the only dangers.