Always back the horse named self-interest, son. It'll be the only one trying
At no time was my application to include the jogging or pre-training of horses. It was solely for permission to break in yearlings with strict guidelines prepared by the CEO of HRNZ relating to numbers and stage of yearling preparation before they were to be passed to a trainer. Given this opportunity, my intentions were […]
The harness racing industry is in uproar over a dispensation granted to former high-profile trainer Nigel McGrath who was banned for eight years for cheating in 2020. But in a surprise move on Tuesday night, McGrath, speaking publicly for the first time in five years, said he had withdrawn his application to break in yearlings on a restricted […]
Another great Irishman with a bit of Ernie in his name So what do you make of the Birdsville jigger inquiry? My view is this. Ric McMahon is lying like fuck, and then lying some more when he claims not to know what a jigger is, or how to use it. That’s bollocks. McMahon moved […]
The recent article written by former staff member Brad Reid outlining some of the deep, underlying problems with NZ harness racing has struck a real cord with participants in the sport, so much so that I am led to believe that within days it has become one of the most read stories ever on the […]
Jockey Ric McMahon has delivered bombshell evidence in the first day of the Birdsville Cup jigger stewards’ inquiry, claiming trainer Todd Austin handed him the electrical device and told him to use it on a horse’s neck during track work. McMahon told the Doomben hearing that Austin handed him a jigger to use on one […]
Kiwi harness racing writer Brad Reid is a relative newcomer to the sport, who first became involved less a decade ago. In that time though he has fallen it with the trots like many of us, and has become a passionate enthusiast and advocate for our great game. Sadly though, like a lot of us, […]
We have written often about the NZ Racing Integrity Board’s strengths and weaknesses. With good reason the themes of these stories have been 10-1 the weakness way, and we are probably going soft on them at that. The treatment of driver Tim Williams, whose dad is on the board – and therefore the Stewards and […]
The former chief executive officer of TasRacing resigned for “personal reasons” just two months after a workplace culture review delivered a scathing assessment of the organisation’s senior leaders. Now, he is running the national peak body for racing in Australia. Paul Eriksson, who was appointed as CEO of TasRacing in 2019, resigned in June despite extending his contract with […]
We have this morning sent this request for information to the Chairman of the Marlborough Harness Racing Club in New Zealand. The issues relate to substantial seven-figure sum gaming machine grants made to the club at a time when it only raced twice per year. For the avoidance of any doubt, no allegations of impropriety […]
Here is a simple explanation of how the new appeals system is going to work in QLD. We are not lawyers, so this is not legal advice. It’s just telling it like it is. Disqualification Action A DQ or suspension of 3 months or more, or being warned off or put on the forfeit list […]
