Kurt of Gerolstein and Little Emily

 

Yesterday, Gerolstein got a new inhabitant.

He's one year old, and he's a little horse.

Since I took him over from my friend, Steve Allen, he's been down at Motukarara with the Edmonds family and Michael 'Howie' Howard, getting broken in, gelded and all the other things we and Wendy used to do here in younger and less body-battered days.  And yesterday he came home.

Wendy put him into a nice, green paddock with plenty of goodies (he's not quite sure about the hard feed yet!), and with 23 year-old Boofie (Kotare Atom) as a neighbour. They seem to have mated up nicely ... so far so good! Boofie can tell Kurty all about his six wins and his 100-1 victory at Motukarara (was it really 16 years ago?)

So while big cousin Emily, after her beastly treatment by HRNZ, and a fine third at Addington on Sunday, goes out for a nice restful spell at Bank's Peninsula, little Kurty starts his career ... with his first visitors!

PS Anyone who missed the tale of Emily's gross mistreatment by the authorities ... read here:

"As you all know, we have a little filly named EMILY. She has raced 12 times, for 1 win, 2 seconds, 2 thirds, much interference and one ghastly whoopsie when she had to change trainers because of our beloved Murray's death. It was Murray's dream and ours that she would qualify to run in the Group 1 NZ Oaks ... and she did! Except someone at Harness Racing New Zealand decided that qualifying ratings should be altered to suit -- well, who knows who -- and EMILY was evicted from the field in favour of an erratic horse (failed to finish 3 times in its last 5) and another, which last time we raced it, also finished last. Our last start we ran a fine 2nd. 7 lengths back to 4th. Oh, easy race, sniff the pundits. Really? Will they say that when Master Class (who beat us a neck) runs in the Derby?

Either HRNZ needs to be purged of its old lags (with old connections), or the rules need to be made unbreakably firm. If you are going to have a rating system, stick by it. Don't ignore it to give a friend a start (there's a $1750 start premium, by the way).

SASSY STAR R40 (the serial galloper) and MISS YO R42 are both rated below us. So who's cherrying up (or down, depending on one's preferences) to the field-making department?"

I have written to the responsible person at HRNZ. He has not deigned to reply.

So. They've trodden on the last dreams of Murray, and a few of those of Wendy, myself and our partners Frank and John, trainer Howie ...

Harness racing in NZ has always been crooked (read Trevor Payne's self-published tell-all book ..), but mainly as concerns the trainer and drivers ... when we find our theoretical governing body doing jiggery-pokery ...

Who is the Minister for Racing (yes, can you believe NZ HAS one!) ... I'm not going to let this one go. Nor its story."

(Addendum: SASSY STAR galloped late in the piece, finding the pace too hot. 11th. MISS YO overraced, was responsible for knocking out the second favourite, fought to stay with them and ended up 9th)

Watch this space for the latest ... things are moving ...

Well, the first thing I did (on advice) was to write to The Metropolitan Trotting Club/Addingtom Raceway. There, surely, I would get, if not satisfaction, at least a reply. Wanna bet? Alas, they work on the same policy as our government. 'Just ignore him, he'll go away'. Well, I can't do anything can I, except go to law, which, given legal costs, would be biting off my nose to spite my upper lip.

So, after ten days of waiting for a polite explanation or even an acknowledgement, I here append the letter they have chosen to ignore:

"For BRIAN and DARRIN

 

Well, one of you is an old friend

The other one, according to my friend, E**** is ‘a good bloke’.  (They’re hard to find these days)

 

So which one of you is ready for a social media lambasting, and probably will have the need for a lawyer. Playing with people’s lives can be hazardous.

 

Doubtless you have seen my communications with Andrew Morris (waste of time), HRNZ (only old friend Maria Harris acknowledged) and Mr McAnulty MP. And the subsequent facebook hoohaa which occurred when a private post of mine was shared widely by four other friends and has travelled to the other side of the world.

 

If you hav’n’t, let me (or half the harness racing world) know …

 

In 20 years of owning horses, I have never had any personal problems with the Met. Although I must admit to disliking your elitist policies. Well, and a few other things …

 

Well, now I have. You have made a culpable error, depriving the EMILY family (minus Murray) of sporting joy, not to mention financial loss … and no one has answered my cries and complaints. So, as I said I would, I am going public and if necessary to law to have this damage minimised.

 

As a high-up in the trotting world says: ‘If only someone could give you an explanation!! Or even admit they stuffed up…'

Anyway, by the time you get this the race will have been run. I hope for Gay Luke’s sake that Sassy (a relative of my dear old Davey Crockett) doesn’t gallop, but be prepared for a crucifixion if she or Miss Yo finishes down the track.

Oh, by the way, I think you owe us a starter’s stake, yes? Should I or my lawyer send you an invoice?

Have a nice night.

We won’t.

Kurt"

Follow up:

EMILY was given a start at the Met's 'leftovers' meeting 48 hours later. She drew one from the outside, over a mobile sprint distance (not ideal) and the weather had had the delightful idea of opening its sluice tanks since Oaks night, so the track was officially 'slushy'. Well, it turned out to be more of a 'race' than some of the posh ones!  Thanks to the brave LI'L MISS MUSCLES (who would also have had the right to a place in the Oaks) who set a stinging pace, before the favourites got into the act, and the All Stars' WY FI scooted right away. By the time they got half way down the straight, everyone was going backwards, excepting the winner. WY FY. And EMILY. She ran past the favourite, past MISS MUSCLES and into third place. Ahead of the other three fillies in the race ... and in a mile rate of 2.01.9!!! Way faster than any trotter I have owned has done in New Zealand. Imagine, if they had had the track conditions of the Friday!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BGpprlbr6M&t=5s

Well, she's leaving them to it and going for a nice rest chez Edmonds. So, we'll say cheerio to the glum precincts of Addington for a while. And I know you will all understand me if I say,  'Bye Bye and A Spit in your Eye'. Roll on, Rangiora ...

Meanwhile, little SHOOOSH (I own one hoof) had her first run down south for a close 5th (less than 2 lengths from the winner!) ... I am sponsoring the trot at the Rangiora meeting ... I'm not going to let the Lordly Boys spoil my horsey times for me ...

Umpteenth post scriptum (well, I said watch this space!). The TAB (ie government-approved gambling) which is at the source of much of NZ's harness-racing stake money has announced (well, we have huge inflation, you know) cuts in the available funds for the coming year.  Well, Addington!  That's the end of your obscene million-dollars race days. And perhaps the end of such anomalies as maiden races with a stake of $10k (to keep horses in New Zealand, you know) on programmes with intermediate class races at $9K and less ...   And maybe you could slim your excessive staff ranks ('They are a bunch of mediocre numpies' quoth one of the many harnessworld reactors to my original post) ....

Ah! That feels GOOD.  Cocktail time. And watch the fiasco called the NZ Trotters (Gallopers?) Derby once more. 

Follow up December 29: WY FY ran 5th in the Derby. L'IL MISS MUSCLES has had three starts for two seconds and, today, a fine win ... SASSY STAR has had another last :-(. MISS YO, like EMILY, has not been sighted ...

SHOOSH had a fine 3rd, and then two horrendous displays of non-trotting. It's there, but she seems to be Miss Airhead ...