Are our Monte races put on for fun and laughter?

[Wayneo]

Before anyone replies anything can you please watch the replay of race 3 on the 14th of December 2013 at Melton. The race is a Monte. Maree Campbell rides Andy's Favorite. Just in case you can't pick which one she is she is the one that is last away from the mobile. I want you to watch her until the horses go past the post to start the last lap and than explain to me if there is any criteria or checks done on a Monte riders experience or ability or strength and balance to make sure that they don't go in a race and get them selves and the horses and the other riders in a very dangerous situation. Or can anyone just rock up to Melton with a helmet and boots and get a ride in the Monte races. Before anyone replies could you also watch the replay of the Monte race tonight at Melton and keep your eye on Maree Campbell riding Cillas Earl. She is the one back last in the pink colors. My question is why is she bouncing and flopping up and down in the saddle. Why hasn't the stewards or the people who's job it is to present the sport to the public not said you can't ride like that on a metropolitan track or even at a tab meeting. What must Maree be thinking when everyone else is standing up in the irions leaning against their horse and trying to be balanced and look a bit neat and tidy and here she is just bouncing up and down with no control of the horse at all. Someone has to tell her that she has to put the irions up a few holes and stand still. Did she not look at Chantell Sutherland in the warm up and at least try copying her style a little bit. I don't know Maree and i don't want people to think I am bagging her out. I just can't believe that on vic cup night one of the sports biggest nights with 2 or 3 group 1 races being run that at peak hour on a Saturday night that that Monte race would be shown on sky channel. I remember being on the drink at a pub and watching the races and when someone noticed the horses scoring up they realized it was people riding the trotters and not seen very often in Australia and within 2 seconds the whole pub was watching this unusual race with interest and within 1 second of looking at sky channel the whole pub starts laughing and laughing and laughing. Not laughing at the horses or the race but at a few of the riders and also at the organisers who allowed it happen. Everyone knew the rider out the back should not have been there and was in big trouble and had no control of the horse because she was either riding way to long or she didn't have her feet in the irions but it was hard to tell because the rider beside her was riding really long and bouncing up and down as well and than look out here comes the clerke of the course flat out from no where to try and help but is a big chance of causing more trouble if he does not have the skill and horsemanship that he obviously does have. And everyone is waiting for the camera to go back to the clerk and the out of control horse and see a major stack but when the camera went back the clerke had saved the day and any rider who had any experience at all would have known just to sit on the horse with your feet out of the irions and the clerke will pull your horse up for you and you will be rite. But no that didn't happen. Maree couldn't even sit balanced on the horse while the clerke had hold of it and was nearly off one side but somehow managed to pull herself back on only to than nearly go completely off the other side of the horse. After all the laughter everyone was just shaking their head realising how lucky the rider was and wondering why when she lost her irions she would steer the horse in close to the other horses and create more risk. To me it was the actions of someone who is inexperienced and went into panick mode and just froze and thank god the clerke had the skill and brains and ability to do what he did. I thought for sure that administration would have seen how embarrassing that was and strate away made changes to make the Monte races look a bit more professional but after watching tonight's it looks like anyone can just turn up and get a start. I will guarantee that if 50000 people watched that Monte with their mates at a pub on Vic cup night than 49999 would have the same thoughts as me about it. If anyone bothers to respond to this can you not bag me or question my ability or skill or experience at driving or riding trotters. Or any spelling mistakes I made. I have never driven a trotter or worked in the harness industry or know anyone that does. I'm not bagging your participants I am just telling you my thoughts on the Australian Monte races I have seen. Tell me if you think the way the Montes are run are like something from the 60s. Do you think Joe public watches Montes for the horses or to laugh at some of the riders.

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

Wayne, For someone who claims to have never had any association with harness racing, you sure seem to have a few opinions. I'll make this easy for you. Youve obviously trawled through the thousands of race replays on offer, but apparently havent seen the abbreviations next to the drivers/riders name? If you scroll down to M E Campbells name, you will notice those abbreviations. There is one there that may give you some clue, and that is BG. That stands for BROKEN GEAR. If memory serves. That broken gear was a rein. Thats right Wayne. The steering wheel. If indeed it was the rein, well in my book that was a great piece of horsemanship. One that Chantell Sutherland would be proud. And I wont even mention the clerk of the course. Some of the most brave and skillful people on horses. Much like the clowns at the rodeo without the make up. I'll give you a tip Wayne. Most people in the harness racing industry know and realise some of the shortcomings of our sport (Monte racing not being one of them). But you are so far off the mark on this one its not even funny.

[teecee]

http://www.harness.org.au/news-article.cfm?news_id=19184


Clearly officials take Monte racing as seriously as other forms of harness racing.

[broncobrad]

Dan certainly didn't miss the Clerks effort, recognising the immediate response and effective horsemanship dispensed to assist Maree who was in diabolical trouble in his call. I may well be in the minority but as a spectacle I love Monte racing.


I would love to get an expert appraisal from Wayneo of what more he thinks poor Gina Bell could have done last week off the pole in Race 7 last week at Globe Derby. Sometimes shit just happens and there isn't anything that you can do about it.


http://www.harness.org.au/meeting-results.cfm?mc=GD150314&ms=sa#GDM15031408

[Richard prior]

Well said Brad, The Clerk done a fantastic job that night grabbing the horse just before Maree was about to fall off and it wouldn't have been pretty.

[Wayneo]

Lucky if that horse had broken rein I will give up. And if you believe it had a broken rein than maybe you should. If you look you will see the riders left hand half way up the horses neck holding onto the left rein. Her hand could not be there if she was not holding the left rein. Than have a look when the horse breaks into a gallop. She stands up and reefs the horses head to the right. I will have a rough guess and say if the right rein was broken you would not be able to stand up and pull the horses head to the right. I think that she was riding in her normal style for the start of the race until the horse gallops. If there was any broken reins she could not have done what the video shows her doing. She would of rolled strate off the back of the horse if a rein was broke. I think you will find that the horse begins a fraction slow and when she moves up to other horses her horse breaks into a gallop and her instant reaction was to stand up and snag it back and she has over done the snagging back and she gets herself off balance and the saddle rolls to the side a bit and she ends up with her right leg way down one side and her left leg up higher on the other side. If she had a broken rein she done a good job getting the horse back from a gallop into a trot. Lets see how silly I am with my stewards observation off a laptop in my lounge room. I will say that the horse begins a bit slow and then whilst moving around the last few horses and staying out in the middle of the track to take up a position running about 5th her horse shies at a wheelie bin or something similar in shape size and colour that is positioned on the outside fence of the track causing the horse to sharply veer inwards and break into a gallop causing her to react by standing up and getting off balance and causing her saddle to shift to the right side of the horse and placing rider at severe disadvantage for the remainder of the race. I would also say that the Australian harness stewards don't have an abbreviation for a saddle slipping because monte racing is fairly new to the country and they probably have not had a saddle slip so its just easy to put B down and none of the dummies will know any different. Let me know your thoughts on that.

[Wayneo]

Fellas im the first to say congrats and good job to the clerke of the course bloke and well done but lets also keep it a bit real. If he doesn't have the ability to ride his horse up beside another horse in a straight line and grab hold of it and slowly slow the horse down than being a clerke probably wouldn't be the job for him. Imagine if he rode his horse up behind the horse he was trying to catch and pulled out or didn't pull it off than you would have wonder what his go is and probably find a new clerke for next week. I know it looked all exciting and dangerous and it helped the distressed girl out but before you abuse and carry on slow it down and have a look at it and tell me that you have seen clerkes do things 10 times more dangerous and riskier than that. There was not even a gig attached to the horse bouncing around in amongst other horses. That clerke would not even blink at what happened on the video.

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

So Wayne there were mittigating circumstances as to why Maree Campbell had problems during that race. I knew you'd work it out. How much did you drop in that race?

[Toohard]

Just few things

Monte racing still in its 'infancy' here. Different to other parts of world where been around for ages.

Andys Favourite - watch other Montes he's competed in. Seen a few live myself when others have ridden him. Heart in mouth stuff sometimes. Not the most tractable of beasts I would suggest.

Chantelle Sutherland is a professional t-bred jockey in the US-Canada. You're comparing her to someone riding in Monte races over here? Lovely lady by the way. Took time speak to anyone that wanted to talk to her last night. Or have pics taken, sign autographs, etc.

Horses in Monte races are trotting. Not in 'smooth' gallop as per t-bred racing. Go get on one at local riding school and do both. Which one more 'comfortable'?

Go Melton every week. Lots there last night. Cold and windy but as always, everyone comes outside to watch the Monte.

Daryl Douglas in after race interview after winning last night was exhausted. Hard work.

Everything new the authorities try they are bagged for. Don't try anything new..they bagged

99 p-cent of people on the drink in pub were laughing? So we base future direction of sport on what 99 p-cent of people on the drink in a pub think?

No comments on your comments on clerks of course. Else might offend. They do awesome job.

You question Maree Campbells skill with a horse? Please! Watch replay trot race Echuca Friday night for starters. Can't see any skill?

Then go back to being 99 p-cent of people on the drink in a pub...

[teecee]

http://www.harness.org.au/stewards-reports-detail.cfm?mc=MX141213

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

Thanks TeeCee. I couldnt find it so far back. I apologise Wayne. It was a slipped saddle. Looks like Maree isnt incompetent after all, does it?

[brent_L]

I need to know Wayne, how is the saddle slipping a blight on the riders "experience or ability or strength and balance"??????? Your way off there!!

[Wayneo]

Brad here is my expert appraisle on Brite N Lucky and Gina Bell. There are are few things that I think could have been done different. Firstly if I was the trainer or owner of Brite N Lucky and I had raced her 54 times for about 7 wins and a heap of placings all whilst dragging a gig behind her and than if she was to win a race by 25 meters one night and then next week if I was to run her in her 1st monte race and she got beat 149 meters I would probably workout almost before she had completed her 1st monte race that maybe monte racing doesn't quite suite my horses racing style. I reckon I would weigh up the winning margin of 25 meters last week with a gig against 149 meter losing margin in monte race. Now we have to remember that I don't drive trotters or work in the harness industry so weighing up them margins and different race types might give me a different opinion to someone who is experienced in the industry. Someone like yourself Brad. If for some stupid reason i didn't think that monte racing was for Brite N Lucky well it would certainly become clear to me at her next start with the gig back on and running 2nd beaten 1.8 meters and then 2 starts later winning by 5 meters with the gig of course. If i was to make a complete goose of my self and embarrass my horse that has been a great little money spinner for me and i wanted to look like a clown i would give Brite N Lucky 2 months off racing and guess what i would run her in 1st up. And just to top my stupidity off i will put a girl on her that has never driven her before and i will tell her to grab a really tight hold of the reins when she is lining up and getting ready to start the race. I will tell the new rider to hold her so tight with the reins that when she tries to begin she cant move her head and she panicks and runs backwards and when she runs backwards still keep a very tight hold of the reins so she keeps panicking and running further and further backwards and when the stewards call us in we will blame the tapes releasing and scarying her although that has never happened in the 40 standing starts we have given her previously. Brad do think that she should run in a monte next week or best to keep her to her normal racing. I dont know weather to keep putting her in montes and letting her get beat 149 meters or not even competing or put her back to what she likes, Very hard desicion. Might have to see what Gina reckons.

[Wayneo]

Brent considering you thought that a rider was able to pull a horses head left and right with broken reins i will explain to you why saddles should not slip to the side when the rider has their irions down as long as Maree and most of the other monte riders do. imagine if you had a motor bike in your drive way and you went out and stood up on the seat of the bike. So your feet are on the seat and you are standing strate up balancing. if i was push the moto bike to the side or you were to lose concentration for a second it is very easy to fall off the side of the bike. Now sit on the moto bike normally with you feet on the pegs and your hands on the handle bars. Now if was to give the bike a nudge you would not fall off because your legs are down a fair way on both sides and well before you would fall off you would squeeze your legs or shift the top half of your body to stay up. So if you were riding a horse and the saddle was done up properly and if the saddle was not done up properly you would notice in the warm up and you would also put a bit of weight from one leg to the other to see if the saddle is done up tight or not. Even if the saddle is done up properly a rider could still put all his weight on 1 leg and the saddle would roll a bit. If you watch most of the monte riders in Australia they are riding so long with their irions and that's because most of them would not have ridden race horses at trackwork and learnt to ride with there irons a bit shorter. I could not imagine anything more uncomfortable than riding in a monte race the way most of your riders are riding them. I will gauantee you that if monte racing keeps growing here than riding them the style they are now will be extinct within 12 months and years later people will look back and shake their heads at how that style even was allowed. Have a think back to all the old race horse photos you have seen from 30 40 50 years ago when all the jockeys had their stirrups down really long. Have you heard of a saying called the last of the straight backs. Thats what racing people say to some one when they are riding with there irions down long. Its a nice way of saying to someone that you look like some cowboy riding a horse back in 1880. And thats why people that dont know much about harness racing think that monte racing is funny to watch. Could you imagine Jim Cassidy riding that group 1 winner on Saturday coming down the strate looking like monte rider. He would get laughed out of Sydney.

[Wayneo]

Is that every one up to date now. Is there any thing blatenly obvious that needs to be pointed out to any one. Can someone please get messenger in here and get him to point out all the spelling mistakes.

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

Wayne. I have a feeling you have done everything better, bigger, faster brighter than anyone else. I also have a hunch you backed poor Maree on the night thinking it was a normal trot,and have stewed on it for 3 months. You have to let it go.

[Wayneo]

Lucky that race was about 4 months ago and im pretty sure i didn't bet in it but even if i did lose money on that race it would not make me so bitter that i would bring it up 3 or 4 months later. Why don't you find a country where monte racing is big and google some images and see if you can notice any difference. Toohard if you cant imagine people all over Australia watching horse racing all afternoon from Sydney melb bris and Adelaide and perth and on the exact tv that they just watched G Boss D Oliver J Cassidy H Bowman on comes that race at melton that we are talking about. What do you think 99 out of 100 peoples reaction would be. Are you telling me that you yourself don't laugh every time you watch it. What would you think if you were at menangle on id day the other week and after watching all the good horses and good drivers all day and 10 mins after the last the results come on the tv and than next minute here is a bunch of cowboys driving a big chariot down a straight getting pulled by a team of about 10 bullocks and it looks like the hillbilly circus has come to town. would you laugh or would you curse everyone else that's laughing and tell them that the chariot racing is only a new sport and it was wrong to laugh at that bloke swinging off the side of the chariot.

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

Do yourself and us a favour and dont watch them. Simple!

[Wayneo]

Hey lucky you sound a bit bitter that your stewards abbreviation and broken gear and broken rein and everything else you said was politely explained to you by some cowboy that wouldn't know jack about anything harness racing. You also seem a bit bitter that after watching the video 20 times and trying to prove to me your broken rein theory that you didn't even notice a wheelie bin on the track and the horse shying at it and the rider pulling the horses head around with the broken reins. Seems your also a bit bitter that you didn't know anything about how saddles can roll and slip and when it was politely explained to you by the new idiot that knows nothing your now going to start saying silly things about betting on a race 4 months ago and your probably going to look even sillier than you are so i will finish up for the day now so if you want to just write 1 more snarly childish thing and get the last word in well now would be the best time. cheers everyone. I hope we all learned something today. I certainly did,

[Toohard]

[QUOTE=Wayneo;31405*I hope we all learned something today. I certainly did,[/QUOTE]

Yep me too.. if there are 50, 000 people in a pub getting a skinfull, 1 of them might have some common sense.

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

Wayne. Thank you for making an otherwise boring day of overtime an entertaining and enlightening one. I look forward to more of your gems in the future. I know harness/monte racing will be better for them.

[Richard prior]

Yep me too.. if there are 50, 000 people in a pub getting a skinfull, 1 of them might have some common sense.

Hahahahaha!!!

[Maorisidol]

Hey lucky you sound a bit bitter that your stewards abbreviation and broken gear and broken rein and everything else you said was politely explained to you by some cowboy that wouldn't know jack about anything harness racing. You also seem a bit bitter that after watching the video 20 times and trying to prove to me your broken rein theory that you didn't even notice a wheelie bin on the track and the horse shying at it and the rider pulling the horses head around with the broken reins. Seems your also a bit bitter that you didn't know anything about how saddles can roll and slip and when it was politely explained to you by the new idiot that knows nothing your now going to start saying silly things about betting on a race 4 months ago and your probably going to look even sillier than you are so i will finish up for the day now so if you want to just write 1 more snarly childish thing and get the last word in well now would be the best time. cheers everyone. I hope we all learned something today. I certainly did,

Wayneo, interesting that you bag out Maree for being unbalanced, and not have the strength and professionalism etc due to her ride on Andys Fav, and you and everybody in the pub laughed at the incompetent rider as if an unprofessional joke, however,

even more interesting that you haven't apologised on here, or at least admitted that initial analysis was wrong because you and the people in the pub did not know a fairly important fact about the saddle slipping off CAUSING her to look like a rider of bad balance strength etc...

So rather than admit that, you deflected some contrived bollocks onto Lucky/Leigh, where you, the now educated one about a saddle failure go on to explain whatever it was you believe to have happened, rather than say, you know what, i was wrong. That takes innate confidence, not some hollow bravado.

Also, comparing a fast trot like these standarbreds do in the Monte, to a smooth gallop that G.Boss sits on all day, they are totally different rides. Bossy's rides are smooth, a trot is certainly not. Do yourself a favour, go get some horse riding experience and you will more appreciate how hard it is, and understand.
now correct me if i am wrong but if riding "long" is so terrible and inefficient, what do you call how the winning rider D.Douglas rides? Looks long to me, and bugger me dead, he won!
Wayneo, this aint Flemington and as Toohard mentioned Monte racing is very much in its infancy in Australia so aint got many experienced monte riders here, there isn't enough races to encourage a half decent TBred jockey or ex jockey to try make a living off them cos they just wouldn't earn any money. So whats the answer? We do what we are doing and slowly in time those involved get better and grow too.
Have a look at how many horses in the race anyway, 7, and 4 were virtually from the same stable Chris Lang. He is the driving force and backbone of Monte. He is maybe the most passionate Australian Trainer who loves the square gaiter the most. He is the driving force behind most of the American bred TROTTERS and European influence coming to Oz. And Monte racing is part of that, and thats what all these people involved are trying to do.

That is, advance the TROTTING part of Harness racing in Australia to follow in the path of Europe where it is pretty much ALL trotting, NO PACING! He wants our standard of trotter to be improved, lifted up and held in the same regard as Europe.
Thats Chris's passion and a bunch of owners and breeders that support him.
And i believe we all saw an improved level of squaregaiting across the board last night as a great example of how much all those people are achieving that goal.

[Wayneo]

http://www.harness.org.au/meeting-results.cfm?mc=GD150314&ms=sa#GDM15031408
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=8vc9c8_Ps_Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ab4yzv-7pB4
I probably should of put these 3 videos in my opening post and my point would have been explained with out any confusion.

[Maorisidol]

http://www.harness.org.au/meeting-results.cfm?mc=GD150314&ms=sa#GDM15031408
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=8vc9c8_Ps_Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ab4yzv-7pB4
I probably should of put these 3 videos in my opening post and my point would have been explained with out any confusion.

Thanku.
So whats the answer to Australian Monte racing from Wayne?
Where are you instantly going to get riders of that level next week?
As i said in my previous post, we don't have enough monte races for a "monte" specialist rider to earn a living!!!!!!!!!!!!
So we all eagerly wait your answers Wayne, i hope Chris Lang will be able to read them. Maybe you could email your suggestions to him thru his website, i am sure he will put all suggestions into place and be highly appreciative, particularly due to the high respect he will have of your horsemanship and experience.

[Wayneo]

Maorisidol (http://Maorisidol) apolagise for what. I have not changed my opinion about anything since the 1st time I watched the race. We all know that monte is new in Australia and its not Flemington and the horses are different bla bla bla. I didn't write that stuff because I am laughing at the sport and bagging it and being a smart ass. I am writing what happened when that race at melton came on the tv 4 months ago. I am not making it up. If I had of watched that race at globe derby when that horse ran backwards and another bolted for the entire race I would of cracked up laughing at that as well. I don't know why some people on here don't see that some people are just not meant work with horses in the capacity that they work with them. That's not insulting anyone that is just being for real. I am a hopless runner and swimmer so I don't bother to do either. I hate cats soi don't go near them. I wouldn't be able to run a restaurant so I have never bothered to apply for a job running a restaurant. If someone sees me run up the road and they were to say to me your a very slow runner I don't get upset and demand an opology and than go to my mates house and get them to fill me up with lies about how I am a fast runner and if I keep trying one day I will make the Olympics. How many years are you going to tell people that comment on monte racing that its just a new sport and its not Flemington and all that other stuff you said. Im sure them girls that ride the montes are all lovely people and very caring and all the rest. But the replays don't lie.

[Wayneo]

tee cee there is no dramas here. I didn't even know that I had posts deleted. when was the last time your web site had this much trafic

[Maorisidol]

Maorisidol (http://Maorisidol) apolagise for what. I have not changed my opinion about anything since the 1st time I watched the race. We all know that monte is new in Australia and its not Flemington and the horses are different bla bla bla. I didn't write that stuff because I am laughing at the sport and bagging it and being a smart ass. I am writing what happened when that race at melton came on the tv 4 months ago. I am not making it up. If I had of watched that race at globe derby when that horse ran backwards and another bolted for the entire race I would of cracked up laughing at that as well. I don't know why some people on here don't see that some people are just not meant work with horses in the capacity that they work with them. That's not insulting anyone that is just being for real. I am a hopless runner and swimmer so I don't bother to do either. I hate cats soi don't go near them. I wouldn't be able to run a restaurant so I have never bothered to apply for a job running a restaurant. If someone sees me run up the road and they were to say to me your a very slow runner I don't get upset and demand an opology and than go to my mates house and get them to fill me up with lies about how I am a fast runner and if I keep trying one day I will make the Olympics. How many years are you going to tell people that comment on monte racing that its just a new sport and its not Flemington and all that other stuff you said. Im sure them girls that ride the montes are all lovely people and very caring and all the rest. But the replays don't lie.

You still are missing the point.
You and the drunks people in the pub were laughing at Maree and how you perceived her incompetence of not even being able to sit on a horse.
You asked, do these people just turn up, assuming that due to the woman you saw that was "so bad" (my words) anyone can turn up and ride at Melton,

This is the point Wayne,
your assessment was based on a woman trying to sit on a saddle that was broken!!!!! It was slipping and she was hanging on for dear life.
and as you might be able to imagine, that makes it difficult for even Glen Boss to do.

So if someone who sees Glen ride for the very first time, not even knowing his name, and the saddles comes loose and he falls off, is it fair to say he is a crap rider, what is he doing there?
You have also been made aware of posts on this thread of Maree winning a Monte race with no faulty gear.
So your assessment of her was based on faulty equipment which totally is not fair, as it would not be fair to assess Glen the same way.
However again, you have not shown that you have the ability to admit you made a mistake.

[Wayneo]

what race at echucha fri night. I cant find any Echuca on Friday night or last fri night

[Wayneo]

found it

[Wayneo]

Come on. Are you serious. We are talking about monte races not trotting races. What will you come up with next. That she rides bmx bikes really good as well. I cant believe I clicked on that and it wasn't even a monte race.

[broncobrad]

Wayneo, you are obviously very passionate about this subject to go to such lengths (admirably I might add) to prove a point. My point of view, for what it is worth. A bunch of drunks is hardly a great yardstick to measure the ability of a 60kg woman sitting astride a 500kg animal on a faulty piece of equipment which is hanging by a proverbial tampon string, possibly because the animal was holding its breath when the girth strap was tightened and the saddle buckled up. I am not going to even attempt to try to change YOUR view on an incident that most participants in harness racing hold their breath over as it unfolds. Most industry participants know and accept the inherent risks of the sport...and most who care to enlighten you here would be well past trying to highlight the dangers associated with it.


You have questioned the horsemanship of Maree...are you serious? Just try to put yourself in her situation and ask yourself what you would do. What would YOU do? Why not ask the other uninformed bar flies what they would do with their intimate knowledge of trotting? Ask yourself how many of those same bar flies have actually made an investment in the race (tipping it will not be a high number), but hey they got some cheap thrills for nothing at the expense of a woman in dire trouble.


Mate you are comparing Ferraris to Four Wheel Drives in the galloper/trotting department...have you ever sat on thoroughbred at full gallop...it is like riding on a thread of silk...those trotters are more like Suzuki Sierras driving up the Great Dividing Range! You really should try it for yourself, don't bother listening to me. Riding with long irons is the only way to sit on them...and I really cannot think of one jock in the last 30 40 or 50 years that ever rode with irons that long at the races that you have claimed. Always more than happy to be enlightened though.


I asked you about Gina's unfortunate start and you have over analysed it to Enthhh degree, but missed my point entirely...but I like your approach to the situation, she was holding on too tight on the reins and apparently getting tighter the further back she went. What are you suggesting Wayneo, that she relaxes her grip on the horse and has even less control over a runaway train, further endangering herself and any other horse/rider behind her????? Any rider worth their salt would have kept trying to gather up the horse. Please!


Wayneo, I had a different opinion on the Gold Ace start that got him into the Hunter Cup. It completely opposed others who thought the horse had gained an unfair advantage. I wasn't going to see it their way and they were not going to see it mine. The best thing for me to do was SHUT UP.


Here endeth the lesson...and long live Monte racing in Oz...I hope this form of racing keeps gathering support from all sections of the industry.

Post script.....if you spell straight strate once more, I swear....

[Toohard]

what race at echucha fri night. I cant find any Echuca on Friday night or last fri night


Say 'Excuse me' 99 times on way to toilet? Sure you will find it eventually... Dopey (sorry TC!!)

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

Why does it feel like we're feeding a troll?

[brent_L]

Absolutely lmfao!!

[broncobrad]

If TeeCee has barred him, I am gonna be bloody pissed LMAO

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

I have a sneaking suspicion Wayne may be more involved in harness racing than he is letting on. Notice the way the thread says 'our' monte races. Freudian slip up?

[Greg Hando]

I absolutely hate the Monte race's they do nothing to make our sport better. A kid going for their license has to drive in 20 Trials in NSW to the satisfaction of the steward and signed off on, why don't the rider's in the Monte event's have to do the same ? After all it is a different form of racing and so far removed from sitting in a gig that it isn't funny. Some people can ride but they can't really ride if you know what i mean. We raced liked this back at the start of our great industry and that is where it should be left IMO.

[broncobrad]

You have got plenty of mates on this one Greg...reckon on the whole, there is more negative reaction for this mode of racing than positive...but for mine, I enjoy it...as time goes on we are starting to see certain horses and riders who thrive under these conditions. These events should be complementing the product, not being programmed as an oddity. Perhaps programming in the future will have an effect...but in the end it will come down to the $$$$ invested and if they are not being supported by the punter, then I am sure the survival of these events on a regular basis may well be terminal

[teecee]

I absolutely hate the Monte race's they do nothing to make our sport better. A kid going for their license has to drive in 20 Trials in NSW to the satisfaction of the steward and signed off on, why don't the rider's in the Monte event's have to do the same ? After all it is a different form of racing and so far removed from sitting in a gig that it isn't funny. Some people can ride but they can't really ride if you know what i mean. We raced liked this back at the start of our great industry and that is where it should be left IMO.


http://www.harness.org.au/news-article.cfm?news_id=19184

[Greg Hando]

Yes Teecee i know the rules of the Monte and as it say's only 1 trial hardly sufficent compared to someone getting their driver's license.They might be able to drive in a gig but on horse back it is very different.