Chelsea Pitman - Part 2: Sport & The Bigger Issues

Part 2:  Money, Role Models & Charity.

In having the opportunity to interview Chelsea Pitman it gave me the chance to talk about some of the issues in sport besides the expectations of the next season and what drives a person in sport.  I was able to get the perspective from someone inside the game rather than what some panel of former players or sideline expert thinks (myself included).

I for one was surprised that the salary cap for teams in the ANZ Championship in netball was only $260,000.  A paltry amount when you see players in the NRL and AFL who have not even played for their country commanding and demanding million dollar contracts.  Quite simply I put in in plain terms, how much harder is it for women in professional sport to survive financially?  Chelsea did not hesitate and without any doubt the answer was refreshing to hear, "not an issue,  love sport.  Give us a $100 a game and we would still do it".  This could be said for anyone in sport but it was what came next that started to show the true character of Chelsea.

"I would love to do it (play netball) full time, most (players) work full time.  It teaches life experience."

Life is a balance and the players who have to earn money off the field learn how to balance their life.  Is this the lesson in life that our young sportsmen need?  Should clubs be making their young players do more than just train and do preparation for life after the game?  I know that clubs around Australia make their players do more than just train but when you have to work to survive it teaches you humility.

Chelsea is well aware of where netball sits in Australia and knows that when it comes to sponsorship and media coverage there is a pecking order and in Queensland the Firebirds are competing in what is essentially a male dominated arena and Queensland has many teams and very successful teams at that.  With Netball having a great partnership with Network Ten though the slow process of enhancing the game is happening and now the media coverage is good, it should only be a matter of time before netball gets its fair share of general coverage in the mainstream and with that the sponsorship dollars that follow.

When the day comes that women in professional sport can survive through the sport alone, I hope that the culture they presently have does not change.  I don't think it will change though.  One conversation with Chelsea showed a maturity and sensibility in women's sport that is not always there in men's sport.  Behaviour off the field is a reflection of this maturity and sensibility.  This is one that will always get more headlines than a great performance on the field and has many administrators of sport scratching their heads every year.

Rarely if ever will you read a story in the press about a female sports person in an off field incident.  I put this to Chelsea as I wonder whether the lack of spotlight on the players is why little is heard.  Chelsea was adamant that if the media spotlight was there like the NRL and AFL has, there would still be nothing found.  When referring to the Firebirds in particular it was indicated that they are role models naturally which is a sign of their upbringing and environment.  Simply put "If in a uniform or not, it is not hard to behave".

Alcohol is an issue and one that society in general is dealing with and when I mentioned this to Chelsea she stated, "It is a privilege to be where you are", they know there is extra scrutiny and as for maturity and behaving, "It is my job."    It is about the "beginning culture" and having the right leadership groups.  If players are brought into a culture that has problems and the leadership group is part of the problem or refuses to handle it then the culture will not change.

It is because of the great role models women in sport like Chelsea make that should have the media showcasing more of the efforts that are done off the field, especially when you consider that they are holding down full time jobs as well.  Chelsea came across as a natural role model through her maturity and intelligence.  I asked Chelsea about what the Firebirds do for charity as I knew nothing about what they do until I delved deeper.  Currently Netball Queensland have a campaign called Stand Tall which is about spreading the message that "netball will stand up in a time of adversity, now and in the future".  This is a great campaign that has evolved from the flood relief in 2011.  The Firebirds are looking forward to what new ways they can assist the community in the future and have some exciting adventures in the pipeline. Chelsea has become an ambassador for the Zig-Zag Foundation aimed at helping children aged 0-18 who are sick and underprivileged and is looking forward to doing some great work with this foundation by lending her time as much as she can. For Chelsea if she can "pass on some goodness and help change paths" then she knows she has made a difference. As the Firebirds and Netball get bigger in the media Chelsea will look for more involvement in charity.

This interview has really highlighted to me a what surely is obvious to most. Why have male sporting organisations not taken a leaf out of women's sport if they want to improve their public image?  Women's sport do it all without the big money and the horde of sponsors and still get it right. Avoiding bad press is something that men's sport is always dealing with and struggling to fix yet the answer is readily available.  Only trouble is whether or not they are man enough to ask the women how they do it. Because if I was a sponsor I would be wanting to sponsor the team that has the players with positive press stories.

Chelsea Pitman: Grounded and Talented

Part One:  Where from and where to.

Myself & Chelsea Pitman

A Championship & Australian selection and Chelsea Pitman has reached her goals at the age of 23.  Not many sports stars can say they have achieved this.  When you look at where Chelsea was 18 months ago you would not have thought it was in the making, well not so quickly anyway.

After 2 years in the AIS Netball Program in 2008-09 and gaining selection in the Australian Netball Team for the World Youth Cup in 2009 there was no doubt that Chelsea had talent and potential.  When the Mercury Energy Taxtix offered her an opportunity, Chelsea had no hesitation in crossing the Tasman to further develop her skills in Christchurch and start her career in the ANZ Championship. What Chelsea did not foresee was a serious ACL injury in round six that would end her season and ultimately have her looking for a new team for 2011.

Instead of playing out a debut season and being well on her way towards her goals, Chelsea was instead going through rehab.  No sports person ever plans for major injury and especially a young aspiring talent. With a great support network and family to help her Chelsea was able to focus on rehabilitation and just saw it as a vital step in her path back to sport and at times felt that rehab could not be done quick enough.  Adding to the frustration of rehabilitation was the prospect of also having to find a new club to play for.  It must be stated at this point that Chelsea holds no grudges or bad feelings towards the Taxtix as sport is a business and injury or not she was only on a 12 month contract.

Interest had been received from the Queensland Firebirds and Chelsea knew that if she was to be a chance for National selection, playing for an Australian based team would improve her chances immensely.  Even though she was from Sydney, Chelsea wanted to know more about the Firebirds and asked around her contacts on what the Firebirds' setup was like.  Chelsea knew the Firebirds had an "Amazing Coach in Rose" (Roselee Jencke) and all the feedback was positive. This is a team that had a good culture, their training was intense and the team was in their prime.  This is a team that would suite Chelsea in the way they trained and played.  When I asked why she chose a team that had previously never finished higher than fifth when her goals included winning a championship, the answer came swiftly. "The Firebirds were a good team in the past, they just needed to learn how to win."  Chelsea never had any doubt that the Firebirds could win the championship.

One season and 15 games later, the Firebirds had won the title undefeated and Chelsea had now achieved one of her main goals.  What Chelsea did not expect was to be called into the National Team to play for the Diamonds.  Within 12 months of getting back on the court Chelsea has achieved her goals and now preparing for the 2012 season is in new territory.  Sitting with her and talking about the past and also what the future holds, I can be nothing but impressed.  Chelsea is heading into her first pre-season ever injury free and is excited to see how far she can go and what limits she can push herself to.  Chelsea does not want to be a "one hit wonder" she may have reached her goals but now the posts have been reset.  Now the goals include another winning year and to be a regular for national selection. It is not hard to see Chelsea reaching her new set goals as this young woman is very grounded and yet to reach her peak.

In 2012 it will be more of the same for the Firebirds and Chelsea.  The Firebirds have retained the majority of their squad and only have two changes to their squad welcoming Shannon Eagland and Jacinta Messer into their fold.  Training will be just as intense and there is no extra pressure or expectation within the team, this is a team that is well coached and managed off the field. Heading into the pre-season competition that will be featuring all the teams in the ANZ championship for the first time the Firebirds are wanting to do well but it will be used more fore working on combinations and getting ready for the season proper.   The last thing the Firebirds want is to peak early and get serious injuries to players.

One of the best things you could do this year is to see this team play and from all reports tickets are still available but they might no be for long if 2012 continues on a winning note.  Round one is starting on April 1 for the Firebirds, but if you can't get to a  game channel Ten is scheduled to show all the games on Ten or One and there will be plenty of live games shown as well.  For more information of scheduling visit ANZ Championship Home Site.

Continuing in Part 2 will be more in depth discussion on sport off the field and it was when discussing these aspects I found a great respect for Chelsea and the maturity that is beyond her years.  I will go on to discuss the difference for women in sport compared to men and the isssue of role models and charity work.  And I look forward to being able to write many more articles on this talented team from Queensland.

ABC Grandstand Please Explain

The Grandstand team at the ABC are the subject of many complaints after their ordinary attempt to show coverage of the W-League semi-final between Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC.  With an intriguing and at times a controversial and farcical game the stage was set for even more dramatic scenes with the game about to go into a penalty shoot-out to decide who goes through to the Final.


Here I was starting to think about what I would write about the game when the ABC's coverage online decided to stop.  At no point did it return and most were left reliant on twitter feeds to find out what was happening.


The first question that has to be asked is what happened? And I do not accept the following response from @ABCGrandstand: "We experienced problems with our feed and are extremely sorry we could not bring you the penalty shoot-out #wleague" Especailly when it is followed up with: "Highlights from the #wleague semi-final can be seen on ABC1 at 6.00pm"  Were they just ensuring a maximum audience for their package?


It seems to me that because the game was on Sunday, the ABC tech in charge of the stream set it up on the site, started the timer to cover the standard length game and a few interviews and then went home for a Sunday afternoon rest.  Obviously there was no thought that the game could possibly go to extra time and a penalty shoot out.  This is what happens when you leave decisions like this to people who know little about the game.


What's more, all this could have been avoided if SBS were given the rights to the W-League as they requested instead of the ABC, who in their wisdom with 3 channels thought the only avenue was the internet for viewing and a highlights package later in the day on TV.  This is also from an organisation that publicly states that the A-League and many other sports should be on free to air TV.  If the A-League and W-League are serious about furthering their reach into the market place the best thing they can do is dump the ABC and let SBS take over.  


The ABC get my first Poor Form Nomination for 2012.

Weekend Wrap Is Back

It has been awhile since I did a weekend wrap, so for those who look forward to some of my insight in to what I thought of the weekend of sport here is a new instalment.

Australia Wrap Up Series 

Australia have humiliated the Indian cricket side and secured the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the 3rd test.  Australia only need 7 sessions of cricket to win the test match by an innings and 39 runs and at no stage did India look like they were ever going to really make a contest of the match.

Warner was a deserved man of the match after what was a game breaking innings.  After being dismissed cheaply on day one India must have thought that Australia would crumble just the same.  India was right in that only they didn't count on the opening pair putting on 200 runs before the collapse began.  What is of concern for Austraia though is how often it loses quick wickets and it's middle order fails to capitalise on good partnerships.  I will reinforce my campaign for Haddin to be replaced after he failed yet again with the bat.  Whilst Australia is doing well it is the best time to bring in a new keeper.

As for India, they have a lot of problems to address and hopefully they will wait until this tour is over before they click on what the need to do.  First change I would be making is with the captain.  Dhoni is out of form with the bat, has no energy on the field and generally captains as if he doesn't care what happens.  His keeping is looking lethargic and sub standard and does not seem to have any notion of what it takes to motivate his team that is lacking on self belief and confidence.  But instead I can see India finding something wrong with something outside their team, complain about that and forget to fix what the real problem is.

A very happy Berisha after scoring his 10th goal and the winner

Roar Escape Trick
Brisbane Roar showed again that they are the extra time specialists and won a with two goals in injury time.  All the talk though is of the actions which took place after the game and I will wait until I have seen clear footage of all events before making my judgement.  So far though what I am noticing is that all the attention and footage is being focused on Berisha with little attention being paid to every other player that was involved.  Obviously there is more to the story when a player carries on like this and it will be interesting to see how it all pans out.  My guess is that the Sydney media will focus more on the Roar players than on any of the Sydney players.

Tomic Wins Kooyong Classic

Congratulations to Bernard Tomic on his first victory in senior tennis after defeating American, Mardy Fish, in 3 sets to take out the Kooyong Classic.  At only 19 Tomic has a long career ahead of him and is going into the Australian Open in good form.  But the media needs to realise that if Tomic wins the open it would be an upset in world tennis.  He has the potential and should progress well, but the media just needs to let him play and not add any more pressure to him with their typical expectation that they love heaping on every Australian who plays in the Australian Open.

Cricket In Winter

It has surfaced in the media that Cricket Australia has discussed playing the Sheffield Shield in winter to help capitalise on the potential of the Big bash League.  Lets just hope that it is just all talk and no serious thought has come to it.  Yes the BBL is doing well but Cricket Australia needs to be careful how they manage this competition.  It is bad enough that they are already thinking of expanding a competition that hs only jsut begun.  Don't destroy the main game for the sake of money as well.  If the Shield is moved to winter, none of Australia's cricketers will be playing 4 day cricket on our main grounds.  How are our young cricketers ever goig to know how to bowl on these pitches if they never get to play on them in anything but a twenty/20 game.  It would make more sense to play the twenty/20 in winter and play those games on regional fields.  Let's hope that they wait a few seasons before starting to make dramatic changes.


On another note I would like to point out the stupidity of Cricket Australia and their scheduling of Test matches.  Firstly the Sydney Test was played from the 3rd of January, Tuesday, which meant that anyone who has to work did not get an opportunity to watch nay of this test.  And then with the 4th test in Adelaide will also start on a Tuesday and the Australia Day holiday being the only day that there will be any cricket that can e viewed by those that work.  I am not counting Sunday as due to recent history I cannot see India making this test go 5 days.  Does Cricket Australia realise that if you want a good crowd and good viewing numbers you need for the majority of people to being able to watch.

Wonder of Warner

All plaudits must go to Warner for his 69 ball century on day one of the 3rd test at the WACA.  Also it is time for a positive article on cricket after so many negative articles in the past.

After India were skittled for 161 on a pitch that looked like it was a minefield for the Indian batsmen the Australian pair of Warner and Cowan made India look like what they are.  A team that is past it's used by date and in need of a fresh change, similar to that of which Australia is going through.  

With less than a session to bat, most would have expected Australia to set up ready for tomorrow and hopefully both batsmen still there on a healthy 60odd runs.  No one could have predicted what was to come, unless it was a short format version of the game that is.  What Warner showed though was that a quick fire innings can be done without having to resort to slogging.  When you compare his quickfire century to others in that list, you have to consider that he was opening the batting on day 1 on a pitch that had the opposition in fear  of every ball.  Most quickfire centuries come from middle order batsmen who are facing bowlers that are tired and bowling on a lifeless pitch. 

Warner how has the chance to go into the record books and record what could be the fastest double century and if he bats all day I would predict him to be well over 400.  With his cavalier approach though one would not be surprised he he falls at any stage but he has laid the platform and the rest of the Australian team should be able to heap on plenty of runs and humiliate an Indian lineup that does not have any signs of ticker.

Also of note was the support role of Cowan at the other end.  He played the perfect accompanying role and still scored at a healthy strike rate to ensure he didn't bog up one end.  Cowen is well placed now to go into day 2 with every chance to go on and score a century and you havee to look back to March 2009 for the last time an Australian opening pair scored a century each (Katich & Hughes - Kinsgmead).  

With Warner now showing what he is capable of in a Test match, as we have all seen it in the short form of the game, you have to take the good with the bad.  With his style of attacking play he will get out cheaply on plenty of occasions, but if he can minimise his failures he will set plenty of records in his career. 

Cricket Australia & Contracts

Australian cricket is about to face a major change in it's contractual shape when the new contracts are announced after the tour of the West Indies.  And it is about time that Cricket Australia changed how it does contracts.

I have no problem with players being payed for the effort they put in for their country but I have a problem with players being contracted to a national team that is picked on merit.  Has anyone thought that this might be what is hurting Australian cricket?  How many times have players been put on big contracts and then their career falls away and they get paid a lot of money playing 1st class cricket without any chance of ever playing for their country again. Instead why don't Cricket Australia look at paying higher match payments and pay bonuses on performance.  If a player has to play well and win to get a good payday I am sure you will start seeing more consistent and high standard performances.

Then you will also take away the possibility that a player is only selected due to the fact of how much his contract is worth.  This is a very similar scenario that Australian Rugby is in and it is not helping them.  If a player is contracted on a large percentage of the income then there must be a lot of pressure from those paying the bill for that player to be in as many games as possible due to influences of sponsors who put the money in the kitty.

Contracts are needed in the modern sporting world but it does not meant that you have to throw large money at players for things they have not achieved yet.  Just because a player performed well last series it does not guarantee they will perform highly again.  Surely it would not be hard to work out a structured reward payment system in a game where rain affected results can be decided by a mathematical system that most know nothing about and understand little about it's formula.

Roar Robbed

The Brisbane Roar were robbed by referee Ben Williams in their game against Adelaide United.

In a game that Brisbane really should have won rather than tie with the amount of chances they missed, it was yet another game that was decided by a very poor decision.  Brisbane's captain, Matt Smith,  was clearly tripped from behind which led to him falling into Adelaide's Sergio van Dijk.  How both the referee and the sideline offical missed this is, hard to believe, but then again the Referee and sideline official also failed to see what was a  blatant free kick to Brisbane in the first half when Visconte was tackled from behind in the box.

Yet again though the media is failing to make much mention of these instances rather talking up the game and touching lightly on the free kick decision.  If the A-League wants to be taken as a serious competition it not only needs the teams in it doing well and having players in it's competition targeted by overseas clubs, it also needs it officials to be of a high standard that would be welcome in overseas competitions.

And then their is the media.  Why can they all write negative articles about teams, players and coaches but the referees very rarely get much media speculation.  I am not saying that a complete article needs to be written on an official but when an official makes a howler of a decision which directly impacts on the result then they should expect the criticism that results.  Would Ben Williams be getting different treatment if this was a game involving Melbourne Victory and it was harry Kewell that was penalised and gave away the free kick?  Maybe this is what is wrong with Australian media, our media is so centralised in Sydney and Melbourne that a journalist only reacts in the media if it happens to a club from those two cities.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the week and I will be watching with interest to see how The World Game panel evaluate this game Monday on SBS.

SCG Test Match Wrap

Australia have given India a hiding by more than an innings yet things are not all rosy for Australia. Before getting into what went wrong with Australia I will take a bit of time to gloat about how India are not the team they think they are.  After losing 4 tests to England India have now lost the first 2 in Australia and do not look like being able to get a win.  Their bowling attack just do not look like being able to lead their team to victory and yet again are showing that if the pitch is not a dusty, spin top then they really struggle to look commanding.

This might seem harsh but suddenly Australia's middle order look like world beaters yet only 2 tests ago were playing for their careers.  If India are rated number 2 in the world then they are going to quickly slide down the ranking after what I have seen.  They might have been great players in the past but now look like a former shadow of themselves.  On a highway of a deck in Sydney where they were let Australia put on over 600 for the loss of one wicket over 2 partnerships their batsmen may have scored 400 but not one of them were able to score a century.  Dravid & Laxman are no where near the standard they once held and Sehwag may be able to score quickly but his reckless approach to batting is not going to enable him to score a lot of runs without giving plenty of opportunities.  Tendulkar has been scoring runs but has also had plenty of close calls that could have cost him his wicket for a paltry amount.  Add to this a bowling attack, that once the ball, is old is lifeless and backed up by an fielding side that is bereft of energy.  India is in dire trouble if they do not start finding some new talent in a side that has a lot of players closer to retirement than they would like.

Now to Australia.  Yes it was not long ago that I was calling for Ponting and Hussey's head due to their lack of runs, but after scoring commanding centuries they have bought themselves time as long as they can continue on in form.  Australia cannot afford for them to go on long stretches of poor form again.  Clarke's triple century was superb and was the sort of knock he needed to score to show he can bat for long periods of time.  I only wish he had batted longer and at least scored Australia's second highest test score if not only to ensure Mark Taylor was one notch lower.  But Clarke showed that he thinks more about the team than his own records which is good to see.  Besides those three batsmen though there are still troubles ahead for Australia in the batting department.  Australia cannot afford to keep losing quick wickets early for little return from the top three.  Warner has shown he can score runs but he needs to be able to put scores of fifty together on a regular basis.  Cowan has showed promise in his debut and should be given a few more goes before he is crucified but it is the number three spot that is where Australia is weak.  Marsh has failed yet again to a very poor shot and after returning from injury might need to go back to domestic cricket to get some form.  Rushing him in the team with only twenty/20 games might not have been the best thing.  Watson would be seen to be a perfect replacement but with Watson also returning from injury the selectors might need to look for a player who has been showing form over a period of time.  In normal circumstances the selectors would look at the leading run scorer in the domestic scene and that would be a very competent and able Forrest from Queensland who would be worth a chance.

The other issue from the test is the performance of Haddin.  As he was not able to bat, all he has to take from the game is his effort behind the stumps and frankly speaking it should be his last test after the performance he put in.  Yet again he has dropped a catch that was straight forward, and he not only dropped it, he failed to get his hands to the ball.  Commentators in the game will say that he deserves to stay as the best replacement, Payne, is injured and that the other in line, Wade, is not quite good enough in his keeping skills.  Wade can't be any worse that what is there at the moment and why is it that Hartley does not even get a mention?

Whilst Australia is dominating India and the confidence is in the team the selectors need to keep rebuilding the team.

Slap On Wrist For Gesture

Indian batsman Virat Kohli has been fined 50% of his match fees for giving the finger to the crowd at the SCG. As stated by the Indian Team manager GS Wahlia: "The matter as been sorted out....the player felt guilty and sorry and the matter has been closed",  he has been given pretty much a slap on the wrist.

Foxsports Article

Since being fined Kohli has complained about sections of the crowd taunting him.  In just about any other sport a player making gestures like this to the crowd would be facing a one match ban, just ask any footballer in the English Premier League.  If he felt that the crowd had crossed a line why did he not take it to the officials?  Or is this just an Indian cricketer with thin skin?  Or was he hoping he wasn't seen and caught on camera?

Let's hope the Indian don't make this issue into one about how they are getting treated harshly on Australian soil again.  Whether or not sections of the crowd crossed a line, this is a player who has decided to stoop to the same level as those on the other side of the fence and it is for that reason he should have received a one match ban.  If the ICC wants to be serious about it's image on the field then this is the only way it should handle such an incident.  He did not aim it at a player on the field sledging him, instead he has made a gesture to the direction of the crowd and even though he has in his mind aimed it at those taunting him, the gesture is directed at every single person in the crowd in that direction.

But at the end of the day the Indian cricket team will find a way to make this about the Australian crowds and nothing else.  It seems India forgets how sections of it's own crowd has treated players from other countries in the past.

Clarke Breaks Record, Haddin Drops Again

The Indians have been put to the pump in the second test at Sydney and it is on the back of a record breaking innings of Michael Clarke.

Clarke has become the first test cricketer in Test history to score a triple century at the SCG and he could have scored many more if not for a selfless act of declaration to enable Australia every chance to bowl out India in the second innings.  And with 2 days to go and only eight wickets left the win should not be a problem.

The day should have finished on a better note with what will be the main talking point of this article and because of Clarke's heroics may well be forgotten and forgiven by the selectors.  That issue of course is the keeping ability of Haddin.  With no chance to show his batting ability it is his glovework that is on show and he was consistent yet again in showing his poor glovework.  Quite sad really when this is the what he should be selected on.  The dropped catch by Haddin, of Gambir, is a catch that should be swallowed by a keeper at any level and shows why Haddin is out of form.  Every game now seems to feature a dropped catch by this keeper who has an amazing ability to completely miss the ball with his gloves.  With Australia starting to rebuild and showing great promise in it's bowling strength and a batting lineup on notice why is the keeper immune to the sack.  

If this dropped catch goes on to hurt Australia and India manage to bat out a draw then surely Haddin's head must pay the price.  Even if Australia win, Haddin must be dropped and he must be told it is due to his poor keeping ability.  A team cannot afford to drop catches of such easy standards, therefore a team cannot afford to carry a player that seems to drop a catch every game.  Fortunately for Haddin though the media will focus on Clarke's batting effort and make little mention of his dropped catch.  Not me though, I have been calling for it for awhile now and I will keep calling for it until it happens.  

Atomic Force Hits New Zealand

Soon there may be a drawing of today's win.

Dynamic Sydications are now able to proudly say that their champion sprinter, Atomic Force, is not only a multiple Group 1 winner, but also a Group 1 winner in 2 countries after winning the Railway Stakes.  Not bad for a horse that was snubbed by Hong Kong racing.

Sitting at home and listening to the race even with a bad barrier draw, a slow start and hitting the turn wide, it always felt that Atomic Force would power on to win. As I have said this is a champion horse that is always worth putting your money on, even when the odds are short.

Racing in New Zealand for the first time, from the start reading all the news before it travelled and from the moment it landed, all the news was good and it always look like a certain winner.  Once I saw that the track would be wet and slow it was only more positive news and Atomic Force certainly did not let anyone down.

Atomic force is a horse that now should now get mentioned in the same breaths as Black Caviar & Sepoy and this is something that has started to be seen when you read articles like that of Barry Lichter at the Sydney Morning Herald.

It will be now interesting to see if Atomic Force stays on for another race in New Zealand or decides to head back to Australia.  Either way, it is worth keeping a close on on this one.  Either way though Honk Kong racing might be regretting that they didn't ask this horse to have a gallop on their turf.