For those of you who haven’t heard of the above gentleman, legend has it that he considered himself to be so all-powerful that he plonked himself in a chair (probably a throne), on a beach, and defied the tide to come in. Unfortunately for him, the only thing he achieved was to get wet feet!

These are two words that are part of every day life for a Kiwi harness racing trainer. Initially they ‘nominate’ a horse for a race that it is eligible for, then, when the list of nominations are posted on the website, they consider whether to ‘accept’ or withdraw the horse for that race, for whatever reason.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the above Latin phrase, loosely translated it means that the matter is under consideration by a judicial body. It also means that, by law, journalists are not permitted to print opinions on the matter at hand.

I’m one those old ‘fuddy duddys’ who doesn’t live on social media. The idea of telling the World what I had for dinner, or signing up for ‘influencers’, and being advised what to wear or how I should behave, doesn’t really appeal.

The word ‘stalwart’ is probably overused (probably by me) when talking about people in harness racing who have passed on, as sadly so many have recently, but you would have to say that Keith Grice (who sadly left us this week), and his brother Bevan have earned the title.

If you’ve got a pacer rated between R35 and 55 that’s looking for a penalty free win, there are some rare chances to score one for a $10,000 stake this coming weekend.

Chairman Jay Abernethy recently presided over the 68th edition of the Trainers & Drivers AGM in Pukekohe. Along with 18 license-holders, Karen Blanchard (ATC) and Catherine McDonald (HRNZ) were also in attendance.

In some circles, the lack of New Zealand representation at the upcoming Queensland carnival has been looked at as a disappointment. However, those who have local racing at heart and don’t particularly care what happens elsewhere, along with the powers that be in HRNZ, should be thrilled.

To be fair, I doubt if anyone but the Russian judge (sorry, an old joke that might not be very PC at the moment) would give the initial Trot Night session much more than a 3 out of 10.

A channel broadcasting harness racing, and only harness racing, will be launched this Friday. For every Friday night for the next six weeks Trot Night will be broadcast on Sky Channel 83 from 5.30pm to 10.30pm. It's a trial its backers hope will become permanent. This week it will feature the two meetings at Alexandra Park and Addington, with all races broadcast live.