Why doesn't anyone

My "oppinion" as you refer to it Roger, is why the matter which was once a hot topic on ABC has now gone quiet. Perhaps you weren't following this forum at the time, in which case fair do's, but the thread will be understood by those who were.

Surely you can understand that situation and why it was brought up.

No, I wasnt following the Forum at the time.
But what Ive seen is topics or debates come and go on the site.
It happens on all forums.
If you felt it neccesary to bring it up again thats fine.
But you havnt told us yr opinion on the lights (YR Question)
Im sure the reason why the topic went quiet is because all topics eventually fade and new topics come up.
No fault of other posters.

So you weren't following at the time, enough said by you then Roger,

Like I say, others will know what I refer to and that's who the thread is intended for. It's hardly a come day go day racing issue which would eventually fade, as you think.

My opinion by the way, once again, is why those who were following and commenting at the time have gone quiet.

Well lets hope you get the response you looking for.
Goodnight Bright Spark.

Goodnight Roger, lets hope I do as you may learn something, then again, unfortunately a wall of silence is more likely.

Sad times we live in.

just a thought.... you must have gone under a previous alias if you mention the topic was hot discussion a while ago coz you only registered as a user at 9.40pm tonight.

Lightning contractor, without getting overly tedious as to the reasons why people no longer post, question or reveal issues like lights, Randjesfontein/ RA/Phumelela alliances etc on ABC, can be summarized in the TroubleShooter's final post on ABC on 24 February under the 'Scotia on "Forums" thread'.

> " I only saw this thread this morning.Its a pity it was not in the general section as I would have stopped posting sooner.

> This thread has been clearly directed at me, Catsmug and Cuckoo who are open and frank regarding our views.
> We are not affiliated to any organization save for the RA. We do not hold a torch for anyone except ourselves.
> We often disagree with each other and do not dictate like many others.

> Horseracing has not gained much over the past few years. There are less horses running today, less racecourses, less meetings, less races, less comparable stakes and less owners. Why? Because little was done to stop the rot.
Nobody knew what was really going on.

> It is obvious that there are certain people feeling very uncomfortable regarding allegations made on this forum.
> Having the knowledge that people are actually complaining to Mr Scott has made me reconsider this website and the complainers.

> If this was a truly open forum, then Mr Scott would have forwarded all the complaints to the individual involved. Hiding behind Mr Scott and complaining shows me that the complainers have no "balls" to vent what they are saying in public.

> A lot of people support my conduct and approach. Do not for one minute think that people cannot see through all of this. Lastly, I will be amused if anything controversial will be raised on this website without Catsmug and Cuckoo initiating it.

> I see Mr Scott has (undisclosed) partners to whom he is accountable. It would be interesting to know who they are and if they agree with him.

> No need for anyone to respond as this is my final post on what was once a remarkable forum. Those who wanted to stop me airing the truth have succeeded for now.

> I suppose it is back to the old grind of mediocrity, English chopped liver and Jonny walker Black.

> I sincerely hope that after my departure Mr Scott gets all the accolades he deserves together with acceptance from those in the upper echelons of horseracing."

Sad to see my friend, Brett, an intelligent, principled man, who has and would have kept racing people informed with the truth, and who with his legal knowledge would have made a difference, has opted not to post anymore.
But who can blame him ? He has been threatened, attacked, criticised, accused of having a personal agenda, accused of personal attacks and received little support from people who should know better.

Just in case you missed it?



I would just like to state that at times its not easy to run or moderate a Forum.

I try my best to let as much go as possible and don't write the scripts, its a bit like the Forrest Gump quote! "Life's like a box of chocolates" and its true, I never know what I am going to get, until I visit the Forum.

What the visitors don't see is the emails/sms/phone calls when we have a "hot" issue, this sadly takes up much time and this weekend was a fairly difficult experience.

I have sponsors, I have partners and I have to try and keep a balance, the site was to "give the punter/owner/trainer a voice" and many do use the facility and many will not, many just visit, which remains sad to me.

I just ask for all the contributors to keep it "decent" for want of a better word, and try and respect others views.

As I type this, I am sure I will offend someone, but its not possible to keep all parties happy.

I have kept for a couple of years a post on behalf of one of my heroes, Lester Piggott, and at the same time it was the plan to launch A.B.C., so you could say, I was always aware of what I might be letting myself in for, but this was in the Guardian Tuesday the 8th 2005, I am sure many will again take offence, but I enjoyed and still enjoy the fact that a Forum gives us a 24/7 facility to air or share our views.



"The punters' forum on the Betfair betting exchange is not a place for the timid or the thin of skin. It is a cross between a betting shop and a masked ball, where anonymity means that insults and accusations can be thrown around at will, and the noise in the background is the black rage of perpetual losers.

For sure, many of the contributors are self-obsessed loners, wild conspiracy-theorists or stats-fiends with calculators for brains (27.39 per cent are all three). But underneath the bile and the bad jokes, this is also a place where racing fans can interact and inform each other in a way that would not have been possible five years ago. So it seems only fair to record the fact that of all the tributes that have been paid to Lester Piggott as he passed his 70th birthday on Saturday, the most honest and affectionate has surely been a thread on this forum which has, in its own way, endured as impressively as the Long Fellow himself.

With the simple title "Piggott stories", the thread was started in early August, which in forum terms is the early Jurassic (few discussion threads survive 24 hours in the febrile atmosphere of the forum). It now stretches to more than 1,000 individual postings, many of which, as the title suggests, simply involve ordinary punters retelling their favourite anecdotes from the great jockey's life and times.

The ruthless jockings-off, the close guard on his wallet and the acid one-liners are all recorded, along with tributes to great rides in major races and personal memories of Piggott's triumphs around the gaff tracks, long forgotten by all but a few. It would take the best part of two hours to read and digest it all.

But what is also interesting about Piggott Stories is the way it provides a launch-pad for other reminiscences. Among its contributors are several with memories stretching back to the immediate post-War period, and their stories of the time are rarely anything but fascinating. Historic plunges and coups, the famous tipster Prince Monolulu and the origins of centralised handicapping are just a few of the topics that garner a mention as the thread winds its way through the history of the turf.

At some stage Piggott Stories will drop off the bottom of the forum for the last time, into the dustbin of history. Until then, it offers proof that internet forums can amuse and inform almost as easily as they abuse and defame."

good punting/posting

Dave "scotia" Scott

FU2