I thought racing was on a roll

[von Smallhaussen 3,226]

Wairarapa January 2nd

 

All races will be left open until 8am Friday 29 December

The R85 2050 was deleted due to no entries

[army 156]

45 minutes ago, von Smallhaussen said:

Wairarapa January 2nd

 

All races will be left open until 8am Friday 29 December

The R85 2050 was deleted due to no entries

Perhaps they should start opening their eyes and setting the programme to suit what is required. Rating 65 and madien races have so many entries that alot of them are missing out especially since the got the new starting gates and they can only start 14 now not 16.  If you get over 30 entries they look at splitting but 15 to 29 they often wont and these horse and forever chasing races which they may or may not get into. They expect you to travel and spend 600 on a float fee to get a start. 

[puha 2,177]

12 minutes ago, poundforpound said:

Well they’ve driven virtually all the older male horses out of the game because they don’t know how to handicap, so I guess they’ll now be smiling away and slapping each other on the back for a job well done.

Where’s Sir Slick when you need him ?

[We're Doomed 4,855]

That meeting has always struggled, and the poor stakes don't help. I have always thought it sad that more effort isn't made to get better fields at the very popular holiday meetings. Unimaginative programming doesn't help anyhow.

[Shad 1,553]

No doubt it is a shame these small meetings are struggling, in fairness even clubs with good stakes have been battling to, with coast circuit in the south coming up, where 4 meetings will be crammed in to a short time, and one wonders how the horse numbers are going to stack up, i guess they will be hoping they get some of the usual numbers from the north.

[TOM(the other Molloy) 1,774]

11 hours ago, Shad said:

No doubt it is a shame these small meetings are struggling, in fairness even clubs with good stakes have been battling to, with coast circuit in the south coming up, where 4 meetings will be crammed in to a short time, and one wonders how the horse numbers are going to stack up, i guess they will be hoping they get some of the usual numbers from the north.

It is a major concern but providing Dummy arrives with his usual numbers we will be OK.  Without Pitty's team(an entirely understandable stance on his part) the South Island participation takes a hit.  The big issue this year is the dry tracks.  Reefton for instance while it is being as heavily irrigated as we can is so bloody dry you cannot keep the water up to the track.  Some rain is forecast but often in this dry spell it has been localised and the race courses have had limited moisture.

Years ago when I was the Reefton Secretary I wanted to run Claiming races. I thought the would be a great concept particularly to keep old geldings in the fold (not the top liners but the ones battling around).  The vision was the higher the nominated price the higher the weight. If you were game enough to put your horse in at a low price you got a low weight (obviously).  I thought it was a great idea but all too hard for NZTR. You could run series of them and I reckon it would be huge in terms of interest. A little bit depressing as I thought it a real innovation initially at least.

Can anyone see a downer with the concept?

[Diver Dan 187]

I thinks it's a great idea as usual by someone closely tied to the industry.

It really makes you wonder if Dummy or Pittman ever decided to not support a certain meeting?

[We're Doomed 4,855]

Interestingly, there are heaps of maidens and 65s running around in the South, or trying to as they get eliminated or balloted all the time, but a lack of 75s and upwards. This has to come down to poor programming and poor dates. Incompetence I suppose. Even in the north there are heaps in some classes. One race at Tauranga could easily be split into three fields. One problem is clubs programming only 7 or 8 races which means heaps get compressed into one race as the nearest fit for them.

[gubellini 3,989]

Tom(the other Molloy) totally agree that Claiming Races should be introduced to NZ Racing. In Kentucky over 50% of their races are Claiming Races. NZRB and NZTR should get on skype and contact Kentucky racing and get the lowdown on how it works. No junkets to Kentucky PLEASE!

[We're Doomed 4,855]

I see you have a week of rain starting in a day or two Tom so the tracks shouldn't be too hard.

[army 156]

42 minutes ago, We're Doomed said:

Interestingly, there are heaps of maidens and 65s running around in the South, or trying to as they get eliminated or balloted all the time, but a lack of 75s and upwards. This has to come down to poor programming and poor dates. Incompetence I suppose. Even in the north there are heaps in some classes. One race at Tauranga could easily be split into three fields. One problem is clubs programming only 7 or 8 races which means heaps get compressed into one race as the nearest fit for them.

Exactley they need to have a good look. The madiens are struggling to get a start then you see a race with only 6 or even 5 in inthe 75 85. Also the 65 grade is so overloaded. If you win a 65 you only go up to 67 68 points so 2 starts without any placing and you are back to 65. Open your eyes and get it sorted perhaps is the time to bring in a rating 60 so these horse can gestarts on a regular basis. Start 16 in a field instead of 14 and introduce more maiden fields. All horses need to start at this level when they first start racing if they dont get a start they dont race. Time for a change.

[TOM(the other Molloy) 1,774]

25 minutes ago, We're Doomed said:

I see you have a week of rain starting in a day or two Tom so the tracks shouldn't be too hard.

Possible WD but at this time of year the forecast is wrong twice as often as right.  The 'Coast' stretches about 700 miles so what happens in Milford is not always the same as further north.  Anyway we will see.  

Re the Claiming races the NZTR response (admittedly in the Alan Fenwick days so a while ago) was 'we don't have any rules for that so you can't do it' .  I just thought the rules would be set by the club in the programming but it was not a concept they could grasp.   

And as far as programming goes they are set well ahead so you can't just rearrange to suit the horse profiles at the time. AND they are pretty clear Clubs like ours are allowed eight races and that is it.

[Dopey 214]

4 hours ago, TOM(the other Molloy) said:

It is a major concern but providing Dummy arrives with his usual numbers we will be OK.  Without Pitty's team(an entirely understandable stance on his part) the South Island participation takes a hit.  The big issue this year is the dry tracks.  Reefton for instance while it is being as heavily irrigated as we can is so bloody dry you cannot keep the water up to the track.  Some rain is forecast but often in this dry spell it has been localised and the race courses have had limited moisture.

Years ago when I was the Reefton Secretary I wanted to run Claiming races. I thought the would be a great concept particularly to keep old geldings in the fold (not the top liners but the ones battling around).  The vision was the higher the nominated price the higher the weight. If you were game enough to put your horse in at a low price you got a low weight (obviously).  I thought it was a great idea but all too hard for NZTR. You could run series of them and I reckon it would be huge in terms of interest. A little bit depressing as I thought it a real innovation initially at least.

Can anyone see a downer with the concept?

Talk to tim mills - he’s looked at it 

[TOM(the other Molloy) 1,774]

6 minutes ago, Dopey said:

Talk to tim mills - he’s looked at it 

I ' looked into it' years ago and have talked to Tim about it more than once. Tim firstly doesn't make the calls and secondly, much as I like him, I can dream up my own ideas and rules without help from other Clubs or CEO's. Anyway the idea has long since been dispensed with. 

I won't claim credit for putting the idea in his head but nobody else was talking about it before I was (that I recall).

[Midget 4,489]

3 hours ago, poundforpound said:

Alysha Collett is riding the Coast circuit, there’s about a hundred grand in increased turnover 

 

3 hours ago, poundforpound said:

Alysha Collett is riding the Coast circuit, there’s about a hundred grand in increased turnover 

Leo, as you are her Number 1 fan, I take it you will invest 90k of your predicted 100k increased turnover.

 

[bloke 1,232]

16 hours ago, We're Doomed said:

That meeting has always struggled, and the poor stakes don't help. I have always thought it sad that more effort isn't made to get better fields at the very popular holiday meetings. Unimaginative programming doesn't help anyhow.

I agree  WD. The Club believes that  big crowds will continue to turn out  regardless of the fields  and that has generally been the case as big crowds do turn out. I will be there because Tauherenikau is an amazing setting for Summer / Picnic racing. The Wairarapa Racing Club is financially  strong. so they are in a position to perhaps offer incentives to attract better fields. 

[von Smallhaussen 3,226]

1 hour ago, poundforpound said:

 and I thought she might look good water skiing at Lake Kaniere 

the bloody sandflies are bigger than her 

[TOM(the other Molloy) 1,774]

1 hour ago, von Smallhaussen said:

the bloody sandflies are bigger than her 

Happened to be there myself this very day VS and in the company of one of her favourite owners.  I can assure you the sandflies are very mild this year and the Heineken is flowing nicely.

[We're Doomed 4,855]

I have just seen the fields for HB on New Years day and Wairarapa the following day, and once again they are probably the two most embarassing meetings of the year. No effort at all seems to be made to get horses along to meetings that traditionally attract big crowds. Surely this should be an opportunity to showcase reasonable racing to the capitive audience. I don't mean high quality races by any means as they can't compete with Auck, but surely some effort could be made to get 8 or 9 races with ten or so horses in each.

I can't figure out whether the clubs don't care because they are too busy organising a party, or whether the trainers don't give a stuff about supporting such meetings, but whatever it is I do feel someone in authority (is there such a person) should be making some effort to make better use of these occasions.

Contrast this with the efforts made in the south to get these Xmas meetings off the ground. Several ballots all scratched at Kurow today and other horses eliminated, which is a shame for all concerned really, and reasonable fields at Waikouaiti in a couple of days and then nine races at Omakau. You just get the impression that in the South the clubs and certain trainers work very hard to make sure the meetings are as attractive as possible despite NZTR hamstringing them somewhat by restricting their programmes and the numbers and types of races they can run.

[Berri 2,131]

Why don't you guys get it? 15 years ago approx 8500 mares bred. 4 years ago we went through the 4000 mare mark. That is the crop that is currently racing. This year there will be approx 3300 mares bred. It's terminal and everyone has been to slow in waking up to the fact that there are too few horses for the current program. Told them in 1994 this would happen.

[Berri 2,131]

As we all know, only fools think that things will change without creating change. The contraction is following the same path as Ireland, Germany, Italy and Spain. Ireland of course took drastic action and decided to reward owners by giving them a tax free environment. Germany, Italy and Spain are still fucked. What we do well is breed good horses with the limited genes we import. Time for a change but the holidays take precedence.

[TOM(the other Molloy) 1,774]

2 hours ago, Berri said:

Why don't you guys get it? 15 years ago approx 8500 mares bred. 4 years ago we went through the 4000 mare mark. That is the crop that is currently racing. This year there will be approx 3300 mares bred. It's terminal and everyone has been to slow in waking up to the fact that there are too few horses for the current program. Told them in 1994 this would happen.

Well what are you going to do to fix it Berri? Simply reducing the number of racedays is not going to achieve much (like most others here I accept if not welcome venue rationalisation but drastically reducing the number of racedays??)

What are we going to do to encourage more people to take up a stakeholder role? To breed more mares?

It has got to start by kicking arse at NZRB and NZTR level not simply reducing racedays.  Reducing the domestic product is exactly what the NZRB wants so they can build a bigger and bigger empire using imported product.  As for NZTR do you think that bureaucracy will be cut back if the number of racedays is reduced?  Like hell!

[Berri 2,131]

1. Build an information processing system that allows all forms of data to be stored, interrogated and retrieved. Both the NZTR and NZRB websites are shite for the future

2. Implement technology to create enhanced data (ie augmented reality) . Real tracking systems are one of these technologies 

3.  Customise the data so that you can produce affiliates schemes. This is the each way. Et for the FOB platform

4. Change the inadequately run media presentation. Get a third channel for NZ content only

5. Introduce new bet types, in particular jackpot bets

6. Start a block chain initiative. It is the future

7. Start a farmer driven initiative to promote horse breeding. The Irish model would do sufficiently 

8. Get every track surface vetted, introduce weather stations, soil monitors and water meters on every track and manage them collectively 

9. Apply for and obtain a betting licence in the U.K. and go hard after a NZ branded betting affiliates scheme using that licence

10. Create rules that promote the removal of race clubs boards if the under perform or show that they are not capable of runninhg a show(Te Rapa comes to mind)

11. Get all the race clubs in the Waikato and create a consensus driven model to create a super racing town with multiple training and racing tracks with the odd equestrian centre thrown in for good measure

will that do for a starter for 11?

[We're Doomed 4,855]

I'm just wondering how many of those 11 things do you think will be underway by the end of 2018?

[Turny 1,224]

Not one - odds on