Dual Venue Racing Calendar

[slam dunk 1,317]

A new system of setting racing dates is needed. i.e. dual system.

Most meetings to have a dual track within say 60 miles that can be switched even on the day. Logistical systems can  then be efficiently organised and tracks maintained ready to be raced on. (Economics of watering both tracks perhaps a problem.)

It would mean two clubs running one meeting on the day with one club being a phantom meeting. Maybe two sets of starting gates would be needed but most other services can be worked around.

I suggest an early bird race say for jumps jockeys or riders without other rides to be run say 10 am giving time to make a decision to switch venues for a say1.00pm start.

The early bird race to have minimal services like no photo finish, delayed TV, ambulance yes but only amateur judicial panel etc.

Both venues to have betting and catering services and a giant close up screen at the non racing venue giving patrons a feeling of being at the racing venue. Also at the lost venue make it attractive for patrons to stay on.

There are numerous commercial possibilities particularly as many TAB's have closed. Sponsors get wider exposure and various activities can be organised at the non racing venue. Perhaps a harness race or two.

So for next seasons racing calendar I suggest the slash sign be used e.g. Waverley/Hawera   Dargaville/Ruakaka  Awapuni/Foxton Woodville/Waipukurau etc etc

 

[Fartoomuch 1,376]

10 minutes ago, slam dunk said:

A new system of setting racing dates is needed. i.e. dual system.

Most meetings to have a dual track within say 60 miles that can be switched even on the day. Logistical systems can  then be efficiently organised and tracks maintained ready to be raced on. (Economics of watering both tracks perhaps a problem.)

It would mean two clubs running one meeting on the day with one club being a phantom meeting. Maybe two sets of starting gates would be needed but most other services can be worked around.

I suggest an early bird race say for jumps jockeys or riders without other rides to be run say 10 am giving time to make a decision to switch venues for a say1.00pm start.

The early bird race to have minimal services like no photo finish, delayed TV, ambulance yes but only amateur judicial panel etc.

Both venues to have betting and catering services and a giant close up screen at the non racing venue giving patrons a feeling of being at the racing venue. Also at the lost venue make it attractive for patrons to stay on.

There are numerous commercial possibilities particularly as many TAB's have closed. Sponsors get wider exposure and various activities can be organised at the non racing venue. Perhaps a harness race or two.

So for next seasons racing calendar I suggest the slash sign be used e.g. Waverley/Hawera   Dargaville/Ruakaka  Awapuni/Foxton Woodville/Waipukurau etc etc

 

Your main points are those that i raised in an earlier post SD.Dont give clubs days unless they have an alternative venue which can carry out the days racing with minimal disruption and financial cost to all invested parties.

I would also make it mandatory for clubs whose racing surface is clearly not going to be safe  to be made to transfer meetings as soon as is practicable. Failure to do so to result in retrospective penalties.

[TOM(the other Molloy) 1,774]

1 hour ago, slam dunk said:

A new system of setting racing dates is needed. i.e. dual system.

Most meetings to have a dual track within say 60 miles that can be switched even on the day. Logistical systems can  then be efficiently organised and tracks maintained ready to be raced on. (Economics of watering both tracks perhaps a problem.)

It would mean two clubs running one meeting on the day with one club being a phantom meeting. Maybe two sets of starting gates would be needed but most other services can be worked around.

I suggest an early bird race say for jumps jockeys or riders without other rides to be run say 10 am giving time to make a decision to switch venues for a say1.00pm start.

The early bird race to have minimal services like no photo finish, delayed TV, ambulance yes but only amateur judicial panel etc.

Both venues to have betting and catering services and a giant close up screen at the non racing venue giving patrons a feeling of being at the racing venue. Also at the lost venue make it attractive for patrons to stay on.

There are numerous commercial possibilities particularly as many TAB's have closed. Sponsors get wider exposure and various activities can be organised at the non racing venue. Perhaps a harness race or two.

So for next seasons racing calendar I suggest the slash sign be used e.g. Waverley/Hawera   Dargaville/Ruakaka  Awapuni/Foxton Woodville/Waipukurau etc etc

 

Great except that the TAB need time to transfer between courses especially where they do not maintain a suite of tote machines (ie probably 75% of courses around NZ)

For instance Kumara could have done it two weeks ago if they had decided Thursday but if they had waited till say Friday afternoon too late.  Much as I am critical of the TAB there is a lot of work in setting up an on course tote especially in the testing and TV setup. 

Of the eight courses you mention in your example there would (I would think) be seven with no permanent Tote machines.   

The other obvious things are where you do not have permanent liquor licences(they are not interchangable between locations), staffing for meetings(Entrance, parking, catering etc etc )  - not everyone might want to travel 60 miles or so - and catering itself

[CosmicBlackie 128]

Re the above, thinking into the future, how much do wireless hotspots have to play for a club to clip the ticket on going through the much vaunted TAB app? The NZRB have floated this idea for a considerable time, but have been reluctant to roll this out.This would eliminate the tote machines. As for tele coverage, when someone can hold an iPad up and stream to the world, surely the internet is the future for live events.

[slam dunk 1,317]

2 hours ago, Fartoomuch said:

Your main points are those that i raised in an earlier post SD.Dont give clubs days unless they have an alternative venue which can carry out the days racing with minimal disruption and financial cost to all invested parties.

I would also make it mandatory for clubs whose racing surface is clearly not going to be safe  to be made to transfer meetings as soon as is practicable. Failure to do so to result in retrospective penalties.

Yes I noted your previous post. However about 10 years ago on Racecafe i suggested much the same and was met with complete derision.

Tom M.

The last thing I would worry about is the TAB. The current machines oncourse are a total put off for betting and TAB would be far better scrapping them all and make sure mobile phone traffic from the course functions without hiccup. The mark sense cards are also ridiculous for betting also should be purged from all TAB's. Scanning racebooks making use of barcodes and QR codes with mobile scanners against temporary accounts makes far more sense than having an elderly retiree operator attempting to type in a complicated first four combination.

TV setup I'm not sure about but in this day and age anything like that should be possible. Probably the biggest obstacle would be movement of horses and the acceptance by trainers to a late venue change perhaps even going from left handed to right handed.

Without the issue of track safety on a day like Karaka Millions it could be possible for Avondale to run six low key  races, have a two hour gap then onto Ellerslie.  More  use of modern communications has to be exploited.

[Patiti 274]

I thought that the latest statement issued by the NZTR after their crisis meeting factored in ways of transferring etc where needed without losing meetings. 30% less anyway.

[slam dunk 1,317]

2 hours ago, Patiti said:

I thought that the latest statement issued by the NZTR after their crisis meeting factored in ways of transferring etc where needed without losing meetings. 30% less anyway.

Well if the have got some ideas they had better get some discussion going. Early May I believe is the deadline for framing the calendar. Plenty issues to figure out.

[N1MUE 1,877]

9 hours ago, slam dunk said:

I suggest an early bird race say for jumps jockeys or riders without other rides to be run say 10 am giving time to make a decision to switch venues for a say1.00pm start.

The early bird race to have minimal services like no photo finish, delayed TV, ambulance yes but only amateur judicial panel etc.

I'm sure the jumps jockeys won't mind being used as crash test dummies - they're used to falling off horses anway

[TOM(the other Molloy) 1,774]

4 hours ago, Patiti said:

I thought that the latest statement issued by the NZTR after their crisis meeting factored in ways of transferring etc where needed without losing meetings. 30% less anyway.

When Kumara refused to transfer NZTR was unaware of the offer - I should imagine they(NZTR) would have insisted on the transfer had they known.  No use crying over spilt milk but the stakeholders were not the first consideration.

[mr dickson cider 104]

Regarding the amateur judcial panel; I reckon we  have this in force at all meetings already.

 

 

[Hermione 77]

I think there should always be a "Plan B" for everything in life, and there is no reason why racing should be any different.  I have plan bs for every aspect of my life, marriage (46 yrs), work,and the immediate future, it's a coping mechanism   and I don't think I am on any spectrum

 

[chelseacol 2,488]

5 hours ago, Hermione said:

I think there should always be a "Plan B" for everything in life, and there is no reason why racing should be any different.  I have plan bs for every aspect of my life, marriage (46 yrs), work,and the immediate future, it's a coping mechanism   and I don't think I am on any spectrum

 

Who is Plan B for your marriage ? 

[Hermione 77]

2 hours ago, chelseacol said:

Who is Plan B for your marriage ? 

The correct question should be "what is your B?" not who   Plan B is a very intricate scheme, by the time I've arrived at my eventual destination (in my mind) any bad air at home is forgotten   The scheme involves avoiding detection, changes of clothes, changing flights, train stations, buses the whole lot.  I sometimes have a look at the place in google maps, have never been there, but it struck a chord when I was a teenager and it is my mental bolt hole.  The planning is quite exhausting mainly because if I walk out, I never want to be found, so there