.png.caf10f5279f424b61fdbc6a28676983b.png)
Harness Cafe
7,119 topics in this forum
-
- 189 replies
- 13.3k views
-
- 100 replies
- 3.3k views
-
- 3 replies
- 307 views
-
- 16 replies
- 283 views
-
- 41 replies
- 1k views
-
- 11 replies
- 691 views
-
- 2 replies
- 429 views
-
- 1 reply
- 175 views
-
- 3 replies
- 282 views
-
- 1 reply
- 290 views
-
- 10 replies
- 1.3k views
-
- 6 replies
- 256 views
-
- 10 replies
- 3.3k views
-
- 1 reply
- 361 views
-
- 12 replies
- 965 views
-
- 40 replies
- 2.7k views
-
- 0 replies
- 203 views
-
- 4 replies
- 372 views
-
- 18 replies
- 2.2k views
-
- 5 replies
- 578 views
-
- 66 replies
- 3.8k views
-
- 4 replies
- 459 views
-
- 0 replies
- 155 views
-
- 15 replies
- 1.4k views
-
- 2 replies
- 269 views
-
Member Statistics
-
Featured Videos
-
-
Latest Posts
-
Ratings could be the difference. I've seen few if any horses anywhere near near the top on any of the three synthetic tracks, even for prep runs - although Riccarton might be a bit different. One reason is handicapping. We've had a couple rated close to r100 after winning them on end on the synthetic and they end up getting 64kg in a open handicap. That's an not competitive in these sort of races, even against mediocre company. Another reason is the prizemoney on offer, with almost all synthetic meetings 'industry events', 30k stake is the norm for an open handicap. There are a couple of racedays when the stakes are a bit better and each of the three synthetic venues do run a 'champions race' , each over a different distance, each worth 100k. In these however it's the synthetic specialists who line up against each other, having qualified for the event through the synthetic season. Last but not least is that for the racegoer - yes a deminishing species - synthetic racing is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Noone in attendance except for industry workers, no atmosphere, simply a televised event to support the industry over the winter. That said, grass track racing over the winter is not what it used to be. On some tracks thete is your equivalent of the National Hunt often mixed with flat racing- and that on a lifeline- but the large fields of the past are long gone and it seems that fewer and fewer horses seem to handle wet tracks. There's a few iconic handicaps that still thrill but 7 horse fields with 2 or 3 genuine handicappers and /or a versatile hurdler with the remainder hacks is not what excites most. It is what it is. And for that reason the synthetic tracks offer some diversion. -
-
Fact of the matter is Pak it creates problem gambling . I am sure if they had a weekly slot with someone going to Sky City and blowing thousands of dollars everyone would be up in arms . This show is no different . I don't watch personally mainly for that reason . -
-
Racebooks (or racecards as they are called up here) are NZ$ 7.50 at most meetings and up to NZ$10 -12 at the big meetings. "And for those watching in black and white, Davis is on the green" (or something like that...) -
I have to be honest, I don't get the hostility to synthetic tracks. We have had them here for 35 years and they are an integral part of UK racing. They provide a lifeline for owners, trainers, jockeys and many others in winter when you can't race on grass and offer a viable alternative for the immature 2-y-o and 3-y-o to running on bottomless turf. Let's be honest - they are also supposedly a boon for bookmakers though I doubt the actual amounts bet justify that sentiment. I can't imagine there was much wagered on the evening synthetic meetings at Southwell and Newcastle this week compared to what was played at Cheltenham. They aren't just for lower grade horses - classic winners such as ENABLE and NOTABLE SPEECH have used them. They should be easy to manage and maintain - you never hear of complaints up here about Polytrack or Tapeta in terms of kickback or injuries. We do get small field races occasionally on the synthetic - they could put on a card of Class 6 handicaps and get maximum fields for every race but you can't have cards made up of one type of race.
-
Personally, have no use for any hard copy form guides and although bets are long on before I get oncourse I do like a racebook in the back pocket. That's mainly so I have the colours in hand though and recently I have found that clubs sometimes print those books in b&w which is about as much use as tits on a bull. -
At Cheltenham this week, there was a lot of angst about the ground - despite nearly 10 inches of rain (250 mm in new money) in January and February, the Clerk finished up having to water because a couple of warm and sunny days and wonderful drainage meant the ground was drying too fast. In the end, he didn't put enough water on to satisfy Willie Mullins and J P McManus and FACT TO FILE was taken out of the Ryanair. The irony was 12 mm fell overnight into Friday and the ground on Gold Cup day was almost perfect. The dilemma is this - trainers like Mullins argue jump racing championship races should take place on proper Soft ground, not necessarily Heavy but it should have Soft somewhere in the description so Good to Soft would be okay. The Clerk can water or overwater to ensure that's the ground available but there are two aspects - first, what about those horses who genuinely want Good ground and second, if you water and then you get more rain than forecast or expected, the ground is too heavy and everyone moans? On the Flat, the line up here is Clerks water to prevent any jar in the ground - some tracks, such as Bath, run on downland turf which has been well managed for decades. It can be Firm but there's no jar but other venues have overwatered and not managed the turf so well while others such as clay tracks do suffer if there's a prolonged dry spell. That, as we know, causes other problems. The bias on heavy ground is the same up here - at Brighton, when it's slow, they all come to the stands side but other tracks it's the other way round. Willie Carson, at Ascot, famously rode right under the trees where the rain hadn't reached and won on BAHRI and thereare other such examples of what are called "golden highways" where the ground is often better.
-
Over here, we have the Racing Post every day but it's expensive (NZ$ 12). However, it covers both horse and dog racing in a detail you won't find anywhere else. The Post keeps going because it supplies copy to the betting shops and as long as the shops want the form to be displayed for the walk-in punter, the Post will continue. You can download very good information from Timeform and other sites if you want but I still prefer to have the Post (the old Sporting Life was better but much harder to read) and to spread out with coffee and breakfast on the way to the track (or at the track in the winter). I don't get the Post every day any more - I only buy it on Saturdays and for the big meetings. I used to study form every day but I've better things to do with my life (so Mrs Stodge advises).
-
-
-
Follow and Like Us on Facebook
-
Featured Video
-
Disclaimer
While the owners and managers of RaceCafe endeavour to moderate and control the site and posts on it, they give no guarantee that posts are true and correct, and take no responsibility whatsoever for what individuals post on the site.
Posts do not necessarily reflect the sentiments, views or beliefs of Race Cafe or its owners and management.
The owners and managers of RaceCafe reserve the right to remove posts from the site and to provide details of members whose posts warrant scrutiny.
