tasman man

You sure love those trotters Nelli....... To be fair its only in recent years that the % of them to pacers in North has risen significantly . looking back to the early 2000's with decent size fields there was rarely more than 2 x trot races in a 10 race [ and up to 12 ] card. And what year was your Derby disappointment ? In early 2000's it was worth $50k at Alexandra Park ,then about 2006 moved to $75 k ! Kudos to ATC a bit generous looking at recent years when some 2 yr old trot races have been canned. My syndicates have 4 x times [ 2 horses , twice ] won 2 yr old trot races reduced to a Stake of $2 k or less , plus another at $5k ! Then another horse ,same last season 2 x races for $2k or less , one when 5 starters . But the club can't take all the blame if only 4 or 5 young trotter nominate to race. The Owners and trainers are responsible when the horses are there but kept in cotton wool !

Comparing us with Australia will drive you nuts. If you do ,somehow factor in the the extra population the ingrained racing/betting DNA in Aussies if you can but at least allow for the fact that many of the once a year tracks there are picnic meetings and/or Country meetings which often aren't catered for by the TAB /Trackside. What is to stop NZ clubs running these or as the UK does for jumpers ,run Point to Point for jumpers etc. Or more beach races....run an equaliser ,get the kids up and close to the horses ! Sadly some NZ towns have sat by for the last 50 years and let the community racing 'heart & soul' just drift away. And some sturdy community buildings and infrastucture just rot away. How can NZTR or HRNZ be blamed for this ? As a lad our town was a huge horse training centre...dozens of trainers , hundreds of horses . At least 3 x champion stallions over 2 x decades , a big stud . Iconic races a jumping extension on the track etc etc Now its a mere shadow of what it was ! Racehorses used to go to a blacksmith in main street for shoeing ! Champion jockeys lived in the area.We went to Point to Points on farms ! That was the South Island......I moved to another area ,and the same thing had basically happened in that town too. Harness also crumbled in my original town..... now gone ! In the North Island Woodville was one of the main galloping centres in NZ......I believe over 400 hundred horses in work. Close to many big studs , and there was at least one main race meeting within 90 min drive every week , more on public holidays. A great base to work from. Champion horse people like trainers Eric Ropiha , Syd Brown , Bruce Marsh ,SMarsh , the famous Harris family, Murray Baker BBaker , NConnors , FFinnigan and even some Harness. In recent years I see horses in training down to low 20's and less than 20 now ! A far cry from 400 ! And in 1964Polo Prince popped over and won the Melbourne Cup , Eric Ropiha had placings in the race and Caulfield Cup too [ my favourite trainer]. RBMarsh rode a Melbourne Cup winner NGHarris nearly. Syd Brown raided Aussie races ! Really folks what really went down in Woodville ? Little wonder the Club been stuck with bad dates...Easter Monday in 2022 excepted ,mostly its been unwanted Thursdays in recent times. Up to 20 years ago they had an early January date and a WFA race which attracted top horses incl Good Lord and La Mer from memory. Old time locals must think.....what the hell happened there ! They had it good !

Don't know a gamp , but assume red bands are gumboots. I wear them every time to wade thru some of the bullsh*t members are served up at the Park ! Not too many 6 x horse fields this week.....a few 7's......but I note there are 4x races running for the minimum .$12 k . On a Group race night this is disgraceful. The last two members newsletters stated the cub was in the best financial position ever , then the latest had a lot of back slapping saying the hard work of Board was paying off ! Did you get this eljay or was it selective ?

Those inside draws probably mean the Aussies will settle in front half of field as only a hop,skip and jump to the first corner. Plus it means that the two favs , 8 & 7 , again go to the back of field. Maybe Krug to lead ?

WD , all your calculations are being made with little knowledge made of who made what contributions to the Slots , the transport cost of horses and people and the agreed distribution of the prize money at the completion of race. And why does it even bother you ? And what does it matter......it of little concern other than to the organiser and participants . Why you so concerned with the obvious 'business' aspects of the event which the Industry is welcoming as something NEW and designed to maybe encourage interest in the top end of NZ Harness and help encourage investment , and horse retention , maybe betting increases and interest from new and young people etc. The organisers said they were counting on Harness enthusiasts/participants to chip in and buy the slots to get the idea off the ground. And participants stepped in and various groups got all slots filled with a couple missing out....they made it work. Your comment re All Stars is puzzling......why would a newish training operation which has gone through complex change in past year take a slot which would most likely lead to serious conflict of interest issues and alienate owners. Big time ! As it is at least 6 of the 9 slots that raced involved current or recent AllStars owners. And who would know how each slot was configurated. Is it odd that the top rated horse was representing a radio station ? Think about it ....don't radio stations usually deal in contras ! In line with your doomed theme you repeatedly remind us you never knew much about the RACE being on .....it was rather hastily put together after the idea was announced and expressions of interest invited .....a matter of weeks , but it was out there. MG said in todays paper interest created was massive so the truth there probably somewhere in between. Overall it may not make a lot of business sense ,but I think the idea is more to promote Harness and lift the industry/sport out of the grips of doom and gloom.

WD....for someone who repeatedly tells us he's not a big follower of Trots you sure have taken a huge interest in the RACE and gone out of your way to convince us what a bad idea it was ! And you provide all sorts of $$$ calculations to convince us of your opinion ,and send us all on the road to doom and gloom.

Unlikely to change current plan...remember the Auckland Cup is late May this year , so the Taylor/Messenger and another Open Group race are the lead up races for that which is hoped to attract some of Aussies top pacers each year as their Group season is over ! Seems a good plan...yes it means Easter Cup now replaced by Country Cups for lower tier and with the competition to contest this race in 2022 and its apparent success then this seems a good idea as well. The new calendar may not please everyone but it in its infancy and with the Aussie involvement it should provide some great racing IMO. Give it a shot. ...at least look at the entire picture to see where all agegroups and trotters fit into it. Over recent decades , several Clubs have tried 4 year old feature races......Forbury , Blenheim Kaikoura , Cambridge , Addington included......most have simply fallen away or been widened. The Taylor/Messenger has had a successful run but as mentioned the stake has decreased in recent times . Now it is a lead up to Auckland Cup and attractive to Australians along with the RACE. How can that not be good.....and the second tier 4 yr olds from North got a crack at a $100k stake at Easter. All good IMO , with more to come !

Picks TE Rapa R4.....2 , 8 Randwick R3.....1 , 4 Randwick R4.....5 , 6 Hastings R6......6 , 8 Te Rapa R7......2 , 7 Randwick R5......2, 6 Hastings R7........2, 7 Riverton R8.......4 , 10 Randwick R6......3 , 6 Randwick R7.......1 , 2 Randwick R8......1 , 14 Caulfield R8......2 , 9 Thanks

Has anyone noticed the critical shortage of horses in the North , plus the severe lack of depth in good quality horses across all of NZ. I support this move to try and stem the bleeding and improve the health of Industry. The RACE has created a lot of talk and interest , IMO attracting the Aussie based horses has been pivotal in this and crucial to the future. Opening the window of the RACE , Taylor Mile , Messenger and Auckland Cup into the April/May timeslot a very good move IMO. The Aussie/NZ clashes should create a lot of interest , now and into the future. Remember the Derby and Oaks recently ,6 horse fields , good quality which I doubt the 4 yr olds could have mustered . A very positive change , the ATC now needs to promote it . Great that the admin folk are helping provide horses racing in NZ...we grizzle if admin folk lack skin in the game. Good luck to him ,for mine !

Picks Waikato R6 #2 Cote Beaune Waikato R7 #1 Coventina Bay Thanks

Who would have thought ? Not Iraklis .....the hot and treacherous man , so entranced by the race he didn't bother to cross the road to watch it ! Haha...and he calls me dumb !

Tell us more Iraklis.....how much did SENZ contribute ? My experience tells me radio stations do a lot of stuff by contra ! So did they cough up the folding stuff......how the heck did they nail the warm favourite , the horse everyone would want in their slot ! If they did , it proved to be a good investment and they must be confident of surviving at least 3 x years ! Overall , the RACE seemed a very successful initiative......very good vibes on course ,I made the effort to go along....a big thanks due to the individuals who stepped up and got together and agreed to pay for the slots .....the Club made a big effort too of course and great job DBranch. Hopefully the Aussie contingent stick around for upcoming Group 1's and finally the Auckland Cup. Hopefully ATC realise these races coming up !

You'd better get acclimatised Lloyd......put away the shorts ! The North has been given a great opportunity to see some decent fields over the next 6 weeks. The top trotters have a Group 1 and then the Rowe Cup on May27. The RACE has brought over a couple of interesting Aussies to spice up the Group 1 Taylor Mile and Messenger leading into the Auckland Cup on May 27. Sprints ,staying races , the inform Donnelly and Telfer horses will be back home to race ,should be the best fields of year in North. They even having a Fashion Contest on Cup night. What is there not to be happy about ?

Rotorua R6 #2 Sherrif Rotorua R8 #1 Wairau Cove Thanks....I'll follow Charlie !

Remember when Good Friday fell on Easter Monday ?

A good story.....shows where enthusiasm , passion and willingness to learn can take you. Jack deserves to do well in the industry ! God gave us two ends....one to sit on and one to think with. Heads you win !

The brutal handicapping system along with the available options to race your horse in like v like for stakes where only a few horses can break even cos of the low stakes to cost ratio is exacerbated by the fact that Australians in particular are often prepared to pay big money to buy your steed to race in a nearby bigger and wealthier jurisdiction where the irritations here do not seem to prevail. Harness owners here are indeed resilient while thoroughbred owners too also lack options. I see today where a 'Lincoln' stayer gone to Australia to regularly race over 2500m plus.In NZ you can count those races on two hands. We all seem to know the issues but can't seem to agree on the solution. 30 or 40 horses into North Harness would help boost the small fields , but not as cannon fodder for premier horses ,they would need to be racing with some chance to earn and pay their way. This ain't a new problem ,it's been around for years ! Why then , no action ?

Somewhat hastily organised , and intention is to place it among other big Group Races in North ie the Taylor Mile , The Messenger , and in particular the Auckland Cup in late May. This 'window' is/was at the end of the major Group races in Australia. Australian interest crucial to the success of the RACE. In this first year ,there was the danger that Covid discouraged the inclusion of Australian horses but I think they did well to have 3 x Kiwi horses return from Aussie plus 2 x Aussie horses. Keeping in mind that there are only a handful of horses rated 100+ currently in NZ. To date WD the glass should be half full on this one !

Thanks for the advice Champ.......I think at this stage I will go for Self Assured and South Coast Arden ! Be rest Assured tho ,I know a person who bets is a bettor , and a person who doesn't bet is no bettor !

So you used to be indecisive but now you not so sure !

Iraklis , at this stage there is no warmup race planned in the North before the RACE ,that is why they ran that trial on Friday. I think I read somewhere that MGuerin suggested Cambridge could organise something at short notice but I think a possible trial would be the only option at this stage. As you appear to be taking this RACE quite seriously and on top of each horses credentials , can you please give your rankings so we can have a bet . If you require barrier draws ,then you can alter your rankings after they come out.We know the mares will draw one and two ! Please rank from top chance down. Thanks

I doubt I would encourage a one race programme ,tho it could come to that and if they worked in with Auckland Blues Rugby like they said they would 6 x tears ago when the infield was leased to them.Put on a decent game of Rugby and run a race in the intervals ! It would bring back the old adage......ONE ONE was a racehorse ,ONE TWO was one too , ONE ONE won one race ,ONE TWO won one too ! My quip about the ATC trots being a good night out I heard from an elderly lady when about 4 of us sat on the steps of the grandstand at Alexandra Park and I asked her what had brought her along to the Trots. That was the answer she gave me .........I paraphrased it only a little. Maybe I should quit my paraphrasing the talk of others along with any cynical,gentle sarcasm or 'piss -taking' comments. At the trots last night I had to justify my comments in the CRISIS thread when I said the ATC was in a strong financial position etc....I was merely paraphrasing a message from the President when I wrote that ! Four longterm club members took me to task....I sought answers from them but other than dire predictions nothing was forth coming. Maybe 30 horses will fall out of the sky , but who would own them , and it wouldn't be long before most were sold to Aussie !

Well WD , I don't see where I said the upcoming meetings at Cambridge were big meetings tho to Waikato participants I'm sure every meeting is a big one ! The RACE night is certainly a big meeting , as in addition to the main event the other races have increased stakes. Northern trainers , at least the ones I chat to regard Cambridge racing a step below ability-wise than the ATC. Obviously ATC races are usually hard to win as there are often one or two smart horses starting to go thru the grades . I refer to pacers here cos several Waikato trotters tend to go North Luk Chin had 3 in one race ! You may have noticed very few Waikato horses raced on Friday . Nicky Chilcott took her highly rated maiden up and won , and the Neals took took their smart mare North and also won .That mare has now won 4 x races at the Park.....obviously likes the mobiles and right -hand. Next week Cambridge has two non-winners races for pacers , the winners will be eligible to race for higher stakes on RACE night while the no-winners also will have a race on that night. Two northern meetings next week will be a real test for the region , especially ATC who surely will struggle to put any sort of fields together IMO. If Friday seen as a low point , we ain't seen nothing yet !

Picks Awapuni R4........1 , 6 Awapuni R5........10 , 11 Awapuni R6.......7 ,8 Awapuni R7......1 , 3 Rosehill R3......4 , 12 Rosehill R4.......6 , 16 BB Rosehill R6.......1 , 2 Rosehill R7.......3 , 5 Rosehill R8.......2 , 11 Rosehill R9.......16 , 20 Bendigo R6.......2 , 7 Bendigo R8.......2 , 9 BB Thanks

Picks Awapuni R6 1 Dynastic Randwick R7 1 Hitotsu Thanks