Southland

Caulfield R5-3
Caulfield R6-6

You're all still bitching about the concept of rationalizing racecourse assets to maximize racing's market share in the gaming/ entertainment industries. What about the rest of it? We need great surfaces to race on. Why haven't the clubs managed to do this to the extent that we don't have a disproportionate number of cancellations at a time of the year when we shouldn't be having any. Why haven't the clubs taken matters into their own hands to produce a viable business opportunity because currently racing is not that. 
Get off the merry go round and start to think big picture. Small thinking has failed. In my humble opinion, the real mojo is held by the owners. They pay for the game

A most expected outcome and probably the best thing since sliced cheese. The last draft of the so called "Race Fields Legislation" was a crock. How many of you read it? How many of you thought it was relevant? How many of you thought it paved the way to growth and prosperity?
I for one thought it was an absolute crock of shit. Narrow minded bunch of words written by people with off target agendas and suffering from a lack of imagination, coupled with absolutely no knowledge of the betting/ racing and betting technology industries.
I don't like the idea of anyone missing out being close to horses, especially race horses but our society and internal priorities are changing....often for the worse. We can't really change much that doesn't want changing. The best we can do is place our love of horses and the sport in the way of non participants and hope that they see what we all enjoy. If we do this correctly enough, we may convince or seduce them to participate so that we can leverage our love for the game to make it better for horses. If that happens then we will ultimately make it better for ourselves.
You bemoan the closing of race tracks. If you had the choice of having horses brought up under the current circumstances where there are too few people looking after too many horses because trainers can't afford the right number of people, or implemented a well organised program to change things for the benefit of future participants in a better way, then why not have the courage to take the next steps?
We are at a very interesting crossroads. Everyone has been asked to make submissions in respect of the proposed changes. Have you taken the time to make one? Are you all going to be people who spout but don't do? At the very least you could all collaborate to produce something meaningful.

Thanks for the update, wish yourself, Maija and all your family well during this tough period from everyone here at Racecafe....hope she makes a full and speedy recovery...everyone here at Racecafe would love nothing better.

The industry has bought itself to a position where there is no future , in 10 years the few scraps that are available today will be gone .  The fact is today over 50% of trainers are 60 years old or older , when they are gone what then , nothing , without change we have nothing to encourage younger people into the industry , it will die .
The time for radical change is here , sure we can nit pick over the proposal and cause delays but what good would that do , we could argue over race fields legislation but why , it's an internationally accepted  strategy , it works in many jurisdictions around the world ,  one way or another change will happen so suck it up and click the support button and let's get on with it .

1.Hastings R5 - 7
2. Hastings R7 - 15
3. Randwick R5 - 5
4. Randwick R6 -12
5. Caulfield R6 - 4
6. Randwick R7 - 15
7. Caulfield R7 - 10
8. Randwick R8 - 3
9. Caulfield R8 - 13
10. Caulfield R9 -1
chrs

To keep Avondale you would need to blow up the stands and pour 50 million into building new facilities.  I would rather sell it and take the $200million.  Its called business.  Its thinking like yours that got us into this predicament

Southland Golf Club (Oreti Sands) shut up shop earlier this year. Cashflow and aging membership... sound familiar. 
The racing industry needs to move forward and should be embracing the olive branch handed to them by Winston ("do it or die"). I'm no fan of the man but he's fronted up and is prepared to put his support behind change that builds a better future for ALL industry participants. Go you good thing!
 

I understand It is difficult when you are working in the grassroots of the industry 7 days a week, to come up for air and see the big picture.
In the simplest of terms, the industry needs to engage with the 18 - 40yr olds with money as they are the group that will be racehorse owners in the future.....without owners, the industry is dead. Attracting this group through syndication has been paramount to the vibrant growth in racing Australia.
The industry needs to compete with the multitude of sporting codes and other forms of entertainment/gambling.  To do this racing needs to provide facilities and a package that gets this group to the races rather than the other sporting and entertainment events trying to get their dollar.  
Most of the comments I have heard from the "grassroots" of the industry in this thread seem to think the answer is people bringing a chillybin to their local track twice a year.  I'm afraid these once a year punters are not the answer.  The answer is the 18 - 40 yr olds who expect a great experience at a course with 2018 facilities.  These are the potential racehorse owners we need to attract.

First out of the gates...
1. Hastings R7  15 - 4 -10
2. Caulfield R7 3 - 9 - 8
should be a fun and fascinating comp!!
Chrs
 

R1-5
R2-7
R3-5
R4-7
Thanks

1 - 13
2 - 6
3 - 3
4 - 4
5 - 10
6 - 15
7 - 9
8 - 2
9 - 5
 10 - 7
Thanks. 

Riccarton R6 No 3 Tai Ho
Flemington R7 No 7 Poetic Dream

R8 - #5 Jackfrost

Class horse - classy ride - tidy field.
 
 
 
 

Riccarton : #1 Nashville
 Randwick: #1 Music Magnate
 

A couple of nice Vadamos northern hemisphere new arrivals. Anyone else have pics of his first crop foals??
http://www.heatherwold-stud.com/more-new-arrivals/
 
http://www.swordlestownlittle.com/index.php

R3_1 Peaceful State
R4_1 Ambitious
R5_1 Impending
R6_5 The Autumn Sun
R7_7 Live and Free
R8_8 White Moss BB
thanks team

Maybe don' replace the next 100k suit who resigns and triple the boys wages.i know who I value more.

One Up - Cnr Upland Rd & Remuera Rd is comfortable. Big screens and not to noisy.

I recall having a chat with Peter Smith about this family at the sales about 7 or 8 years ago (we raced one from this line). The mare Kriemhild (Wotans sister) was the sole female left by Left their dam (if that makes sense) The whole line came from Kriemhild and I believe in the Smith family since then - 1936. Amazing this breeding caper. Different circumstances and the line could have disappeared.

Aah, the owners optimism creed lives on, as it rightfully should.
I am embarrassingly reminded of one I owned in the early 2000s.
I bought a 4YO well bred mare privately from a well known Hunter Valley stud. She had previously been purchased at the Sydney Classic sale for good money by Gai and according to the stud man that I was dealing with, had shown the stable plenty, but suffered a number of irritating niggly ongoing leg problems and needed time.
Back then I was in a position to take a punt and buy her and she then spent six months in the paddock at Scone. She wasn't cheap but I thought value at the time.
I then had a lovely young lass who worked at one of the local studs do some preparatory work on her, and started to get encouragement as she appeared to be sound and really enjoying her work.
I allowed myself to start dreaming of Group 1 glory and possibly even Royal Ascot, as Choisir had just won the King George and the Hunter Valley was buzzing.
I plotted a first up plunge.
There was a young lady trainer in Tamworth who had a good strike rate from limited numbers so I asked her to take the mare and indicated the race in six weeks that I was keen to start in. It was a non-TAB Saturday meeting at Armidale over 1000 metres.
Armidale regularly had a dozen bookies at their meetings and three or four were happy to take a bet.
We asked a veteran Hunter Valley jock Barry Gattenby to ride her and he travelled from his home at Quirindi up to Tamworth to put her through her paces, and gave us glowing reports of her ability. Barry said she had a great feel and he really liked her acceleration.
I asked him to keep "stum" about the mare and her planned race day debut.
Should we trial her or just keep working her with a stablemate?
We decided no trial. 
The Tamworth paper had the mare at 6-1 on the Friday. 
She was in the second last race so we trailer floated her up (Armidale is about 90 minutes North of Tamworth ) just after lunch.
I was surprised at the amount of attention she had around the stables when we arrived, and the close inspection from the stipes.
I was seriously pumped. This was the start of my rise to the top of the thoroughbred  ownership mountain. I was even tempted to ring Gai and proclaim my new found genius status. It was euphoria equine style. 
The race was worth $3000 with around $1800 to the winner.
I managed to get $100 on her with five bookies at an average 4-6.
 I learnt later she had been spruiked around the area for the past two weeks.
She paraded perfectly. She went to the start in magnificent order. Everything was falling into place.
I had that much adrenaline flowing, I was actually shaking with excitement.
There were 8 in the race. She drew 3 and when the starter said go Barry pushed the button, as instructed and went straight to the front.
My memory is a little clouded from that point. I know she led for about 600 metres but the seven others had all passed her by the straight entrance.
By the time she crossed the line in a slow canter I was seriously shaking with grief, not so much for the mare, who had done her best, but for my dreams of Ascot and Randwick and my very empty pockets.
Barry carried her back to the birdcage. His summation was brief.
"She might make a nice broodmare, but one thing's for sure. She doesn't want to be a racehorse."
I can categorically state, it was the longest drive home from the races I can ever remember.
 
Good luck today P4P.
Anyone involved in ownership deserves a medal.
 
 

Feels and looks like irreconcilable differences.

I will go the alternative view to a few posters - good on the club for looking at something innovative and different. My picture of this club is they do think outside the square and try things.
I've heard great things about their punters comp for example. They have extreme distance day/interprovincial challenge and so on. Not all to everyone's liking but at least they aren't sitting on their hands complaining.
From my couple of visits there the hospitality is pretty good too.
Hope it works - and if it doesn't tweak it the following year, or try something else...
 
 
 

A bull broke it leg the other night and was euthanised. Firstly is this seriously mainstream news anyway? the worry is this same group are targeting Dogs/Jumps Racing & if they ever get successful here then the target changes. Have a read of some of the posts in the comments section, its scary how some of these people think.  Below is my post that so far hasn't made it past moderation (I wonder why).
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101155386/bull-breaks-leg-before-being-euthanised-in-appalling-incident-at-martinborough-rodeo
In NZ today (like most Western societies) there is a very small but very vocal anti everything group whose sole response to any challenges is to ban or remove it. This group has strong access to the media & are over represented in social media as well, for the 2-3% of the population they comprise.
Moderate mainstream NZ constantly having this rammed down their throats follows the principle of hearing something long enough it becomes reality. The silent majority are intelligent & objective enough to resist this constant tirade of propaganda. This group is anti everything to do with animals for entertainment (& consumption), the reality is: Animals get hurt in there natural environments & on farm everyday, calls for banning because its animal cruelty & abuse is absurd. In the vast majority of cases people working with animals for entertainment or a living, respect, love and care for them far greater than society does. Logic evades these naysayers who wish to restrict,ban, remove anything they don't agree with because of a freak accident. As we become a more unbanised population we get further away from life in a rural environment & the reality & frequency of animal injury and death Perhaps if this group focused more on researching many of the imported meat alternative food products they consume and the environmental destruction around the world as a result of them then they would be free to throw stones.