We're Doomed

Yes, a much more internationally relevant race than the Cox Plate.

I may be totally wrong Berri as I can't be bothered looking, but at one stage I am pretty sure none of the winners or place-getters from the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, Oaks and Derby from the 2019/20 season had managed to win a race as 4yos. Of course they still have a week to go. So I think it would be true to say they were a pretty poor lot. Catalyst probably the best of them.

Punters do indeed walk away Steel. I started out as a trotting punter. The first meeting I ever attended was at Addington. I even used to bet on the Alex Park trots on a Friday night. I have attended about six Interdominion final nights at Alex Park and Addington. I will always remember one finals night at Alex Park when I was in the "special people's" room with free booze and food, and I was the only person who stopped eating to go and watch a race. That was an eye-opener for me. These days I probably have 3 or 4 trotting punts a year. The cheating doesn't help, but the big turn-off is a

Yes, I was aware of that. The open jumps races in the NI have been appalling considering the stakes on offer. Certainly a strange number of scratchings in that Timaru race. I wonder if they ran out of jockeys. I'm not anti jumping in any way. I enjoyed the jumps races races at HB, thought it was very exciting racing. There just doesn't seem to be the interest or enthusiasm anymore.

4 jumpers for $20,000 at Timaru today. Surely this is the end of jumping in the South. There is no real interest, and you can hardly blame the owners and trainers. It certainly impacts on the jumps fields at Trentham as well. Riccarton jumps fields will be interesting, especially if the wet weather continues.

Hello Tas. I know you never agree with my posts, but at least you always read them, and usually comment, so I give you credit for that. Not quite sure what you mean by " Are you being truthful and have you gathered your facts." I don't think I have made anything up here. This is the first time in my memory (which goes back quite a few years) that there has been a two week break leading into National week. You mention 4 meetings traditionally in July, that is correct, but this is the first time one of those 4 was at Wingatui, which doesn't really fit logically into any pattern. This T

I just thought I would throw in a nomination for the ugliest racing programme of the season. Timaru this Friday: 7 races programmed; two for jumpers. Only one opportunity for winning males, and that a rating 65 1,200m. Also a rating 65 mile, but just for fillies and mares. This would be a moderately acceptable programme in the NI where there would be a feature meeting coming up on the Saturday. But there is no feature meeting coming up in a few days in the South. In fact this is the only race-meeting anywhere in the SI for 17 days, and the only race-meeting in Canterbury for 30 days.

Those races are sweepstakes. The $1.5m is presumably being put in by the owners of the horses. The other $500,000 is generously being donated by the wider industry.

Certainly a strange one. He was dropping in to get into the one one effectively. The gap may have been a bit tight, but the actual charge seemed totally inappropriate. The charge of "reducing the speed" generally refers to the horse in front going unusually slow and creating havoc behind it. That wasn't what happened on this occasion. One horse was hampered slightly.

Ironically, if he had said Irish or Australian or Pom nobody would have given a stuff.

The derby?

You will note Tas, that I am not one of those who is always advocating for the nice to have things, and massive stakes increases. I seem to be one of the few who looks at turnover figures (or tries to) and thinks how the hell can we even afford what we already have? I do though think the industry is poorly run and our resources aren't used in the most efficient fashion. I also think some people have done really well out of the current situation. There are horses getting group1 placings in $200,000 races who would never be competitive in Group 1s in Aussie, or even in $200,000 races;

With so much emphasis on Premier and Iconic meetings I wonder whether now might be the time to exclude maiden races from such programmes. I notice Auckland has three maidens for a premier meeting on Melbourne Cup day and Riccarton has two each day on the first two days of Cup Week. With tiered racing being encouraged, surely maidens have their opportunities elsewhere. In Australia if trainers think their maidens are good enough they are happy to race them out of their class in age group races etc.

Yes, $30m provided by Shane, but the other $15m+ by the clubs. I'm still struggling with how Riccarton can be described as being in the Provinces. With such a valuable asset it would be sad if winter stakes drop. Unfortunately NZTR haven't been very clear about what that part of their announcement means.

" target times of the racing year when we receive the greatest response, both in participation and revenue. A blanket approach does not create growth and better returns, so we need to be creative. “The Board believes this is both sensible and exciting, with a 20 per cent uplift in stakes for the period from 28 August to 2 April 2022." So presumably some stakes drop again after 2 April for the winter period. Very innovative. $45m of AWTs, but we can't afford decent stakes to fund winter racing.