RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.

Gofta

Members
  • Posts

    26
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Posts posted by Gofta

  1. I will put my hand up as a lifelong National voter and someone who dislikes Winston for his usually self serving hypocrisy.  He has done more  for racing in a year than Nationals Guy and Bennett did over a decade.  I think based on recent events he should be given the benefit of the doubt until he proves otherwise.   

  2. 15 hours ago, Ohokaman said:

    Some interesting comments from V'Landys in his recent interview.

    BD: Are you surprised some people have a problem with the Opera House being used as a sporting billboard, like it has been before for cricket Tests and rugby union Tests?

    PVL:  I have been on record that The Everest is a disruptive event.  It needs to be promoted in ways that racing has never been marketed before. Naturally, traditionalists don’t understand this concept and I’m not being critical, just factual. The Opera House promotion has now gone to a much wider audience. However, it was not our first choice. We sought the Sydney Harbour Bridge and had been working with Government to carry out this promotion for 12 months. When the Harbour Bridge was not given the final approval, the Government offered the sails of the Opera House, as other sporting events had been promoted in this way, including rugby union and cricket.  It was also used for a promotion for Samsung.  So, I was surprised at the reaction it has caused considering it has been used for similar promotions previously.  It was always going to receive Government support as it had offered its use when the Harbour Bridge concept was not going to proceed.

    BD:  You've taken on The Pope, bookies, parity, equine influenza and now the Opera House and won them all - I can’t remember any or many losses, how do you do it?

    PVL:  I said back in 2004 that you should be prepared to lose blood when going into bat for your industry.  You should give it everything you’ve got and never leave anything behind. Also, if you believe you are doing the right thing then you ignore the negative people and the ones that you will never satisfy no matter what you do. My first challenge was the advent of new wagering operators.  Unfortunately, these new operators were not paying the industry for putting on the show.  It started by receiving a 200 page opinion to enforce racing’s copyright.  This eventually turned into the Race Field legislation.  However, the biggest battle was to defend that legislation. This took us all the way to the High Court. The most important aspect was that the High Court found that racing had the right to charge for the use of its product. It gave us certainty. Last year alone, $260 million per-annum was generated from Race Fields schemes Australia-wide. After that battle, during which I was personally attacked relentlessly, my other battles were much easier to deal with. All these challenges have generated over a billion dollars for the industry, so I can safely say that I have given it my all, and left nothing behind.

    BD: You have become a powerbroker not only in racing but in rugby league and you clearly have influence in the political sphere. Do you have any future political ambitions and if so, which side attracts you?

    PVL: None at all. This will be my last fulltime role. The above battles have taken their toll. I only have a few battles left in me.

    BD: What’s the biggest challenge facing racing?

    PVL: The biggest challenge facing racing is to attract the next generation. There is now significantly more competition. We need to find ways to take on this competition and have the next generation engaged in racing. It’s not simple but we have to make every effort otherwise we may become an industry of the past.  Racing has to continue to evolve to remain relevant. 

     

    IMG_3587.JPG

    PVL: The biggest challenge facing racing is to attract the next generation. There is now significantly more competition. We need to find ways to take on this competition and have the next generation engaged in racing. It’s not simple but we have to make every effort otherwise we may become an industry of the past.  Racing has to continue to evolve to remain relevant. 

     

    Finally someone speaking with clarity about the future of this sport,  The next generation, and how much more competition there is for their dollar.  To many on this site who want things to go back to the good ol days, that is what will extinguish this industry. we need fewer but better facilities, higher stakes, re-branding of the industry from a sport to an entertainment spectacle.  If your not on board, step back and let those with this shared vision take us forward

  3. Can we agree we we need to attract young people to the sport.  How else do we increase punting revenue and owners numbers.

    This has been the key to the Australians relative success.  The other thing Australia ha,d was a supportive government which for once we also have.

    This growth sure isn't going to come from the old curmudgeons who would rather see the industry die than merge with another club.

    To attract the next generation we need a product that is on a different level to what the old curmudgeons are used to.

    I'm so sick of the whining and negativity these relics of the industry spout as they try to drag the industry back to the glory days of the 50's which is 

    just an unobtainable dream.  If your not part of the future, then do the rest of us a favour and join a bowls club so you can destroy that industry rather than this one.

     

     

     

  4. 2 minutes ago, ridiculous said:

    What is it you are in fact fighting for?  Is it the memories of a bygone era, when racing was the only form of entertainment and/or gambling in this country.  It is clear from the discussion on this thread that many clubs and participants are happy to take the industry to the edge of collapse and possibly beyond to save these memories from the 60's and 70's.  These clubs want their last actions on this earth to be the total annihilation of the the racing industry in NZ, so they can keep a track open that is a shadow of its former glory and in may cases in total disrepair.  What happens in 10-20 years when the 30 or so members of each of these clubs making this last stand are dead and buried and the industry is also gone.  Will people remember them as visionaries, forward thinkers who loved our great game.   .....or will they be remembered as sad remnants of a bygone era that put the final nail in the coffin at the last opportunity they had to save the industry.  It is sad to see the self interest that is driving the thinking of many who cant bear to let go of the last remnants of control or power they have.  You should be ashamed

  5. 15 minutes ago, poundforpound said:

    Anyone who supports the closure of Avondale rather than say Counties is a Racing ignoramus, they have no sense of horse welfare, and they’re a danger to themselves and the code.

    Such persons should never have a significant role in racing 

     

    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

  6. 1 minute ago, gubellini said:

    Gofta thank you for your comments about my post on stallion levies. Since 1983 the European Breeders Fund have allocated over £100,000,000 to horse racing stakes. I suggest you do a bit of research on what actually works overseas and could be duplicated here albeit in a scaled down version. It is churlish of you to suggest that myself and others who want NZ Racing to flourish want to destroy racing and or breeding.

    You seemto look at the 3-5 large breeders/studs and think all breeders are on the pigs back.  look a little deeper and understand what you are recommending would be the final straw for many of them.

  7. 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.

  8. 11 hours ago, gubellini said:

    Pity John Messara didn’t think outside the square and propose new revenue streams to boost stakes such as a levy on exported horses and a levy on stallion fees. Elite breeders/ sellers would be aghast but these measures have reaped millions in England and Europe.

    Ha ha ha ,  so your not happy with the racing industry going down the tubes,  now you want to destroy the breeding industry.  Jacinda would be proud of your tax and spend ideas.

  9. 4 minutes ago, Brodie said:

    Gotta, there are many punters that make money, and that is why the TAB restricts the winning punters, as they see them as a liability.

    There are also many punters who can not get bets on thru their overseas account as well due to them consistently winning, including myself.

    I only invest on harness racing as the other 2 codes Gallops and dogs are too hard to win consistently.

    The TAB love the smaller punter who just do it for a bit of fun and they are the losing punter.

    You are totally wrong if you think that there are no winning punters.

     

     

    I realise there are winning punters and I have been lucky enough to meet two in my life,  both living in Australia.  The discipline required is something I have yet to see in New Zealand.  In my experience these very few professionals keep a low profile.  I am surprised as one of these global elite, you make a big song and dance on this website. 

  10. You guys who talk about punting and how much money you make crack me up.  If any of you kept proper records of betting history you would all be down the tubes.  The mind has a wonderful way of tricking you into thinking your a winner by forgetting the bad times and remembering the endorphin producing wins. 

    Read a few books on the psychology of gambling some time and you will realise the trackside team are probably above average in their prediction abilities, the difference is their results are recorded for everyone to see.

     

  11. 17 minutes ago, Nerula said:

    The AWT would be best built on the new SH1 over the river from Horitui or a bit north of that near the intersection of SH 26. It would need dedicated boxes and accommodation so outside trainers race a winter season like California in the States. The meetings run every 2 weeks. Avondale and Pukepark do the alternates with Ruakaka bookending the season. Leave the jumps at Ellerslie and Te Aroha. That cuts workers fatigue and Owners cost.

     

    Something has to go to pay for racings contribution. Te Rapa?

    There are many tracks which should go before Te Rapa.  Namely Avondale, Te Aroha, Thames, Te Awamutu, 

  12. 1 hour ago, 2Admin2 said:

    Be careful what you ask for.  

    If we use HKJC Happy Valley course as an example they have 38 scheduled race meetings a year.  That is over 12% of NZ's total race meetings on one track.  NZ had just over 300 race meetings 2016-17 season.

    If the stakes pool is limited (which it is) where do the race meetings come from to fully utilise a Strathyr type track?  

    For arguments sake lets say that under New Zealand conditions we can sustain 30 meetings a year on the new track - where do the race meetings get transferred from?  Te Rapa has 17 - how many will they give up?  Or will they cash up and move there?  If so they should pay for the track.  Even if they did move there would still have to be 12 or more race meetings transferred from somewhere else.  Which clubs will give up their dates?

    The clubs which are no longer financially viable give up these dates as they close down.  I am sure 5-10 have been earmarked already.  Sounds like a huge benefit of the synthetic track,  the ability to close down these tracks.

  13. That's exactly what I am saying.  It is up to the Members and Board of Avondale to take the course forward to where it is a commercially viable proposition.  If this is not possible, then to make the hard decision to close down the course and use the funds elsewhere.   If they are not able to do this then perhaps a new board and executive is needed.

    If younger people want to get involved that's up to them.  I would suggest the first step to getting young people involved though, is getting them to a race day at a venue that does not create the impression of going back in time to the 50's.

    I think you will find the track is becoming less and less popular with trainers and owners as the traffic issues become more of an issue.  I wont go to Avondale again after my last experience with traffic and facilities so that means my trainer will also not be racing my horses there.

  14. 9 minutes ago, slam dunk said:

    There are huge issues out at Avondale. Involves redevelopment, demolition of not just one grandstand but two plus sales of parcels of land.

    OK the membership of the club is not great but denying members information plus failing to get public discussion going not good at all.

    Your idea younger people expect better is bullocks. Younger people should get involved and create their own future.

    That final comment just shows how out of touch many people in the industry are.  The public don't owe you or the club a damn thing.  You are providing an entertainment product just like every other sporting code in NZ who is competing for that same dollar.   If people such as yourself cannot grasp this fundamental difference from the 70's then the industry will continue to flounder.  You are living in a time when there was only rugby, racing and beer.  There are hundreds of new products out there trying to get that dollar and I'm afraid the racing industry is light years behind everyone else.

  15. On ‎24‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 6:51 PM, Insider said:

    I would like to put another 'slant' on it.

    No club has had less money to operate with, had dates stolen off them, their key races stolen too, yet what little money they do have, they obviously put into the track and for that I congratulate them.

     

    That's all well and good if the club has done a good job with the funds on hand.  It doesn't change the fact its infrastructure is a disgrace.  I am sure the members love sitting up there in the same surrounds for the past 30-40years.  The problem is people under the age of 40 expect better and just won't turn up.  The course is in fact slowly dying as the existing members pass on.  With no thought to regeneration, they are in fact sealing the courses fate.  The members need to look outside the next 1-3 years and see where they are leaving the course for the future.  Selling off chunks of the property is the only way forward.  If that is not possible, then the only way is to close it down completely, rather than it dragging the industry into further embarrassment.

  16. Travelling to Auckland frequently from the Waikato,  I am yet to have a free run anywhere past Pukekohe at any time of the day.  I am glad to hear the tunnel is expected to help the issues, but I stand by the comment that a track in central Auckland ( I view Avondale as central), is always going to have traffic issues, there are choke points everywhere.  Maybe I shouldn't have turned this into an Auckland traffic discussion as it takes away from the real issue, which is the appalling state of the Avondale racecourse, and its inability to attract future race participants. I am heading towards middle age but I still remember what young millennials look for in an entertainment package,  I can assure you,  Avondale is not it.   The future for racecourses is around businesses and events people can network at, hence the huge success of "xmas at the races" and Melbourne cup days etc.  Te Rapa is already seeing the benefit of their revamp with huge numbers booked for corporate events and this is flowing down into lesser racedays through the calendar.  These people get a taste for the atmosphere and the industry and very often become owners or at the very least, punters and participants at other race days around the country.  Their are only a few courses in the country that can attract this growth and if racecourses are not prepared to make the changes required to attract this future growth then they are part of the problem and not the solution.

  17. The worst aspect of Avondale, apart from the decrepit facilities, is getting in and out of central Auckland.  I was there a couple weeks ago when many participants arrived late due to the Auckland Traffic.  I arrived only just in time to see my horse run, and it was in the 2nd race.  Coming from the Waikato as many in the game do, it is an absolute nightmare, and I for one vowed never to go to the track again.  As for trainers being happy to go there,  I suggest you talk to them now, after that traffic fiasco.  I am sure many long standing members and stakeholders have great memories at Avondale but if we don't bring in young blood the industry will die along with these participants.  Avondale is not conducive to achieving this.

  18. Avondale is another whole can of worms.  After going to Avondale a couple of times in the last few years I am truly amazed it is still a going concern.  It appears to be the racecourse that time forgot.  It must be sitting on land worth $100mill plus and it is truly a blight on the game in NZ.  At least Ellerslie and now Te Rapa have the facilities to bring in the new generation of race goers.  Avondale and a few other courses only perpetuate the feeling that the industry is dying a slow death.

  19. I wouldn't say I was close to David, but he knows I am an advocate for the industry and he lets me chew his ear when our paths cross.  I am pretty confident that if the analysis is not freely available under the freedom of information act,  then he will not provide it to myself.   I just thought, with the high level of pessimism around the industry right now, it was important that participants knew there were positive changes being pushed at government level.