Scanman

Bigger turnovers and more public interest in Racing also means you can attract more real sponsorship. The racing sponsorship scene is NZ is pretty dire. There is very little genuine commercial sponsorship for major races in NZ.  The Telegraph is sponsored by an individual, as it Te Rapa's major race. The NZ Cup is sponsored by the people who made millions building their AWT. Surely they aren't doing it in the hope of getting a few more AWTs to build.

That may be true.  Though, I would much prefer to bet into a multi-million dollar pool (HK), than a $3-5K pool (OZ/NZ racing) here in the US.
However, my initial post was not directed towards the punter, though, in the end, they benefit as well..  My post was addressing Aaron's concern about driviing up turnover to increase purses. 
Simple formula really.  Highter turnover = Higher purses = greater ownership involvement/sustainablility = more horses bred/bought/sold = more horses running in races = equals better betting opportunities for the punter.; and repeat.  It really is a no lose situation.

The co-mingling of international pools.  Imagine if the Chinese were able to bet into NZ tote pools.  Would result in record turnover.   I'm sure the technology exist, just not the will to work out the appropriate interational agreements.  In the US, I am able to bet into the HK pools.  Makes for some excellent betting opportunities.
And then, there are those like me that would love the opportunity to bet into the NZ pools, but cannot.  Our wagers here on NZ and OZ racing go into a central hub (I believe located at Woodbine racecourse in Toronto, but I could be wrong).  In any event, the paultry amount to handle does not make it worthwhile to have a bet.  Co-mingling worldwide pools is the way to go.
 
 

or you could be so stupid to think that flimsy pos is going to save your life 🤣 😂 

That's a great photo Scanman. I've stood in the ditch on the far side of Beechers Brook, in pre-modification times. it was much deeper than the jump in your photo, but narrower, as I recall.
Memphis3 asks how long it will remain in it's current format. I'd answer "It's England - so likely the next 200 years"

Backed Lucky Vane many times in the staying chases , good West Country stayer .
Hello Dandy lived to 33 years old .
Second in 1984 was Greasepaint , IMHO the 2nd best National horse in my lifetime , 2nd 2nd 3rd 4th 10th , how he got over those fences in those days without getting into trouble  is immense , what a horse . 150 biggest fences there are without falling or running up backside of another runner .

I've been to Pardubice for the Velka Pardubika.  The 4th obstacle, the Taxis, is a beast.  Good thing they only jump it once and early in the race.  It always claims a couple of horses.  I walked the course a couple of days after the race and stood in the ditch on the landing side of the Taxis fence.  I felt like a dwarf.  I've attached the photo, by the way, I've 5'10" (178 centimeters).

I've been to Pardubice for the Velka Pardubika.  The 4th obstacle, the Taxis, is a beast.  Good thing they only jump it once and early in the race.  It always claims a couple of horses.  I walked the course a couple of days after the race and stood in the ditch on the landing side of the Taxis fence.  I felt like a dwarf.  I've attached the photo, by the way, I've 5'10" (178 centimeters).

I was at the 2011 race when Tiumen completed his hat-trick.
Getting back to Aintree and the English Grand National.  I attended the 1984 race (winner Hallo Dandy).  I was living in Scotland at the time and on a whim, drove down to Liverpool that morning to attend the race.  Back then you could walk the course (at least the area in front of the stands) prior to racing.  Got to see "The Chair" up close, wish I had pictures of it.  Yeah, the fences were much different back then, much stiffer.  And the core of the fence at Beachers Brook was diabolical.  Quite a crowd that day, we were packed in like sardines, but still had decent viewing from the stands.  I had 40 quid each was on Lucky Vane at 16-1, who fortunately got up for 4th a few jumps from the line.  It was great to have the opportunity to attend and experience "the National" first hand.
 

I've been to Pardubice for the Velka Pardubika.  The 4th obstacle, the Taxis, is a beast.  Good thing they only jump it once and early in the race.  It always claims a couple of horses.  I walked the course a couple of days after the race and stood in the ditch on the landing side of the Taxis fence.  I felt like a dwarf.  I've attached the photo, by the way, I've 5'10" (178 centimeters).

I've been to Pardubice for the Velka Pardubika.  The 4th obstacle, the Taxis, is a beast.  Good thing they only jump it once and early in the race.  It always claims a couple of horses.  I walked the course a couple of days after the race and stood in the ditch on the landing side of the Taxis fence.  I felt like a dwarf.  I've attached the photo, by the way, I've 5'10" (178 centimeters).

Modifications over years have extended the races lifespan , close co-operation between RSPCA and Racing has helped . Fences fair now IMHO  .I enjoy the National but wouldnt want it back to old days . Fences like Beechers in hindsight were very unfair and I don't enjoy watching re runs with horses  struggling to get landing gear down,   but I used to enjoy the race at the time , like sending a boxer in ring blindfold really .  Asking a horse to negotiate a fence that has massive drop on other side  not on  . Brown Trix I think the horse was called met his end in the brook  on landing side many years ago so it was filled in or covered somehow  , now it's all levelled off .  It's the better race  for its updating IMHO   I am not young , but not old , I will be in a box long before the National gets stopped .
Corbiere seems a lifetime ago trained by first female trainer to win it , good to see it is now open to all on level playing field .
NZ has a very good history in the race .
Grand National tame compared to Velka Pardubice ran in Oct each year , that is really x rated and needs some updating fast .

RR - You got me curious about this, so I had to look it up.  The Yarmouth "Tart" was bred in the France, trained by James Fanshawe, returning 15/8.  The Sandown "Tart" was bred in the UK, trained by R F Johnson Houghton, returning 11/2.  Both were 3 year olds.

I've always preferred a French Tart myself.

17th Sept 1996 a horse called Tart won the first at Yarmouth UK  , a horse called Tart then won the last at few hundred miles away at Sandown  a few hours later .

I was thinking of conducting a poll, but don't know how to do that. More about that later.
Timaru today; 221 nominations, 12 races (they could have run 14,) 41 ballots scratched, only 5 horses scratched that were assured a start, and they all let others get starts. Dead track after quite a bit of rain during the week. Sponsors for every race. They are doing a great job giving heaps of horses a start on a decent track.
But this meeting won't exist in a year or two. No meetings in Canterbury or Oamaru will exist between May and October once the all weather is built at Riccarton, perhaps the old John Grigg meeting at Ashburton.
The question is this. Would Winston's $10.5m from the Provincial growth fund be better spent in the middle of a major metropolitan city, where a club that doesn't even have a public grandstand is obliged to front with another $5m to make it all work. Or might the $10.5m be better utilized to upgrade a provincial racetrack like Timaru, that has a public grandstand, and already provides a good racing surface all year, but could provide an even better track with bigger starting limits if money was spent upgrading the track and introducing a 1,400m start point amongst other things. There is even the possibility to build an almost straight 1,000m chute. They even have space to attract more trainers, while most of the major tracks around the place are selling off potential trainers facilities to fund their other developments.
A case could be made for an all weather track(s) in the North Island where they race on heavy tracks for many months of the year, but in Canterbury it is already possible to race on reasonable tracks all year around with existing facilities, as we see today at Timaru. So surely in the SI the decision is quite different to that in the north. Winston does like to mention the money that will be saved by transferring meetings from elsewhere to the all weather if the weather is bad. Well, that will never happen in the SI as there will be no other meetings anywhere in Canterbury to be transferred. And if the weather is particularly bad even all weather tracks gets abandoned as we saw at Moonee Valley a couple of weeks ago. And from the sounds of the current thinking a major meeting at Riccarton won't be transferred from the existing track to the all weather because of a bit of rain.
So the question is. Do people think the industry would be better off spending a precious $10.5m on:
A. Funding 75% of an all weather track at Riccarton to hold $10,000 races during the winter, with the rest of Canterbury being shut down during those months.
B. Funding a massive upgrade at Timaru so it can hold regular racing all year round without the need for an all weather track. At the same time reducing the need for Riccarton to race on wet tracks during the winter months.

All I know is,
Rita / Winnie  / NZRB  or whatever they f call themselves , 
DO NOT OWN THE LAND that the AVONDALE JC race on, so they can go fk themselves.    🙂

StrathAyr Track Systems

Lights all in the plans, should be a great asset!

Exactly. 
To the best of my knowledge their enquires were limited to Australia, and probably excluded Tasmania. (Sadly)

Are you trying to tell us they didn't send a fact finding committee around the world to observe all of the potential surfaces Liz? I'm stunned.

I will tell you what I was told when I asked that very question of one of the decision makers. 
“Poly track is based in Australia and has a team there, so that’s our backup”.
At that stage I stopped myself from bringing up Tapeta which any inquiring mind would know is a superior product. 
I could have bought up Devonport, but I thought... what’s the use the decision is already made. 
If only people were more worldly, better read or asked more questions our industry wouldn’t be in the shit that we are!
Liz

Wonder why they went with Polytrack instead of Tapeta.  Much of what I read and my experience owning a Tapeta specialist, leads to the conclusion that Tapeta is best of all the synthetic surfaces.  Woodbine (Canada) and Wolverhampton (UK) have switched and Turfway Park (USA) is switching from Polytrack to Tapeta.  The latest synthetic track built in the UK, Newcastle, has also opted for Tapeta.  Devonport in Tasmania also has a Tapeta surface.  Polytrack is adequate, but is inferior to Tapeta.  Doesn't make sense to me.  If NZ Racing is going to experiement with a synthetic surface, why not put down the best on offer.  Perhaps, it was a budget/cost issue.  If anyone knows, I would be curious to hear what went into the thought process. 

Ouch, for a Yank, that hurts.  At least, some jurisdictions are still running.  I've been to the track in Nebraska that you are referring to, Fonner Park.  It's a fun little 5/8ths mile track with its own little idiosyncrasies, much like Aussie country/bush racing.
As for no form, you are misinformed.  All you need to do is go to https://www.drf.com/ and purchase the form.  Attached is the form from last Wednesday.
As for the pools being small, again, you are incorrect.  Here is a comparison of Fonner Park last year versus this year:  Mar 24, 2019 - $279,577; Mar 25, 2020 - $1,643,825.  This was all-source handle, each day ran 8 races.  So minus the Pick 5 pool, each race had around $180,000 in WPS, Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pick 3, Pick 4 pools.  Hardly small pools.  People are definately betting Fonner Park.  Have a look at the pools for Gulfstream Park for yesterday (attached).  I didn't feel like doing the math, but for the 14 races, I'm sure it is well over $20 million.  You used Remington Park, which is currently running a quarter horse meeting.  There is very little interest in quarter horse racing in general, so using them as an example was a poor one.
So the problem is that you bet US racing into TAB pools in NZ.  I run into the same problem when I bet NZ racing here, very little in the pools.  One of these days, NZ and US racecourses will work out how to effectively co-mingle the pools like we do with Hong Kong.  Until then neither product will be worth betting in to.
FWIW - I still greatly enjoy tuning into and watching Kiwi racing.
To all down under, stay safe and healthy.  Cheers.
FONNER, 03-25-20.pdf
GP, 03-28-20.pdf

Ouch, for a Yank, that hurts.  At least, some jurisdictions are still running.  I've been to the track in Nebraska that you are referring to, Fonner Park.  It's a fun little 5/8ths mile track with its own little idiosyncrasies, much like Aussie country/bush racing.
As for no form, you are misinformed.  All you need to do is go to https://www.drf.com/ and purchase the form.  Attached is the form from last Wednesday.
As for the pools being small, again, you are incorrect.  Here is a comparison of Fonner Park last year versus this year:  Mar 24, 2019 - $279,577; Mar 25, 2020 - $1,643,825.  This was all-source handle, each day ran 8 races.  So minus the Pick 5 pool, each race had around $180,000 in WPS, Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pick 3, Pick 4 pools.  Hardly small pools.  People are definately betting Fonner Park.  Have a look at the pools for Gulfstream Park for yesterday (attached).  I didn't feel like doing the math, but for the 14 races, I'm sure it is well over $20 million.  You used Remington Park, which is currently running a quarter horse meeting.  There is very little interest in quarter horse racing in general, so using them as an example was a poor one.
So the problem is that you bet US racing into TAB pools in NZ.  I run into the same problem when I bet NZ racing here, very little in the pools.  One of these days, NZ and US racecourses will work out how to effectively co-mingle the pools like we do with Hong Kong.  Until then neither product will be worth betting in to.
FWIW - I still greatly enjoy tuning into and watching Kiwi racing.
To all down under, stay safe and healthy.  Cheers.
FONNER, 03-25-20.pdf
GP, 03-28-20.pdf