Peter M

So what role did Footbridge and Graeme Ford play?? If any then I would have expected some sort of public thanks by the trainer. Anyone on Racecafe would have seen the totally warranted abuse Graeme came in for from zzz during the Fair Tax campaign. Bit ironical if Graeme has helped Celeris get back on track.

Thought his last win in Singapore raised a few red flags. Even though he was held up in the straight most would have expected an easier win. Always wonder if he would sweat up so much in a different environment. Just curious why the TAB can't muster better pools on Singapore as the coverage is extensive and a large number of ex kiwi horses and participants. Tonight in the first few races Steel Cut and Subordinate look good value. Moonlight Shower should easily win the 4th.

When Darryl's Joy lined up in 1969 for the first time in Australia he was up against Vain who was even a bigger "certainty" than SYT. Bookies refused to accept bets or took bets at about 50:1 on. Vain was an Australian icon. When Darryl's Joy got up in the Moonee Valley Stakes the crowd couldn't believe it. Total silence. Wall Street can do the same on Saturday.

C, Just what barrow is that? Look we all want a good weekly racing publication. When the Friday Flash was going I never missed an issue over thirty years.I have done publishing including doing the Harness equivalent of racing facts some fifteen years ago. Also racing databases for twenty years. Actually when I did the harness thing I wished someone came up to me and said you are wasting your time the internet is coming. To me its a no brainer. To get a quick efficient analysis of racing form the computer is the only thing. Would you find pro sharemarket investors waiting for the weekly Business Review to arrive to place their "punts????? Sure I know what you are saying when you describe what the punter wants. But dosen't the punter want to make money? And dosen't the punter want to save as much time as possible also. I am amazed at the quality of the raceform supplement that the Informant produces but it can't and won't grow and be profitable The odds when I say it are 100:1 ON. I am certain that the TAB will fully support the Informant if it concentrates on editorial content primarily with a light easy to read fields listing.

John, Marketing is also about research. Your research is abysmal. You make some wild generilazions about the internet and when invited to find out for yourself don't avail yourself of the opportunity. As far as race publishing goes I found out the hard way. Learnt. 1. Whatever you expect the circulation to be when its to do with racing use 10% of it as a better estimate. 2. Never rely on racing bodies to support your product although In my case I got good support from the TAB but not from the particular racing body. You can call it sour grapes but I am simply relaying what is obvious. As much as the Informant supplement is a work of art it doesn't sell well in TAB's and is superfluous if the Turf Digest and Best Bets are going to continue. The editorial section can be far stronger if not weighed down by the supplement. Thats my solution. Have you a better one?

Even up to the time when Des Coppins was editor, the Friday Flash never ran the raceform. It did however give a good preview of the double legs with a basic listing of the fields e,g. name,draw, weight and jockey. Its circulation was 30,000. The Informant could have a much higher circulation, sold for $2.00 with much more advertising if they scrapped the raceform supplement altogether and concentrated on the articles. The number one rule in publishing. Never rely on subscribers. Rely on advertising. Just imagine if the same publishers tried selling the Thouroughbred Industry directory and offered advertising for free. It wouldn't last one day. So lets have some rational thinking on racing publications. Why should one publisher be supported by NZRB so much whereas others live by the market.

John are you connected with the Informant? The greatest advertising value to NZ Racing was the ability of publications such a Best Bets and Turf Digest to be sitting on local dairy counters or in a rack near the cash register. That meant exposure to all sorts of people. Nowadays its hard enough to get the shop minders to tell you if they even stock the publications or explain to them what they are. If I was a TAB marketing person I would organise these shop owners into a day or night at the races and educate them a bit about racing. John your figures would look even better if sale life of the Informant was the whole week and not just one or two days.

So thats why you need a lightweight tablet computer e.g. IPAD with access to online and off line material. No keyboard just touch the screen you get complete form, photos, online and off line videos, books magazines etc etc. On a quality decent size screen not a mobile phone screen. Also use it for betting. Take it to the toilet if need be. Thats the future for racing information not some minute pint sized printed publication that gives you eye strain.

Actually the only thing it dosen't have is the trackwork or all of it. Why don't you just log on and keep clicking the links. In the online world there are always solutions to every problem including if you live in the "country".

Try this. http://www.hkjc.com/english/racing/horse_former_name.asp

John ...What absurd statements. The Informant dosen't and can't come close to providing the raceform information in comparison with online info. Just go on to http://www.trackwork.co.nz and as far as NZ galloping is concerned and tell me does the Informant have? Turn and finish photos. Finish images of all trials, Complete race and trial form with commentaries in front of you not just five or so starts. Easy access to videos say from NZTR site if you log in there as well. Does the Informant tell you that all trialists in a trial have subsequently won a race. Performances rated by time and several other factors much of it colour coded. Thats just for starters. If you can't log in just use race for login and cafe for password. NB. This is not an advert. I just wish to prove a point.

Hedley So what you are saying is that the Racing Board should have chipped in to ensure didtribution of Friday Flash. Yes by throwing in an advertising insert those costs could have been offset. Probably a far better option than spending megabucks on the current situation. However racing hierarchy is not used to thinking outside the square. For racing form why don't you just log into http://www.trackwork.co.nz and get far better form than you could possibly get in a printed format.

I was at Ashburton races about 1970. Saw an apprentice have his first ride in a division race. The saddle seemed bigger than the boy. Always thought that was zzz zzzzz but now not sure. Was it Midget or zzz or neither?

Well put John. This raises a whole lot of fundamental questions of how the NZRB operates. Lets look at Microsoft. Now Microsoft is a whole lot bigger than the NZRB and have on board some of the best computer brains out there. They see a need for a product so what do they do? They advertise a competition for developers to come up with the most creative concept and product. They realize that even they can't beat the collective wisdom and flair of the mass population. Now compare this with NZRB. Their attitude is 1. Anything we do is top secret. 2. We will hire the people we think can develop anything. 3. We are not interested in anything individuals can do after all we are paid massive salaries so we have to come up with the ideas ourselves. The whole future of equine wagering rests with the internet. So your figures John based on the printed media pale in comparison to the potential on the Internet. NZ Racing biggest payday came when they cashed in Radio Pacific shares (full marks to the person who originally got the Board to invest). NZ Racing can have another bonanza by coming up with a killer application for the Internet accepted worldwide. Sadly this opportunity is being minimized by the actions of the current board.