Leggy

Running on home track I would think.

I went to Karaka for the first time in 2017 and my pick of the sale of the horses I saw was Avantage. I went again in 2019 and my pick of the sale was Just Ben. It seems I have an eye for a good horse, but also an eye for a not-so-good horse. Unfortunately I don't know which eye is which.

Bloody good summary of what I think we know PS. Thanks.

Based in Wellington?? - must be something big about to 'go down' 
Trentham closing down for 3 years too - maybe Hutt Park trots and dogs are going to make a comeback 😇

Pak Star, your comments are appreciated.
I think the problem is that in 2024 statements are vetted by public relations consultants.  When they are trying to explain intricate details the public relations people get tied up in their own bullshit which most people use them to peddle.
An organization"s credibility is inversely proportional to their spend on public relations.

And he's a horse welfare advocate, so I'm hoping he might bring a halt to the crash test dummy approach to testing track safety.

Bloody good summary of what I think we know PS. Thanks.

Bloody good summary of what I think we know PS. Thanks.

Thanks Oman. I thought so too and there was a time when you weren't supposed to say stuff that you couldn't support. A forum for reasonably intelligent and open debate. Some may need to look in the mirror before they foist the knowitall label on others.

The matted area is between the turf layer and the underlying sand/mesh layer. That's what has been reported by Strathayr, NZTR, ATR etc. If it were simply surface thatch  the remedy would be a day. Couple of passes with the chain harrows and remove the loosened debris, not a year of aeration and 3000 tons of sand. How it got like that and they seemingly didn't know even though they were supposedly core sampling is another question. Sounds like you still haven't got it.

Not sure that comment helps your case Neil but it sounds like you have finally grasped that the issue is NOT surface thatch and that no-one has ever suggested that.

Sheesh Paul Wilcox was discredited multiple times on pages 18 & 19, but then also had his quote used in an effort to make a point.  Who knows what to believe 🤪
Without wanting to wade too far into the ____ measuring contest of who can fit their schlong into the full depths of a 190mm cored Ellerslie surface hole to check how deep the matted roots are...
Is ATR suggesting that the problem last week is the same problem they had on Karaka Million night? 
Pete quoted this piece from NZTR on Feb 2nd:
Ellerslie Racecourse
Immediately after Saturday’s race meeting at Ellerslie where some Jockeys experienced movement after 3mms of rain fell during the race meeting, Auckland Thoroughbred Racing (ATR) undertook a review which included Frank Casimaty from Strathayr. From that review, it was identified that a thick layer of roots had caused the issues experienced, it was agreed that Jason Fulford, Track Manager for ATR, would use appropriate machinery this week to break down that thick layer of roots just below the surface to ensure the horses get a better purchase on the track. Following the completion of this machinery work, jumpouts will be held at Ellerslie for Auckland based horses. The jumpouts are scheduled for Monday, 12 February. 
Mix the above with this here video showing how deep the root structure really is - in some instances 230mm (at this point I am definitely out of aforementioned contest) and one could be mistaken for thinking the problem quite deep below the surface -   Update on the StrathAyr track project - Part 5 | Auckland Thoroughbred Racing (aucklandracing.co.nz)
The strathyr video from Ohoka would appear to back up the theory that the matting would run quite deep into the cross section.  
But hang on, last week Wilcox was quoted as saying:
“From what we can ascertain, it is the same issue where the grass is matted and joins the sand profile, which is causing the slipperiness. We thought we had that under control and we obviously didn’t,” Wilcox said.
From what we can gather based on the ATR coring video AND the strathyr video, the grass meets the sand profile very close to the surface. 
So who knows what the hell to believe.  Seems the reports change every time one is released...  And they prey on industry participants like us knowing slightly less than what they seem to know (or not know) themselves.  And they use terminology that confuses the issue even more.
If they REALLY wanted to be transparent as they say they do, best thing they could do at this point is another one of their coring videos, and visually show us a cross section with the matting.  To give us peace of mind that they actually know what the hell they are dealing with, and how to fix it.  

Yeah but you missed him and came back early , easier said than done .

Scooby and Nerula, remember a few weeks ago I had to ban myself for 7 days from communicating with Leggy, otherwise I could have gone crazy.
Guys, the same idea is probably worth considering 😉
 

Not sure that comment helps your case Neil but it sounds like you have finally grasped that the issue is NOT surface thatch and that no-one has ever suggested that.

Not sure that comment helps your case Neil but it sounds like you have finally grasped that the issue is NOT surface thatch and that no-one has ever suggested that.

Not sure that comment helps your case Neil but it sounds like you have finally grasped that the issue is NOT surface thatch and that no-one has ever suggested that.

They have put on 90. Plan to add 90 more after the last meeting but 3000 tons total presumably over the winter or next year.

Exactly. More kick back? Wouldn't that suggest that the turf is holding together less well than before?

Not much I don't think. The issues were when the track was rain affected as well, including on the rail, and 50 horses galloping round the corner near the rail, on the bridle, on a non-rain affected surface, is not much help to me in assessing its safety

Te Awamutu which is purely a trials track at the moment and has been having a "renovation", isn't ready to hold the designated trials next week , pushed back one week , and a set of trials at the Cambridge Synthetic have been put in their place . 
They are a bit slow , they haven't worked out yet that the majority don't want to trial on the synthetic , especially their babies , so now owners have to wait another week to trial and hopefully get to the races and hopefully before they strike a heavy track .
And what is the problem with Te Awamutu that one more week will resolve ? At least tell us , it's all Chinese whispers and it's getting f@#ken boring .
I'm so over this crap , I have 3 horses at the moment but have made the decision they are my last here , things like the this and Ellerslie just reaffirm my decision . 

Yes. If it needed another 3000 tons of sand, why wasn't that in the mix when, they built it? Has me flummoxed.

I can't find him to get his current opinion on rooting. Seems to have gone AWOL through all this. Any idea where he might be?

Yes. If it needed another 3000 tons of sand, why wasn't that in the mix when, they built it? Has me flummoxed.

Yes. If it needed another 3000 tons of sand, why wasn't that in the mix when, they built it? Has me flummoxed.