Peter Harrop

Maybe the problem with Legarto was less to do with the track and more to do with Desert Lightning being too good for her on the day.
Desert Lightning ran the fastest 1600 metre time in New Zealand for 10 years, and the eighth fastest in the last 30 years. Surely if the track was dodgy they wouldn't be running those sort of times.

Maybe the problem with Legarto was less to do with the track and more to do with Desert Lightning being too good for her on the day.
Desert Lightning ran the fastest 1600 metre time in New Zealand for 10 years, and the eighth fastest in the last 30 years. Surely if the track was dodgy they wouldn't be running those sort of times.

Maybe the problem with Legarto was less to do with the track and more to do with Desert Lightning being too good for her on the day.
Desert Lightning ran the fastest 1600 metre time in New Zealand for 10 years, and the eighth fastest in the last 30 years. Surely if the track was dodgy they wouldn't be running those sort of times.

Yep NZ racing has a lot of issues and BGP is not one of them.  What they're doing is pretty positive for racing in NZ.
So easy to critique their syndicate bets with the benefit of hindsight, but bloody hard to be the ones standing up and putting the bets on.  They weren't far away.  They got overs on most of their bets and had a few 2nds/3rds that were the difference between a decent profit and the 50% loss.
They got people to contribute over $1m to their pool - people who knew the risks and still contributed.  Many of them had a good day out at the races.   Good on you BGP!

BGP did a great job with the punting IMO. There were a number of close calls that would have resulted in a profit on the day. If you're a serious punter, the number one objective is to secure overs by getting a price above what it should be paying. BGP, through some early bets, certainly did that. From there it's a matter of luck in the running and the race pattern. Sometimes it's just not your day, through no fault of your own. And it's made even more difficult through a small card of races. 
They've lost last 2 years, but from memory I think they've had great years before that. I look forward to seeing the selections of those complaining, pre-meeting not post-meeting, next year. Lol.
 

BGP did a great job with the punting IMO. There were a number of close calls that would have resulted in a profit on the day. If you're a serious punter, the number one objective is to secure overs by getting a price above what it should be paying. BGP, through some early bets, certainly did that. From there it's a matter of luck in the running and the race pattern. Sometimes it's just not your day, through no fault of your own. And it's made even more difficult through a small card of races. 
They've lost last 2 years, but from memory I think they've had great years before that. I look forward to seeing the selections of those complaining, pre-meeting not post-meeting, next year. Lol.
 

BGP did a great job with the punting IMO. There were a number of close calls that would have resulted in a profit on the day. If you're a serious punter, the number one objective is to secure overs by getting a price above what it should be paying. BGP, through some early bets, certainly did that. From there it's a matter of luck in the running and the race pattern. Sometimes it's just not your day, through no fault of your own. And it's made even more difficult through a small card of races. 
They've lost last 2 years, but from memory I think they've had great years before that. I look forward to seeing the selections of those complaining, pre-meeting not post-meeting, next year. Lol.
 

Obviously the watering system they have got is one they got off Noah which probably not designed to water to that needs of today. Notice how much they had put on compared to previous times would be up to twice as much daily amount so obviously not using a moisture meter for more accurate application rates. Funny enough the fact that the jockeys who are foremost to the safety of the track head out wider to find the firmer ground so why are we watering tracks to change the rating of the track instead of producing a Good 3 track for race day a firm  track with moisture in it.

Quite incredible that this happened for one of our premier races, or for any race at all for that matter. Did one of the jockeys not realise and mention it to the starter, or one of the attendants?

Total time posted  :
Telegraph 2021 : 1:07.95
Telegraph 2022 : 1:06.18

Time from barrier opening to the red marker on the inside fence (800m?).
2021 : 23.42 secs
2022 : 21.84 secs

Time from red marker to finish line.
2021 : 44.53 secs
2022 : 44.34 secs

I also did similar analysis with other early marking points down the chute.

To the end of the chute where the inside rail ends.
2021 : 38.69
2022 : 36.70

Time from this point to finish line.
2021 : 29.26 secs
2022 : 29.48 secs

Therefore, I think there are 2 possibilities arising out of Levante's time.
1) The 1200 metre chute was extremely fast.
2) The barriers were positioned slightly forward of the 1200m mark.

Total time posted  :
Telegraph 2021 : 1:07.95
Telegraph 2022 : 1:06.18

Time from barrier opening to the red marker on the inside fence (800m?).
2021 : 23.42 secs
2022 : 21.84 secs

Time from red marker to finish line.
2021 : 44.53 secs
2022 : 44.34 secs

I also did similar analysis with other early marking points down the chute.

To the end of the chute where the inside rail ends.
2021 : 38.69
2022 : 36.70

Time from this point to finish line.
2021 : 29.26 secs
2022 : 29.48 secs

Therefore, I think there are 2 possibilities arising out of Levante's time.
1) The 1200 metre chute was extremely fast.
2) The barriers were positioned slightly forward of the 1200m mark.

Total time posted  :
Telegraph 2021 : 1:07.95
Telegraph 2022 : 1:06.18

Time from barrier opening to the red marker on the inside fence (800m?).
2021 : 23.42 secs
2022 : 21.84 secs

Time from red marker to finish line.
2021 : 44.53 secs
2022 : 44.34 secs

I also did similar analysis with other early marking points down the chute.

To the end of the chute where the inside rail ends.
2021 : 38.69
2022 : 36.70

Time from this point to finish line.
2021 : 29.26 secs
2022 : 29.48 secs

Therefore, I think there are 2 possibilities arising out of Levante's time.
1) The 1200 metre chute was extremely fast.
2) The barriers were positioned slightly forward of the 1200m mark.

I must admit to having a certain amount of scepticism about the time posted for the Telegraph, considering other times on the day, and another horse a nose away. I have hand timed it off the screen and it seems correct, so the issue could be the distance, if there is an issue.

I must admit to having a certain amount of scepticism about the time posted for the Telegraph, considering other times on the day, and another horse a nose away. I have hand timed it off the screen and it seems correct, so the issue could be the distance, if there is an issue.

I must admit to having a certain amount of scepticism about the time posted for the Telegraph, considering other times on the day, and another horse a nose away. I have hand timed it off the screen and it seems correct, so the issue could be the distance, if there is an issue.

It will be updated weekly on my racebase website, along with the other statistics there. I've been running the site for over 20 years now, back when the internet first started.

Will punters bet with the same enthusiasm if they perceive much of the profits as going overseas? And as time goes on, there's a risk an overseas corporate will try and impose increasing control. After all, they'll have a monopoly on virtually all NZ gambling with only profits as their concern. How long before they decide they cant afford NZ TV presenters? Or before increasing the takeout? Or encouraging us to start our cards at 10 am? These are questions that concern me with outsourcing. There surely isnt another country in the world that has its gambling sovereignty in the hands of a single overseas corporate? Just doesn't seem right. I think it will give extra fuel to those who disapprove of gambling. I don't know. That's what I think anyway.

Will punters bet with the same enthusiasm if they perceive much of the profits as going overseas? And as time goes on, there's a risk an overseas corporate will try and impose increasing control. After all, they'll have a monopoly on virtually all NZ gambling with only profits as their concern. How long before they decide they cant afford NZ TV presenters? Or before increasing the takeout? Or encouraging us to start our cards at 10 am? These are questions that concern me with outsourcing. There surely isnt another country in the world that has its gambling sovereignty in the hands of a single overseas corporate? Just doesn't seem right. I think it will give extra fuel to those who disapprove of gambling. I don't know. That's what I think anyway.

How better can they promote NZ Racing internationally compared to what cant be done currrently by the NZ TAB? Specifically, what will enable them to promote NZ Racing better? Wouldn't the major part of the value for them be having a monopoly of just about all NZ gambling in their stable?

Will punters bet with the same enthusiasm if they perceive much of the profits as going overseas? And as time goes on, there's a risk an overseas corporate will try and impose increasing control. After all, they'll have a monopoly on virtually all NZ gambling with only profits as their concern. How long before they decide they cant afford NZ TV presenters? Or before increasing the takeout? Or encouraging us to start our cards at 10 am? These are questions that concern me with outsourcing. There surely isnt another country in the world that has its gambling sovereignty in the hands of a single overseas corporate? Just doesn't seem right. I think it will give extra fuel to those who disapprove of gambling. I don't know. That's what I think anyway.

Will punters bet with the same enthusiasm if they perceive much of the profits as going overseas? And as time goes on, there's a risk an overseas corporate will try and impose increasing control. After all, they'll have a monopoly on virtually all NZ gambling with only profits as their concern. How long before they decide they cant afford NZ TV presenters? Or before increasing the takeout? Or encouraging us to start our cards at 10 am? These are questions that concern me with outsourcing. There surely isnt another country in the world that has its gambling sovereignty in the hands of a single overseas corporate? Just doesn't seem right. I think it will give extra fuel to those who disapprove of gambling. I don't know. That's what I think anyway.

Maybe I'm out of touch. What is it that gets people into enjoying a punt on the horses (not sports) these days? Also, are you suggesting elite punters go straight into 4 figure bets off the bat?

The problem is that elite punters were once small time punters who maybe got into it through channel surfing the radio dial or reading form in the herald or tuning into Action TV on free to view ...

That's a shame because I was thinking of nominating you for the RITA board if you knew. 😁 You would have been just what the doctor ordered. 

Listen to nomates & Leggy everyone....we have been racing beyond our means for years to the detriment of our grassroots/coalface participants.
I believe we need better stakes at the bottom to encourage growth in Ownership, Investment, Sponsorship and Participation.
Higher Stakes will again come in time for stakes races with mass involvement.
FIRSTLY HOWEVER WE MUST PROTECT OUR PUNTERS!  and not by shutting down our shop windows TAB's, Racebooks, Race Media, Marketing, General News, Form & Information!
REMOVE ALL OBSTACLES FOR THE PUNTER!
Racing can continue at this level here...IMO any horse that is capable of winning a stakes race in NZ... is good enough to race competitively in Australia for better stakes and that is the short term reality!....Be-it the Aussie Bush, Darwin, Tasmania or the Metro City's
Like now.... horses with any ability can and will race in places like Australia, Singapore & Hong Kong but maybe with more NZ Owners who re-invest here with their Overseas Dollars??