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How important are race previews? How important is it that the right people do the previewing?
 
I routinely watch and or listen to Australian previews both on the box and online radio. People like Ray Huxley, Ron Dufficy,Deane Lester etc know their apples. Not only do they know form inside out but they fully understand betting and betting movements. I listen to them preview and feel more confident about betting. I must admit I no longer watch or listen to domestic race previews here. There is just something meaty that is missing. Any presenter that looks like they spent two days putting on their makeup will never in two lifetimes entice me to wager my hard earned on their perspective. Call me weird. Call me old fashioned,sexist or whatever. The credibility factor in previewing is huge. Has the previewer spent hours going over every runner in the field. Have they watched the trials. Have they watched the betting etc etc etc. The Australians do this side of horse racing so much better than we do. Why? Because they better understand the game and their own customer base. We have presenters here who routinely tip horses because somebody else more experienced has given them the heads up. I'm staggered by the high number of young female presenters that Trackside have introduced to our screens in the last two years. To state there is a bias all out of kilter would be an understatement. Why is it that Trackside believe NZ Punters are best served by young inexperienced female presenters? What is the average age of a typical NZ Punter? How long has said punter been betting for? How do they feel about being tipped into a horse by a cue card reading female presenter who almost certainly wasn't even born when they started punting?
 
A big part of the problem for my money is the right people being put in the wrong role. A few years ago Justin Le lievre was a Trackside Presenter. He was utterly woeful and spent his entire shift falling over his own feet. The Friday Flash devoted a section each week to all his gaffs. Then they moved him to be an oncourse Harness Racing presenter and he was perfect for the role. He blossomed and was an asset. K.F.E in my opinion is magnificent at presenting the annual racing awards. It's all about the positives on this big occasion and Karen fits into the role perfectly. That in my opinion is where she is best utilized. Trackside strikes me as a closed shop where a select group call the shots. If you're part of that group you are set for life. Unfortunately the only hope you have of becoming part of that group is to be a mirror of those already in there. As a result we have no presenters now who will dare say what's really on their mind. It's all sanitized. Anyone who has ever shown any colour was quickly shown the door.
 
Craig Roberts the dog trainer is perfect to present feature dog racing on track. He shines in that role but drowns in the role of studio presenter covering other codes.
 
Mick Guerin on the harness front is painful to watch these days. He's been neutered and now falls over himself avoiding standing on anyone's toes. The meat of his presenting style has now gone. He's now all about self serving. Greg O'Conner is a perfect presenter apart from one important area. Anything with colour is quickly swept aside. His fav phrase is "moving right along". He drags it out the moment things start looking interesting.
 
Here's a few names that would make watching horse racing on our TV far more enjoyable,colourful and real.
 
Jim Smith....of course
Alexander Fields
Stephen Stuart 
zzz zzzzz
Paul Moroney 
Luke Radich
Keith Haub
Tony Lee
etc etc
 
They all have a lot of colour and are real. look at the fluff we have been left with.
 
Could it be better?
Should it be better?

Really who cares what she wears - I feel sorry for the people who watch the shyte show - it is boring, nonsensical and if you learn anything from the show you have issues - can the bloody thing it is total BS

I have only just recently started to bet like a professional if you can call me a professional at the moment as I only bet $100 a time and only been up and running for around a month with very good results.
 
I only bet for a place. I don't listen to any tipster so my bets aren't emotional bets. If my horse isn't paying around the price I frame the market at then I don't bet. If I see that there are 3 other horses that can beat the horse I like then I won't bet. I usually fine at least one or two a meeting that I like. Mid week meetings I usually leave alone.

I still have what I call my silly bets, P6, Quad,etc but my serious bets are where I am making money and really it isn't that hard to do all you need is to have good disciplines and don't try looking for bets treat it like a business.

With reference to the thread title:
 
As of this week, all new Euros will be printed on Greece-proof paper.
 
What are the first three letters of the Greek alphabet?
   I.O.U
 
Alex Tsipras has said that Greece will "Bounce Back".
Just like it's cheques.   
 
My grandson wanted to know what it would be like to live in Greece, so I took his pocket money off him.  

I have only just recently started to bet like a professional if you can call me a professional at the moment as I only bet $100 a time and only been up and running for around a month with very good results.
 
I only bet for a place. I don't listen to any tipster so my bets aren't emotional bets. If my horse isn't paying around the price I frame the market at then I don't bet. If I see that there are 3 other horses that can beat the horse I like then I won't bet. I usually fine at least one or two a meeting that I like. Mid week meetings I usually leave alone.

I still have what I call my silly bets, P6, Quad,etc but my serious bets are where I am making money and really it isn't that hard to do all you need is to have good disciplines and don't try looking for bets treat it like a business.

I sent away $100.00 for a guaranteed penis enlarger once.........I got back a magnifying glass. 

I am one of the 1.6 million that resides in Auckland. I have been to the races a few times but really in todays world I rather stay home and watch them and back them in the comfort of my home. I have beer, food and  I can watch both racing channels. In todays world I  don't even need to go to the TAB which are slowly closing down across the country.
 
I grew up in a different era where there wasn't much to do, so the local on a Saturday was where you found many people and if there was a race meeting in your area you would go and the place be packed. Now you can't sip on a bottle top before your over the limit and that restricts what people like myself do with there time.
 
Small towns tend to have more people at the tracks and that is because I think there isn't much within the town to do. In Auckland we are so entertain with options and not a weekend goes buy where you don't have so many choices of entertainment and horse racing isn't a high priority for most. I always wondered if they were to set up a casino and if that might help there situation, but otherwise it is just the way racing is today and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

I am one of the 1.6 million that resides in Auckland. I have been to the races a few times but really in todays world I rather stay home and watch them and back them in the comfort of my home. I have beer, food and  I can watch both racing channels. In todays world I  don't even need to go to the TAB which are slowly closing down across the country.
 
I grew up in a different era where there wasn't much to do, so the local on a Saturday was where you found many people and if there was a race meeting in your area you would go and the place be packed. Now you can't sip on a bottle top before your over the limit and that restricts what people like myself do with there time.
 
Small towns tend to have more people at the tracks and that is because I think there isn't much within the town to do. In Auckland we are so entertain with options and not a weekend goes buy where you don't have so many choices of entertainment and horse racing isn't a high priority for most. I always wondered if they were to set up a casino and if that might help there situation, but otherwise it is just the way racing is today and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

very sad, but as you say it is your site and for those out there reading it was in no way offensive to any individual  it was the truth as sad as it is it seems to hit a nerve with admin

Regrettable.
 
"Thanks" for the response Scooby - such as it was.
 
I'm sure there's a small lawless state somewhere in the world that would welcome you as a dictator.

Perhaps Leggy, however anyone who has been in the industry for that amount of time will have some sort of vested interest or preference.

At least a person such as KFE has indepth knowledge, will already be aware of the problems the industry faces and hopefully has some forethought as what needs to be done with a view to the future, as opposed to a novice entrant with no history or feeling for the industry.

The people required to turn this industry around are already actively involved, have been for some time and with the right backing provide a blueprint for the future and ensure the plan is actively proceeded with.

Instead we have had a succession of leaders with little knowledge or feeling of the NZ industry who come onboard at considerable cost, make grandiose predictions, spend a year trying to bring themselves up to speed only to realise they are out of their depth and shoot through.

Bruce Perry's article he has written on his website is an outstanding piece and everyone who is passionate about NZ Racing should read it. Below is the opinion piece from the website:

Opinion: Time for the New Zealand Racing Industry to face reality
05 July 2014

When the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival drew to a close, the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and Breeding Industry were celebrating the outstanding success of the NZ thoroughbred. Despite this success the local racing industry continues to struggle. Costs keep rising and winning stakes for the majority of races barely cover a month’s training fees.

Funding is the major issue currently facing the New Zealand racing industry. Other than limited sponsorship, the industry is totally reliant on TAB turnover. Gone are the days whereby racing had little competition for the gaming dollar. Lotto, pokie machines and casinos have gained a large percentage of the market. The New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) have made changes as have the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Board (NZTR) however little is being done that will significantly improve the long term health of the industry.

Quite simply the current racing structure will never generate the income required to upgrade facilities, tracks and lift stakes to a level that is necessary for growth. With a population of approximately 4.5 million, New Zealand uses fifty one courses and holds on average six meetings each week. When compared to Sydney and their population of about 4.7 million it is not difficult to recognise the issues we face. Sydney has five tracks and holds on average two meetings each week.

Under the current framework the industry cannot expect improvements, nor can it expect the government to take an active interest. That will only happen when a stakeholder driven plan is put in place that will re-invigorate the industry and allow it to realise its full potential. Once that happens, industry support will be far stronger at a government level and with that any necessary legislative changes will be far easier to implement as will access to external funding.

With huge competition for the gaming and entertainment dollar, growth can only be achieved by increasing the quality of the product and satisfying the demands of the clients. Unfortunately racing continues to run a model developed over one hundred years ago when major entertainment options were minimal and gaming products were few. This was also a time when public and private transport options were limited.

Saving a few hundred thousand dollars here and there through insurance schemes, shared offices and redundancies is hardly going to pay for an upgraded track, earthquake strengthening or the modernising of stands. These are multimillion dollar projects that can only be funded through massive increases in turnover, club consolidation, the sale of assets and possible external funding. Yet before any of this can happen, owners need to see a significant increase in stakes so at least we can maintain current levels of ownership and participation.

Like most businesses we are totally reliant on growing the customer base who in our case is the punter. Fortunately with the technology now available, international borders are almost obsolete and a population of 4.5 million suddenly becomes tens of millions. In order to capture a significant share of that market however, the local industry has to provide potential clients with a product they understand and have confidence in.

That won't happen until racing is conducted on quality tracks with reasonably consistent surfaces, detailed sectional timing while backed up with a robust judicial system. The industry is in no position to upgrade and maintain 51 tracks, similarly it is in no position to upgrade and maintain course facilities to a level necessary to grow on course patronage. As a result the initial focus must be on providing a product that will grow our local and international off course turnover. That may mean the majority of racing takes place at possibly five or six courses with quality surfaces. The upgrading of their stands will be secondary. Some satellite courses will be necessary for strategic purposes and some others kept for training, however if racing is to flourish, the industry must unite and clubs accept amalgamations are vital. The sale of courses will be needed as will the reinvestment of funds into the upgrading of the major tracks.

Obviously such a proposal will not be welcomed by some individuals or clubs, however if it can be shown it will greatly improve the product and in doing so provide far greater returns to participants then surely that should take precedence over individual desires. During the last thirty plus years little has changed with the exception of diminishing returns to the stakeholders. Yes most clubs may survive under the current structure but significant growth will not be possible, and the steady decline will continue. This has been highlighted by the NZRB's recent announcement that it can't afford to provide NZTR with any significant increase in funding this coming season.

The immediate challenge for the industry is for someone to step up and instigate the development of a viable model that is transparent in its objectives and the reasoning fully understood. The short and long term benefits to the stakeholders must be clear and exciting. Obviously significant input from various thoroughbred industry representatives will be vital especially as it has to be supported by the majority of those they represent. At the same time it would make sense to involve a representative of the NZRB and an adviser to the Racing Minister as legislative changes will be required as will extra funding to help upgrade the major track surfaces. The One Racing model was a classic case of how not to develop or implement a new plan. It provided no clear outcomes and the stock answer for many who questioned its wisdom was “trust us”.

Once the new model is finalised it will then be up to the majority of stakeholders to ensure it happens. Change is never easy but you can guarantee the current model is destined to fail us and future generations. Surely that is not a legacy we want to leave behind.

Australian racing is looking more attractive each week to me. You do see some instances of interference in Australian racing but not like here in NZ where they knock each out of the way as if they are at Waikaraka in so many of the races. Give them longer holidays and bigger fines and see if things improve. 

Thought she looked great, what is it with people wanting to degrade others all of a sudden on here.

Thought she looked great, what is it with people wanting to degrade others all of a sudden on here.

Thought she looked great, what is it with people wanting to degrade others all of a sudden on here.

Based on what you are saying you would think the stewards would look into why he didn't move forward earlier when the pace was slowed, did he give the horse every opportunity to win. Do you think he would have ridden the horse the same way had it been the Derby. If you are a senior rider you should know the pace of the race and where your horse should be at the 600 to have any chance to win and if you are not in that position then it should be question why you didn't make an effort to be there. Where he took off from he had no chance of winning.  
 
 I felt the run was huge, when he set the horse alight the horse was continuously trying to run in and matt was having to straighten if he had run straight he would have maybe run 2nd.

Based on what you are saying you would think the stewards would look into why he didn't move forward earlier when the pace was slowed, did he give the horse every opportunity to win. Do you think he would have ridden the horse the same way had it been the Derby. If you are a senior rider you should know the pace of the race and where your horse should be at the 600 to have any chance to win and if you are not in that position then it should be question why you didn't make an effort to be there. Where he took off from he had no chance of winning.  
 
 I felt the run was huge, when he set the horse alight the horse was continuously trying to run in and matt was having to straighten if he had run straight he would have maybe run 2nd.

Based on what you are saying you would think the stewards would look into why he didn't move forward earlier when the pace was slowed, did he give the horse every opportunity to win. Do you think he would have ridden the horse the same way had it been the Derby. If you are a senior rider you should know the pace of the race and where your horse should be at the 600 to have any chance to win and if you are not in that position then it should be question why you didn't make an effort to be there. Where he took off from he had no chance of winning.  
 
 I felt the run was huge, when he set the horse alight the horse was continuously trying to run in and matt was having to straighten if he had run straight he would have maybe run 2nd.

My club I attend has one TV set up for T1 in the area that I socialise. We have a TAB machine in another area of the club and that has T1 & T2. Sadly that is out of view to where I socialise as I play snooker. Most times the NZ racing is on T1 and every so often they decide to throw the NZ racing on T2 so I miss out watching the NZ racing which is annoying. Why can't they just leave all NZ racing on T1 and all other racing on T2 and for those that set up My Sky to tape the races while they go about there daily activities can come home knowing that they will be able to sit down and watch the races.
 
I don't like to moan as I think what we get is brilliant even though we now just take it for granted and expect the best, all that needs to happen is to have some consistency. I see often the horse names up on the screen who ever is responsible for  typing up who is leading, running 2nd and 3rd is an embarrassment to the industry. So often the name put up is wrong and even when the commentator is telling you who is leading they still get it wrong, what must the outside world watching our races think of us. (3rd world technology comes to mind)

My club I attend has one TV set up for T1 in the area that I socialise. We have a TAB machine in another area of the club and that has T1 & T2. Sadly that is out of view to where I socialise as I play snooker. Most times the NZ racing is on T1 and every so often they decide to throw the NZ racing on T2 so I miss out watching the NZ racing which is annoying. Why can't they just leave all NZ racing on T1 and all other racing on T2 and for those that set up My Sky to tape the races while they go about there daily activities can come home knowing that they will be able to sit down and watch the races.
 
I don't like to moan as I think what we get is brilliant even though we now just take it for granted and expect the best, all that needs to happen is to have some consistency. I see often the horse names up on the screen who ever is responsible for  typing up who is leading, running 2nd and 3rd is an embarrassment to the industry. So often the name put up is wrong and even when the commentator is telling you who is leading they still get it wrong, what must the outside world watching our races think of us. (3rd world technology comes to mind)

My club I attend has one TV set up for T1 in the area that I socialise. We have a TAB machine in another area of the club and that has T1 & T2. Sadly that is out of view to where I socialise as I play snooker. Most times the NZ racing is on T1 and every so often they decide to throw the NZ racing on T2 so I miss out watching the NZ racing which is annoying. Why can't they just leave all NZ racing on T1 and all other racing on T2 and for those that set up My Sky to tape the races while they go about there daily activities can come home knowing that they will be able to sit down and watch the races.
 
I don't like to moan as I think what we get is brilliant even though we now just take it for granted and expect the best, all that needs to happen is to have some consistency. I see often the horse names up on the screen who ever is responsible for  typing up who is leading, running 2nd and 3rd is an embarrassment to the industry. So often the name put up is wrong and even when the commentator is telling you who is leading they still get it wrong, what must the outside world watching our races think of us. (3rd world technology comes to mind)

Well done Ted and the price wasn't to bad either.

I think this thread quite nicely illustrates the difference between those who actually have a clue on how to regenerate and develop their business in today's dynamic and competitive environment and those "traditionalists" who quite rightly love their racing with a passion but who simply live for the days when it was "all about the racing" and that's all there was.
 
There is absoultely nothing wrong with that passion and it is to be commended but seriously folks you need to actually open your eyes to the world around you and see that "the horses" will never again be the sole purpose for maximising crowd numbers - take a look at both rugby and cricket and tell me where they would be today without the changes they made 20 years ago to recognise that future generations aren't completely motivated to attend by the core product alone.
 
I bet the NZRU are rueing the day they decided to stimulate a new audience and therefore crowd numbers by introducing innovations such as music, better food, comfortable seating, half time entertainment (not just oranges for the players), night matches and so on and so on - yeah right!
 
To suggest Ellerslie has foregone animal welfare in this decision is quite simply laughable and it a poor crutch to base your condemnation on - I will bet they have taken every step possible as contrary to those who have an axe to grind with them they do actually have people in power there who know what they're doing.
 
To also somehow suggest the money spent on the entertainment would be better off going to the stakes - again incredibly short sighted and suggests you have no idea on how to provide sustainable stakes by simply channeling every available dollar into one area leaving no other avenue for capital to develop methods to generate greater revenue. I'm sure that any business in the world that simply puts money back into its manufacturing process with no spend on methods designed to actually provide a greater audience for its product will well and truly have gone bust by now.
 
And as a last point - remind me again just who was it that introduced this version of twilight racing to the country with the evening start, short programme, diverse entertainment that has produced crowd numbers and on-course betting figures that now rival all but the major carnival days around the country and in this meeting, also attracts and entertains the massive number of international sales attendees, - oh that's right it was Ellerslie.

Is it my observation that when I watch the main meetings in Sydney and Melbourne you seldom see any interference but in NZ each week it is like I am going to the stock cars not the horse races.

got to be a lot of people out there that love this racing game. I never see a shortage of horses lining up. Why not just get a horse and race it in Australia, there stakes are great I sure you only need to win a race there to make ends meet and the rest be in your pocket.
 
My take on this is that there is so much racing and only so much money to be divided between each race based on the quality of race and the day of the race. So if we cut the racing in half then you could increase the stakes by 2, makes sense, easy pezzie pudding pie.
 
I think I go fishing from the rocks and save lots of money