RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.

tasman man 11

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Everything posted by tasman man 11

  1. Quite a balanced article by excellent journalist Martin Van Beyden out of Christchurch today......a main story on Stuff ,and I assume the Press . Excellent qoutes from racing people STomilinson ,Jill Smolenski and MHouse. They speak of the damage these actions and the resulting bad publicity do to their careers/livelihood etc. Yet we wonder on here why attendance and betting is in sharp decline. The Industry eats itself up from the inside......yet we look to divert blame.
  2. All trial /workouts have been up for sometime .....one in trials and 10 under workouts. This normal , videos usually up a couple hours up after finish of day then the results usually up day or two later. Eljay will explain the system , and keep in mind the ATC racing manager, who I think is leaving in few days, is part of the process.
  3. Mikie...I sense anger and bitterness from you but I have no idea what you trying to prove by merely guessing numbers and putting them on here as FACT ! We are in new territory so why you guessing and comparing them with past years and maybe inferring that a club near you could have had a better Wednesday night Harness meeting on a winter's night. No Tasman Harness club has ever done better on a Wednesday night .....has it ?........folk resistant to any change ,though changes have been considered necessary for 30 years , are throwing around betting figures and % to suggest that the two Premier clubs of NZ should be getting less while the 'minnows' should be getting more. IMO the owners are not being considered ,certainly as clubs ,tracks and a few jobs are........it seems the owners are being expected to keep spending large to receive even less than the miserable return they do now. If you want to play around with figures , give us some educated guesses on the money flow in Harness ! Thanks
  4. At least Mikie.......surely you must know people prefer Lotto and the pokies to Harness or have you spent too much time focused on Bluegrass music....kaching kaching ! I doubt racing by itself could sustain many Clubs.......things like building rental ,parking , school balls ,conferences ,childcare,funerals ,book fairs ,food and Bev , race night dining have contributed to the Clubs finances for years. Some may argue some of these activities have taken the eye off the harness .....there is also Rugby training facilities ,Circuses , Campervan conventions etc and soon there will be more Restaurant options ,retailers and even supermkt so if Harness survives at Alex Park the facility could well be future proofed and sustainable. Down the road ,Ellerslie has similar businesses contributing greatly...plus a golf range and pitch and putt and Shakespeare theatre, Car yard etc. Avondale has been saved by many things over the years but sports ground rental and Weekend markets gives it an excellent cash flow currently. Addington seems to have several revenue streams that ensure sustainability.....with more race meetings they should be able to build on this ! For whatever reason many clubs in NZ have not been able to upgrade their facilities to a 'modern' level !But summer picnic meetings don't need this ! I know your club rents to local darts clubs , girls guides and the local fire service........but would it be good idea to give them 40 to 70 meetings a year ?[ sorry red rag]. Interesting that some Aussie groups visiting NZ for Interdoms in December were extremely complimentary about the ATC set up.....they wish they had it !!! Like a lot of South Islanders you love poking the borax at ATC , since they faltered in their attempts to future proof the Sport in North . I note you upset a few on here recently........I know the feeling as I have been on sick leave since you called me an idiot and my posts 'inane'.So cutting ! Just remember .......the only normal people are those you haven't met yet ! And of course........." Go the mighty Tasman Makos ".........fins up Mikie !
  5. Rubbish ! Due to the cut-backs in tote staff ,there were considerably less options of places to bet at on that particular night ! Sure the crowd was small , but the 3 x windows in the on-site TAB were very steady that night.....deeper lines than normal. And the few TAB staff were basically in the one area whereas in the past they were in a minimum of 4 areas plus the 'dinner' areas if they were open .
  6. I sense a bit of aggro there Mikie , us Tasman men should be more collaborative but NZ racing just ain't like that ! Even tho an enthusiastic , unlike you an Industry bigwig , I think I am doing my bit. I try to spread the love re NZ racing........pay my bills to a few trainers and syndicates , and regularly attend meetings.A small bettor ,since lockdown I have increased my bets by 5 x times as I aware betting on NZ TAB is the lifeblood of the Industry. I think I do my bit...more than the average NZ racing follower .....though I stopped the bleeding just last week on my 'breeding' career. My breeding and partner and I sold our mare for $600.......she was carrying a $15k service fee and had four winners from 4 foals at races. One other died so she bred no complete duds. And what are you doing ,other than posting aggressively on social media ? You and those close to you have been big players in Racing during the steep decline of the industry over the past 30 years.....I sit and watch the train wreck you have been an influence on.Like many you seem to long for the good old days , resistance to change........why encourage the like of Stratford and Avondale to go to court to thwart the Industry [again !! as they have done previous to resist change ] Methinks some racing people have been so close to the Industry they can't see the train wreck ! Its kinda sad ! With your experience you should start with a clean sheet on how the Industry should progress to give it some hope of survival.....accept change is necessary. Sadly your club is probably doomed as one that holds TAB meetings in your home town ! 100 years.....a good innings !And you had the Ranfurly Shield once !
  7. Sports like rugby ,in fact most sports in NZ come under a crown entity called Sport NZ which receives significant funding and there is a Minister of Sport.Currently he other things like Minister of Finance and deputy PM. You a bit tough on out Govt ,who have historically treated Racing as 'special' ,a unique part of NZ culture and community.Of course the tax take has had special interest to them ,along with the jobs and the international recognition. But not now.....other than Winston the current politicians care little about racing ,in fact some despise it.The racing industry blames the run of poor Ministers while these poor ministers are frankly amazed that racing has constantly shot itself in foot even though it has been in serious decline for well over 30 years. NZ racing has resisted change etc etc ....I guess when the Govt needed to bail us out for $72.5 mil recently , their position somewhat vindicated. Meanwhile Racing is still often in headlines for wrong reason , Inca simmers away , Messara report largely ignored , Clubs threaten to go to court [again] . Even in your beloved Aussie ,the government often is called in to bail out or boost the Industry which of course is massively bigger and more loved. Plus the grubby little fingers seemed to have handled Co-vid issue to many folks satisfaction . You will be pleased that your club has been prudent with its investments and club affairs .......if you contributed hugely to that ,well done. Ellerslie seemed to be able to progress in many areas when most others have faltered !
  8. Stratford can most likely do what they like with their track ,when they like etc etc. However in the past they[members] have obviously enjoyed being part of the NZ racing scene and run meetings as part of the NZ racing calendar........with betting being overseen by the TAB . I guess they are an Incorporated society and enjoyed the odd advantage there plus possibly rates relief and other perks ,and received grants etc because of their involvement as a community racetrack under the 'umbrella' of NZ racing. Dunno how and why their race meetings dwindled to the situation where they only received 1 meeting on NZTR calendar last year ! I know they had a membership blow up which reached the courts a few years back .......I always thought Stratford to be a strong racing centre. My neighbour Jim Didham shifted there from Otago in late 60's and I think MSmith , JTaylor were other prominent trainers out of there and in recent years Dymand and Bothwell's ring and bell !. But I digress. In last season Stratford ran 1 x meeting......NZTR gave them $148, 821 for the meeting , of which they used $95,725 for stakes. No doubt the TAB got stuff charged back but it would appear Stratford is 'off the beaten track' and there are plenty of other tracks in Taranaki to suit the current population.[Horses and people] A few biking and walking tracks around the environs of the racetrack sounds a nice idea. Lets not spend too much time on Stratford...bigger issues out there !
  9. 5 Bucks !!!!! Saturday's book was only $3 bucks !...free to Members ! Fantastic it was too......attendees on the day go to see the 'live racing' so don't want to be at Ellerslie and see a field from Gawler , America or even Caulfield ,when they turn a page! Great to have the meetings at back of book [no America] with the Aussie racing showing quite a few facts,figures and colours. The Riccarton races had that plus a comment on most horses. As to the main purpose of the book Ellerslie ,it had a map of course facilities , plus all food options ,plus a guide to betting ,how to do it plus cost and percentages. It had a list of Jockeys and their mounts ,ditto trainers. It had a summary of all fields at front of book with pool options to bet into it. It had a speed map for 7 races. And it had picks , as well as comments on all horses ..and stats for last 3 starts including trials.! Anyone who took note of picks ,consulted with MGuerins editorial in Herald and Teds tips on BGP ,would have done very well.....as many did ! I've read hundreds of complaints in recent years re the track ,the coffee ,the choice of beer , the choice of champagne ,the loud music ,the commentator , too crowded, too empty ,too many young ones , too many old buggers,the suits ,the white coats , the JCA , the jockeys , the security , the marketing , the signage,the ticket sellers, the SST etc etc, But this is a first.......the race book ! I doubt if there is a better one anywhere !
  10. Some Clubs , including Eljay's have modernised their constitution in recent years and are now governed by a Board of Directors [between 3and 5 elected by Club members] and up to 3 x Independents who are chosen by Board. The Board not the members chose the Chairman and vice-chair.Directors are elected for a 3 yr term ,with rules in pace to prevent a 'position for life'. The reasoning for all this is that a racing club now deals with complicated issues ,encompassing many aspects other than Horse racing and the relevant skill set is there to manage things and not risk the Clubs assets etc and to grow and sustain the Club. Things like expertise in Development and Apartment building and selling and various legal and compliance issues ! This attracts highly skiful and qualified people and various Industry stalwarts among members back them up and if more votes needed then family members join the club for more voting muscle ! AS a result a battling or maverick member would struggle to be voted on ,as there are many passionate members who love the Club and been members a long time.Most don't make any discontent apparent at the AGM ! In saying that Eljay would get invited on to sub-committees to perform some tasks ...at times !...and he has ! Smaller clubs would struggle to fill a committee at times especially those who face their busiest time of year around Xmas /New Year when most people relaxing. Some would struggle to get a quorum at their AGM....not Eljays club , they enjoy a Buffet meal and drinks after their AGM.
  11. Dunno if credit cards have reached Blenheim yet but the accounts for the 2019 full year noted Merchant Fee recovery to be $4,576,000. Noted as income derived from Credit Card transaction fees charged to customers !
  12. LightsOut above makes some excellent observations above....it sure is a question why Credit Card fees so high......surely there are other expenses/recoveries included in that line Close to $5 mill seems a lot ! But the narrative obviously designed to mention a few roses while overlooking the weeds !
  13. True , but keep in mind that depreciation is a book figure and not cash .Plus the NZRB/Rita was always charged to pay out to codes their surplus. Hence there was nothing for a rainy day or to spend up on the new Betting platform. Herein lay their problem ,accentuated by the new platforms teething issues. Plus JAllen had been hanging his hat on the imminent windfall.....Racefields legislation , Point of consumption Fee ,and abolition of Gambling Duty.Duty alone had been $13 mill in 2018. So they had been paying out more than they earned for a good few years , with these changes in mind ! Unfortunately they made little apparent effort to slash costs such as salaries.In fact they wanted a 'world class ' betting system with hundreds of thousands of betting options per day [especially in Sports] which in view of NZ's size seemed questionable. Plus they were trapped by the lack of a collaborative approach from the Codes as a whole thru Regional bias etc which has dogged the Industry for 50 years as all towns regions want their track in their town.....this has been sucking the Industry dry ,yet even after Co-vid and the basic Insolvency of the TAB folk are still wanting to retain these distant venues with little horse population that are costing both owners, the communities and the TAB a small fortune to service. No one wants to change !
  14. Obviously not as bad a result as many on here predicted but it covers the period up to January 31 , a date when things really turned to custard with Betting Platform issues and leading into the outbreak of covid which really hit home the lack of equity . The commentary is careful to accentuate the positives where the numbers compare favourably with either previous year or with budget. No sales figures for codes , but hints that Sports betting continues to increase ,ditto gaming /pokies . It mentions the higher balances of external borrowing which will become apparent in year end Balance Sheet along with the lack of equity and basic insolvency. IMO the key statement is "the serious structural issues within the Industry and TAB business". And obviously nothing of any note had been done by 31 January to decrease operating expenses......co-vid certainly changed this ! Before folk ask the Board fees, travel accom , Consultancy ,Audit, legal ,and merchant fees are always included in notes under "Other expenses".
  15. Definitely Ellerslie..... very good facilities if you introducing any new people/employees to racing. Helpful Board ...unpaid too ! Decent cup of coffee !
  16. Sadly John the cake has been shrinking and getting smaller every year......decay and rot in some cases. Last season betting on Harness was down around 13% , which should equate to less funding. Something needs to be done ,but Harness folk can't agree exactly what. The halcyon days of 1970's won't be repeated ,if they were in fact so good.......... What would you do the improve profitablity of Harness and future-proof of the sport ?
  17. Yes it did operate.....Aussie racing etc but boss Dean reported at the time revenue was well down , and sports dried up except for some obscure sports like TT and Volleyball. The Table Tennis was from Russia ,Ukraine and Czech and TTNZ did well considering in recent years they received less than $100 [yes ,one hundred bucks from the TAB commissions !]...these were local leagues only! And it took a while to layoff staff etc so redundancies and ongoing leases/rents no doubt caused bleeding resulting in guvmint handout. As to paying Codes in advance ,I don't think this is possible , I'd guess monies don't hang around for long and the TAB is legislated to hold an amount called Betting Accounts and Vouchers trust to handle a run on funds/accounts etc
  18. Was the budgeted amount already in the coffers or was this what was 'hoped' for as the season progressed. One assumes the money doesn't sit around for long at the best of times ! Covid halted all revenue ,while many costs bled for sometime.
  19. Not necessarily my path ! Trying to get the answers/solutions out of Mikie who agreed the lower end needs more incentives. NZ Racing has for some time had one of ,if not the lowest , return to owners on the globe. Something ,well below 30 cents in $. I read somewhere that since payments made to all starters , 30% of horses earn over $10k in a season. Do the Math......training fees vary a lot especially South/North. Yet the licensed participants number has had little change in recent times ...NZ owners and trainers very resilient. Mikie has many strings to his bows...breeder , owner,trainer , driver , club secretary , funder , sponsor , great experience of the workings of many of NZ clubs and tracks and ties with the Industries leaders and decision makers. His views are of interest. I gather that you like me are an enthusiastic but amateur participant who makes the odd inane post on social media !
  20. Using your 'footy' analogy thats like paying club players more while cutting back on the salaries of International/ Star players. Water down Group races and it may sustain the Industry for another 12-18 months but the breeding side of the Industry would soon collapse as would ownership / betting /stakes and speed up the demise of even more clubs . Your club has been very well represented at the decision-making level for a long time so surely the word got through , the frail nature of the Industry must have been so very obvious ! So who would not listen , who or what clubs insisted on Harness travelling on the road to certain decline ? Answers please. The Earthquakes obviously hurt Christchurch for a while , while the ATC tried their own tragic path to try and future proof their future but what did the rest or the Industry as a whole do ! That's all behind us now .......betting on NZ Harness has been in steep decline in recent years and Aussies bet more on our races than we do ! The big question is what can done to try and sustain the industry and give our young participants some hope for their future !Answers please !
  21. You must be an antique to remember that...it was my neighbour EJ Didham who got the 99.I think he may have been winning on Baghdad Note at Trentham in July ,then popped across to the Melbourne Cup and won that for Otago ! Down the road a bit my friends neighbour RJS scored a few 90's ,including a high of 98 !
  22. Last night at trots there were 2 x operators on level one of stand where most people sat. Downstairs there were 3 x operators in the ATC TAB which is the busiest TAB in NZ and offers very good service. The 'crowd' was sparse ! That TAB also has 4 x SST's plus there is one at entrance. Not quite like Las Vegas with bet machines in toilet. After his time in spelling paddock eljay was a bit frisky last night. I feel confident a SST will be placed in 'his' area to make it a 5m walk instead of 42.5 m stroll. Also I suspect on the rare 'big' night there will be an operator there as well......that room's main use is as a dining room with loo's nearby.
  23. Haha Memphis......hope you safe and sound ! Of course there was "Longshot Harry" and "On A Pedestal" too in the FF. Lone Wolf.....may have one race but Lone Hand [Noel Eales] was a handy CD stayer who won Hawkes Bay Cup and often thereabouts in some big races !
  24. One thing for certain......there is a wide range of opinion re the weekly race guide. Older folk speak in raptures about the Friday Flash and the good old days. My Dad and I loved the FF .....the turn and finish photos , the selection tables Dad always took the horse picked by only 1 of the 5 to 12 scribes ......Gloaming ,Templeton , Percy the Place punter ,Cosmic Court , The Joker etc.But jockeys often not shown and not with the fields , track work pretty patchy etc.No recent form for horses.We loved Hoofbeats too...just photos.I bought Bloodhorse.RIP Cozzie ! The latest Raceform /Best Bets available had all this info but better [not photos] ,articles on breeding , personalities ,trainers comments......getting better each week.Distribution wasn't the best initially . Trouble is ,most of us ....certainly those that post on here have been there and done that , we are experts and legends in our own lunchtimes.I meet some of you in TAB's and at races.Some of us relish being keyboard warriors. Some just enjoy winding up others. We resent the journalists who write the stories and then we cry when they become redundant.
  25. Well spotted Mikie. It' a disgrace.......I suspect that the top rated horses in North are very thin on ground and mainly in the 3 or so most influential stables who are generally not to be upset ! Plus they announced that the 2 x top assessed races per night would be run for $12,000. In recent years 4 or less acceptors for 2 yr olds became non-Tote races for $2k stake , at least once there were fixed odds betting ! I see that they have relented on an Amateur event. Get those Nelson/Marlborough stables to lease or sell to the North.I see those Tasman boys doing well in the Rugby at weekend and Marlborough coach had 43,000 jafas cheering for him at Eden Park !