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eastern whipbird

Course irrigation

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I concede right at the start that I speak with vested interest given that my horse broke down but I do wonder just what the rules/guidance for track managers are for course irrigation. Yesterday Wingatui good3 and Te Rapa good2 but both tracks according to the jockeys like concrete. Do they only irrigate if rain is predicted like Trentham pre-Telegaph? What is the average IQ for course managers or CEOs?

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I concede right at the start that I speak with vested interest given that my horse broke down but I do wonder just what the rules/guidance for track managers are for course irrigation. Yesterday Wingatui good3 and Te Rapa good2 but both tracks according to the jockeys like concrete. Do they only irrigate if rain is predicted like Trentham pre-Telegaph? What is the average IQ for course managers or CEOs?

Can only speak for our "local' - when asked about IQ, the reply was something along the lines of " no I wait till there is no-one at the bar, then go up" :D

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Yesterday Wingatui good3 and Te Rapa good2 but both tracks according to the jockeys like concrete.

@wingatui I believe that the sprinklers were used... as they needed to! what with the many days in a row of 24c +! that we have had down here...

damned if you do! damned if you don't! :e:

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Our summer tracks are far too hard for the majority of horses in NZ. If we are aiming to get more starts per horse each season we need to look to racing Victoria; producing dead 4's the morning of the races which race as good 3's come the 1st. We must have more available water than Australia.

Also tends to create a terrible on pace bias.

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I concede right at the start that I speak with vested interest given that my horse broke down but I do wonder just what the rules/guidance for track managers are for course irrigation. Yesterday Wingatui good3 and Te Rapa good2 but both tracks according to the jockeys like concrete. Do they only irrigate if rain is predicted like Trentham pre-Telegaph? What is the average IQ for course managers or CEOs?

It's probably unfair to blame course managers entirely as many are under instruction from committee people, to say nothing of various trainers and others in their ear. That said, this is a seriously poorly managed dysfunction of NZ Racing causing considerable losses both of racedays and horses. Antiquated irrigation systems that are poorly maintained and incapable of simple best practice, either because of the systems or operators, are to blame. Unfortunately the powers that be prefer to 'invest' in and prop up shonky property deals rather than invest in core infrastructure. Among other things, below optimal and poorly timed applications, too high application rates leading to run off to low spots (usually the inside), inability to manage wind variability, inadequate supervision failing to monitor faults etc. happen regularly but no-one cares, maybe no-one knows. There are exceptions, mostly small clubs with one or two racedays, where local farmers voluntarily manage the process and produce first class surfaces year in and year out. Unfortunately there are not many left with this level of expertise in control.

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@wingatui I believe that the sprinklers were used... as they needed to! what with the many days in a row of 24c +! that we have had down here...

damned if you do! damned if you don't! :e:

I believe Wingatui's problem is sprinkler system misses parts of the track which is the main problem at Rangiora, as for track managers they all need to be reading from the same page which means they need to do courses set up specialy for them and there unique problems, only then are we going to see improvment in some tracks.

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I concede right at the start that I speak with vested interest given that my horse broke down but I do wonder just what the rules/guidance for track managers are for course irrigation. Yesterday Wingatui good3 and Te Rapa good2 but both tracks according to the jockeys like concrete. Do they only irrigate if rain is predicted like Trentham pre-Telegaph? What is the average IQ for course managers or CEOs?

While I sympathise with you EW - certainly in regard to the idiotic irrigation of Trentham pre-Telegraph! - I doubt VERY much that Wingatui was 'like concrete' - 1:12.5 for 1200m is hardly indicative of a real hard & fast track. Even Coup Align didn't break 1:10. Dave Macarthy indicated that ' due to the condition of the track' he thought would Coup Align would run a tick over 1:10 - which is exactly what he did.

Sorry about your horse mate;that's tough. But why don't you race it in the other 10 months of the year when tracks are softer? Genuine 'hard & fast' horses only get a couple of months in the year when it really suits them!

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Our summer tracks are far too hard for the majority of horses in NZ. If we are aiming to get more starts per horse each season we need to look to racing Victoria]

This has been a problem for some time now in this country and apparently nothing has been done to address it.

No racetrack should be a good 2 early race morning while there is a massive high situated over the country! Because guess what? It's only going to get harder!

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While I sympathise with you EW - certainly in regard to the idiotic irrigation of Trentham pre-Telegraph! - I doubt VERY much that Wingatui was 'like concrete' - 1:12.5 for 1200m is hardly indicative of a real hard & fast track. Even Coup Align didn't break 1:10. Dave Macarthy indicated that ' due to the condition of the track' he thought would Coup Align would run a tick over 1:10 - which is exactly what he did.

Maybe because that's all he had to run? Looked to be doing pacework. I understood from someone who walked the track that it was in excellent and even condition with a good sole of grass. A perfect summer track.

On a related note though, didn't the course manager train a winner there? Is it ok for someone to own or train a runner on a raceday when they are preparing the course?

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It's probably unfair to blame course managers entirely as many are under instruction from committee people, to say nothing of various trainers and others in their ear. That said, this is a seriously poorly managed dysfunction of NZ Racing causing considerable losses both of racedays and horses. Antiquated irrigation systems that are poorly maintained and incapable of simple best practice, either because of the systems or operators, are to blame. Unfortunately the powers that be prefer to 'invest' in and prop up shonky property deals rather than invest in core infrastructure. Among other things, below optimal and poorly timed applications, too high application rates leading to run off to low spots (usually the inside), inability to manage wind variability, inadequate supervision failing to monitor faults etc. happen regularly but no-one cares, maybe no-one knows. There are exceptions, mostly small clubs with one or two racedays, where local farmers voluntarily manage the process and produce first class surfaces year in and year out. Unfortunately there are not many left with this level of expertise in control.

Excellent summary.

Fully agree with points made, however it still beggars belief that managers et al cannot ' not know' . How can this possibly be?

There has been so much discussion and feedback, both positive and negative, for so long now those in control must have been living in a paper bag.

For the record Wingatui produced a good track with a great sole of grass.

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Excellent summary.

Fully agree with points made, however it still beggars belief that managers et al cannot ' not know' . How can this possibly be?

There has been so much discussion and feedback, both positive and negative, for so long now those in control must have been living in a paper bag.

For the record Wingatui produced a good track with a great sole of grass.

Thanks Freda - yet we still get talk of 'concrete' tracks???

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Tauherinikau is another track that always has a great sole of grass on it so it never gets rock hard.

It's a great little track that is underutilised though I see they have an extra meeting in March this year.

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I concede right at the start that I speak with vested interest given that my horse broke down but I do wonder just what the rules/guidance for track managers are for course irrigation. Yesterday Wingatui good3 and Te Rapa good2 but both tracks according to the jockeys like concrete. Do they only irrigate if rain is predicted like Trentham pre-Telegaph? What is the average IQ for course managers or CEOs?

Where did your horse break down - don't think I saw one break down at Wingatui. They had been irrigating for the last 5 to 6 weeks because of the NW off the taieri plains and the weather like most of it in lower SI for last 4 weeks had been averaging 25 deg +.

Great sole of the grass and the best horses on the day @ Wingatui won - including mine which has a preference for easing conditions.

Love to know who the jockeys you were talking too because consensus was track was perfect.

If there was a problem Mr Pitman would have said so. Apologies about your horse.

Track managers job worst in NZ.

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On the turn. I understand 3 others also had major problems. Pitman would not complain because the track was exactly what he wanted for Coup Align. What I saw on TV did not appear to be the result of irrigation. A few metres off the rail the grass was yellow on the turn.

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On the turn. I understand 3 others also had major problems. Pitman would not complain because the track was exactly what he wanted for Coup Align. What I saw on TV did not appear to be the result of irrigation. A few metres off the rail the grass was yellow on the turn.

my information from a well known jockey to you was that the track was OK for the first 4..good sole of grass but in the day it was a bit firmer...looks like you need the "cut" for your bloke

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On the turn. I understand 3 others also had major problems. Pitman would not complain because the track was exactly what he wanted for Coup Align. What I saw on TV did not appear to be the result of irrigation. A few metres off the rail the grass was yellow on the turn.

Maybe be you should be a course caretaker - sounds like you would do a good job.

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