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

The Best and Worst Tracks In The North

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OK So Ruakaka is a great winter surface but a long and expensive exercise to get a horse there.

 

Te Rapa's probably undisputed the best surface otherwise if you're looking for a reasonable winter track.

 

But what of the others ?

 

Avondale I understand has had some sand slitting done and did seem surprisingly good on Friday especially considering the amount of rain on it.

 

What has been done at Matamata - Anybody know if the drainage has had anything done with it ?

 

Te Aroha

Pukekohe

Ellerslie

 

Waipa

Tauranga

Rotorua

 

Dargaville

Thames

Cambridge

 

Taupo and Te Teko usually provide reasonable ground don't they ?

I know they don't race or trial there often.

 

It would be interesting to read cafers comments.

Who knows or would like to nominate their best and worse surfaces after Te Rapa and Ruakaka ?

And maybe let us all know what work if any has been done recently.

 

 

 

 

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Guest 2Admin2

You are wrong about Ruakaka and Te Rapa unfortunately. A good horse doesn't like sand kicked in his face.

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skoota...

 

Where have you taken your nom de plume from?

I ask because, if my memory serves me well, there was a horse by this name that, in the early seventies, enjoyed racing at Trentham in the wet.

Please pardon my impudence in asking.

 

All the best.

Ashoka

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Hi Ashoka & Ted,

 

Skoota did win the Parliamentary in 1972 with J F Grylls aboard and it was a bog - just how he liked it.

 

He would not have been impressed with sand slitting, synthetic tracks or even drainage that's for sure.

 

The year he won the Parliamentary they had straw down in the birdcage !

 

Pleased to hear I'm not the only one that remembers him :).

 

That's where my name came from - I must be getting old

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You are wrong about Ruakaka and Te Rapa unfortunately. A good horse doesn't like sand kicked in his face.

Or getting it  their ears apparently . One horse ran a shocker at Te Rapa for that very reason, good for those who were aware of the problem . as he won a week later by 5 lengths and paid $ 10. 

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I think Rotorua best track surface

Trentham the worst on what i've seen could be wrong though

Has Rotorua  improved ?   I remember being told by the  race course inspector it was always  really bad,  as it had dips in turf  and was pretty shocking  He reckoned it was sort of wave like. That was a few years ago when we still had those blokes though. 

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skoota...

 

Where have you taken your nom de plume from?

I ask because, if my memory serves me well, there was a horse by this name that, in the early seventies, enjoyed racing at Trentham in the wet.

Please pardon my impudence in asking.

 

All the best.

Ashoka

Trained by Russell Jones near Hawera.

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..love Rotorua..except when a true "Good".

 

love Tauranga..as when they first raced on the newly renovated surface...they recomissioned too early, and that's found the track tricky when any moisture's been about [because the first too sooner meeting aback, was on rain affected ground and it sinceforth's become an orthodox form appraisal nightmare..which i actually enjoy finding the particular animal suited To those conditions]

 

Ellerslie ain't too flash, and i like it best when yielded at all..right through to very heavy.

 

Love Avondale..but you need a rider to know how to ride the arena.

 

Like Hastings, but the more the rail's out..the less i like it as riders And or the dictated off'f the front tends to find many unsuited and out of the money i find.

 

love Tauherenikau in all conditions.

 

Love Trentham fullstop!

 

don't much like Awapuni., Used to...but the sand in the track's ballsed it up over recent years., but i do still get my fair share of long prices there..but it's harder work for less overall profit.

 

don't much like Te Rapa., Used to..but the sand in the track's changed it's reliability for the runners i find that should be suited..but too often aren't., i find a lot of horses don't run up to the form of gathering i expect from them on the day.

 

don't like Ruakaka at all., it'd be the one track i have to really think hard about finding any confidence for any one runner., and if you happen to find one that'll travel well on it, then more often than not, other riders and their mounts will balls you up., horses don't like sand in their faces..and plenty can be found flying around the eyes and nostrils There on a particular quotient of moisture in the surface...particularly on a deteriorating track surface.

 

don't like Matamata., too many local yokel coups there., i front up when it's nice and wet though!...even tricky Slow footing i'll at least break even for the day.

 

don't like New Plymouth at all..except for some wet ground days there...when there's an even looking field on paper..as the field to punt on., if the rail's out then it's look out! [or just look on for free]

 

Te Awamutu's about stuffed by now..but i'll usually front up on rain affected footing

 

Love both the East coast venues..except when they're too firm.

 

used to like Paeroa!

 

Like Otaki..and fortunately, the rail's often in the True position...but Loved it in the old days with their false cutaway rail at the top of the home straight!

 

Like Te Teko., like it best when yielded a tad..or worse

 

Like Taupo...same as for Te Teko!

 

Love all the South Island's West Coast circuit!

 

Don't like what Riccarton's become..and dislike the way the track's surface's lead-up are begrudged the punter's knowledges., it's an abomination now

 

Like Timaru and Oamaru except when too firm

 

Love Wingatui

 

Love Cromwell

 

Love Invercargill [Ascot park]

 

Love Omakau

 

..[have i left any out of either Island?]

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Sheesh!

 

Love Te Aroha under all stated conditions

 

Thames i like, but often is too rock hard..but when it gets like that, i just bet small and speculative..except when i've been expecting a horse like Tempelten :) [and Mark Sweeney and his connections were onto how to ride him that day.."Thanks!" professionals]

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Rotorua and Hastings.  For some time now the new track at Rotorua has been very fair with winners coming equally from front and back in spite of the shortish straight and Hastings is generally good in all weathers although there is sometimes a fast lane..

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Stratford

Hawera

Wanganui

 

 

Waterlea

Riverton

Wyndham

Gore

Ashburton

Kurow

 

post-620-0-07668200-1408358185.gif Hahahaaa Lmao  ..(Jeepers Jordan...'bout quarter of th'Country :o )

 

 

Like Stratford under all conditions., like that subtle uphill incline over the final stages...helps to get a strong finisher up as a lot of my selections often are

 

Like Hawera's dour soil content..makes for finding them over the odds easier when there's a bit of kindness in the track

 

Like Wanganui and always have the last near 4 decades., it's can be quite a horse.for.courses track...a combination of the centrifuges it exerts on the beast..and the unique soil type having a bit of natural sand all throughout the subsoils., helps to have an experienced at having ridden the track, jockey., one with a few years on them. Good horses will get up for you here. [and especially suited to the conditions of the day ones Too]

 

Love Waterlea..as the meeting dates always find a yielded surface...and that ensures the form horses on paper [where the race is never run!]...will often find themselves unsuited..or the run they get not suiting nor enabling a competitive enough finish to be mustered., usually have North Island runners there Too...just to make the final field more interesting and subtle to work out.

 

Riverton is one of my favourite tracks., the very old sole'n'sod and lush grasses...always produce a subtle dour surface that suits a certain type of conformation and action..i often get big collects here and love to put on Poker place bets! . . .Love it when it's wet...coz half the field shit themselves :o

 

Love Wyndham on any track condition...nice gentle orthodox bending to the track...balance afforded by the rider is all important here..so that the maximum finish is 'left' or able to be accrued., God~JOHNSON a rider to be on here [not that he isn't Anywhere!]

 

Love Gore Too...when the track's firm, a lot of what i said about Wyndham applies, and when it's wet or wetter...then it's own soil type then suits various suited runners that the mind's eye will get the instinct for...and again, rider balance and patience plotting and uninterupted entry into the finish the requisite.

 

Love Ashburton under any circumstance., it's a big roomy track that finds the skills of the rider important..as the roomy arena will find an athlete out if it's 'done things wrong' during the running [if you've done things wrong or a rider has...then the others that have Not, will be over the top of you in the run to the line.], . .when it gets wet there..it can trip some runners up that've for example., gone well at Riccarton..so the punter expects them to be able to reproduce that competitivity!...but many don't., i.e., it's not a 'given' that they will!

 

Like Kurow Too., it can get pretty firm there in the summer meets., just means there's more onus on rider skills to've afforded their mounts balanced runs off'f heels and the like...as the field'll 'get along' at a strong clip...which the centrifuge of the bendings will tax the athlete too...so riders must be envisioning and riding correctly so as to have any chance of competing with those who've Done so., . .when it's yielded or wetter there...i'll love backing the suited animal same as ever i do.

 

{Edited In} ~Woodville has far fewer meetings than it used to have in the 'hey days'...when it's firm, similar sensibilities apply for riders as expressed in the summary of other tracks i've commented on.,  centrifuge and using that to time when to pull out off'f heels is a factor here turning for home so as to fan Into the race without extravagence., When it's 'very wet'...the soil is a dour test here, with many that handle wet ground elsewhere...don't neccessarily handle it Here. The wide open spaces here can suit a horse doing everything right by the command of the jockey., finding them resolute in their finish to dispute a finish. Another track where some big divies arise..where an athlete'll find themselves a suited runner. (as Chestnut said., it's been a track where some mighty beasts have been trained..by mighty trainers too)

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Hi Ashoka & Ted,

 

Skoota did win the Parliamentary in 1972 with J F Grylls aboard and it was a bog - just how he liked it.

 

He would not have been impressed with sand slitting, synthetic tracks or even drainage that's for sure.

 

The year he won the Parliamentary they had straw down in the birdcage !

 

Pleased to hear I'm not the only one that remembers him :).

 

That's where my name came from - I must be getting old

 

If you're getting old then you're in good company :) .. In the mid 70's I had Skoota's whip on my bedroom wall for a couple of years before I managed to return it to his trainer who was in Hawera - thanks to my addiction to collecting old racing calendars and race books.  I found it on the track at Trentham and cleaned it up.  It had "Skoota" written inside the leather flaps and a lovely silver bit on the handle - nice looking whip.  When I returned it he told me that Skoota had won it as part of a race winners trophy.

 

Hedley.. don't think you've covered Woodville.. great old track and the training ground of many beaut horses, apprentices and trainers over the years.  They have a meeting this Thursday too :)

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So I see the Matamata track has gone from a Heavy 11 to a Heavy 10 from 9am to 3.26pm today (6 1/2 hours).

 

Given that Jim Hickey says it'll be fine from now till raceday (Wednesday) Who'd like to predict what it'll be like by then ? Slow 7 ?

 

Ellerslie was a Heavy 11 at 9am yesterday  At 3.30pm today (No rain since) still a Heavy 11.

New Plymouth over the same period went from a Heavy 10 to a Slow 9.

 

At this time of year which tracks improve the fastest and why ?

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