eljay 1,720 Report post Posted May 18, 2015 ATC Announces huge stakes boost 10:06 PM 11 Feb 2014 Alexandra Park The Auckland Trotting Club is boosting regular stakes by 20 per cent across the board as it fulfills its promise to support all sectors of the harness racing industry. ATC president Kerry Hoggard said he was thrilled the club was able to confirm the increases to stakes at all its non-premier race meetings from March 14 onwards. The increases will be across the board for all Friday night meetings conducted by the ATC and will cement the club’s stakes as the highest in New Zealand and some of the highest in Australasia. Under the new stakes structure all Friday night ATC meetings will have a combination of races for stakes of $14,999, $12,000 and $10,000 and probably one conditioned race for $8,000. The stakes will be applicable for both pacing and trotting races. “We are proud to announce these increases, especially because these are aimed at the mid and lower grade horses,†said Hoggard. “It means those who take the opportunity to race at regular ATC meetings will be racing for the best stakes in New Zealand.†Hoggard says the increases were part of the ATC plan to put money back into stakes and therefore the pockets of those across all sectors of the industry alongside the club’s recently-announced moves to secure its future through commercial development at Alexandra Park. “In fact we will revisit them next year when we have more certainty about the commercial development prospects at the Park when further increases are possible,†said Hoggard. This week all races $8,000 and if the fields not full no doubt this will be further reduced. What can we believe from them??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim vince 985 Report post Posted May 18, 2015 overall u have to say great news - I have no idea why we are 8 this week. the problem is still the horse numbers and unless influx of south islanders probably wont change- some good programming trying to attract grass horses coming up- but I wonder if most of those horses have been already turned out-- an announcement sticking the races to 10k across the board this week would be nice- the condition races good prob more than 1 would be better.- not a good news machine for the atc as you know but have to give credit where it is due. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eljay 1,720 Report post Posted May 18, 2015 I hope they haven't reduced the stakes just because the good stock is down south - jewels etc. Afterall their release in February said "all". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamour 673 Report post Posted May 19, 2015 The NZMTC pulled a swifty earlier this year when they announced they would put their minimum stake up to $7,000 (from a paultry $5,000 )and pay 2% of the stake to each horse finishing 6th or worse. It sounds good in principle until you realise if they only get 9 runners it effectivley reduces the stake by 10% so a $7,000 race becomes a $6,300 dollar race. A leading trainer told me he thought some of the races that they had run previously for $8,000 had gone down to $7,000 around that time also, so not sure if there was any real increase in stakes at all. Not sure why ATC has $8,000 races this week but to be fair it is the first time for a long time they havn't run with a $10,000 minimum. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnevans 71 Report post Posted May 19, 2015 Hopefully this is a one off as they are advertising their meetings through June and July with their normal higher stakes on the HRNZ site. I have been thinking of taking one or two up to Auckland for the winter racing. The stakes in Canterbury aren't worth racing for this winter. Not worth keeping half decent horses in work I mean. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim vince 985 Report post Posted May 20, 2015 the reason is that is a kumeu date they have taken up- valid u be the judge! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef 74 Report post Posted May 20, 2015 Kumeu date taken by the ATC should mean ATC stakes! Ashoka 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim vince 985 Report post Posted May 20, 2015 hard to argue Ashoka 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef 74 Report post Posted May 20, 2015 I've changed my mind - I'm not allowed to agree with you! Ashoka and Bruce J Hadley 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nslram 80 Report post Posted May 21, 2015 The club doesn't get normal funding for this meeting as it was originally a Kumeu date so the choice was a meeting for reduced stakes or no meeting for this date. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashoka 1,179 Report post Posted May 21, 2015 Nslram... I take it, from your post, that the ATC ran the meeting in accordance with the stakes provided by HRNZ to run the meeting. At face value, this seems fair enough. Please correct me if I have misinterpreted the meaning of your post. However, can you tell us why the Kumeu Club relinquished their date? I know that I should contact the people associated with the said Club in order to obtain this information but I'm lazy and I also don't want to turn this matter into anything that it is not. If you don't wish to oblige in this instance, then fair enough...I understand. All the best. Ashoka Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nslram 80 Report post Posted May 21, 2015 Asoka Kumeu have changed their date to sometime in July I think although not sure of exact date. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashoka 1,179 Report post Posted May 21, 2015 Nslram... Thank you. All the best. Ashoka Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
