Auckland

[legs&lashes 188]

After having a few days to think about the happenings at Auckland on Sunday I have come up with what I think are the major problems.

Firstly why is the track being prepared for racing on the morning of the races? I believe it is a catalyst for concern and critisizim from trainers when they see it in this state.Also there is absolutely no way a track should be prepared for racing that close to a meeting.I understand the curator does not work Saturdays which to me seems rediculous when the club races Sundays.

Secondly I noticed when the tractor was going around it was shuddering up and down in places which obviously means the track surface is uneven.If anyone has the dogzone recorded you will see it on there.I believe if the tractor is doing this it means there are hard soft patches all round the track and a slight unevenness.John did say the track gets laser levelled 3 times a year which is a must for all tracks.

Thirdly I don't know why I have never noticed this before but looking down the back straight form the sprint boxes the rail disappears into a "corner".In my opinion that is causing a lot of the interference on that  bend.I think there is an urgent need for a transitional bend to be put in.

The greyhound tracks are the engine room of this sport and should and must be the major focus for this industry to continue to survive and prosper.

NZGRA must find some industry money and get to work on providing safer tracks and improve how our tracks are curated.

These are just my opinions but would like some constructive feedback.

AC

 

 

[WhoKnows 791]

I totally agree with what you are saying in regards to preparing the track on race morning only, this is supposed to be a professional sport and we seem to have the old 'she will be right' attitude in regards to track preparation.

Its not sufficient to just turn up a few hours before the races start and drive around the track a few times, which many clubs seem to think is enough.

You go to Sandown or The Meadows and the track curators are there for hours after the last race doing the track up, over here they just want to get home as soon as possible.

This is why a national curator position will not work in my opinion as there is no way they can keep an eye on all 6 tracks around the country at once, we need a REAL track curator from Australia to come over that can go and meet our curators and give some advice on how to prepare our tracks up to the required standard.

I believe we do have the people that can do the job, but they have to realise that this not just a hobby anymore and they need to get their skills up to scratch or move on so we can get people that can do the job properly.