Field Sizes and Stakes

[We're Doomed 4,884]

Gee, looking at some of the appalling fields in NZ this weekend it is obvious the problem is not stakes.

You do seriously have to ask whether Otaki is an appropriate venue for a group one race. Even if the feature race is a fair field, helped out by a couple of Southerners and a winner from Gisborne, the supporting races are a bit of an embarrassment on a group one day

[puha 2,177]

Winner from Gisborne is drawing a long bow but yes weak supporting races. Time of year too end of summer / Autumn transition.

[Trump 2,741]

Otaki Group 1 racing ? A bit like having a G1 at Tallangatta. Not much difference in population. You have to ask in a modern world, " Should Group 1 races be confined to the major carnivals at major tracks? ". I think so. Name one G1 race in Oz that's raced on a country track, in a town (village?) of about 5000 pop. It's time to take the political bull dust out of the programming, show some leadership and rewrite the script in NZ. 

[brucee 2]

The field sizes at Otaki and Matamata are appalling in terms of size. Sponsors for races and the stakes are pretty good will question their commitment in future years. Taranaki suffered last week too with the double up with Auckland. The fixtures people together with trainers have to shoulder the blame. When you see numbers of horses at the trials many should be targeting the better stakes races. Hence it flies in face of argument we need better stakes(and we do).

Sort the scheduling and planning please especially in summer/autumn

[von Smallhaussen 3,226]

for me - there should not be so many Group races late summer when tracks are naturally at their driest or artificially watered, and we know what happens then.

[Huey 2,037]

27 minutes ago, brucee said:

The field sizes at Otaki and Matamata are appalling in terms of size. Sponsors for races and the stakes are pretty good will question their commitment in future years. Taranaki suffered last week too with the double up with Auckland. The fixtures people together with trainers have to shoulder the blame. When you see numbers of horses at the trials many should be targeting the better stakes races. Hence it flies in face of argument we need better stakes(and we do).

Sort the scheduling and planning please especially in summer/autumn

We need better spread of stakes imo, not necessarily these increases we are seeing on these feature meetings on a Saturday.

If you don't look after the base that supports the field sizes and horses in work for these types of days then where do they expect them to come from?  

Window dressing this industry will continue to ruin it.

[biff 2,158]

24 minutes ago, von Smallhaussen said:

for me - there should not be so many Group races late summer when tracks are naturally at their driest or artificially watered, and we know what happens then.

Too much common sense, off to the naughty corner.

[We're Doomed 4,884]

40 minutes ago, Huey said:

We need better spread of stakes imo, not necessarily these increases we are seeing on these feature meetings on a Saturday.

If you don't look after the base that supports the field sizes and horses in work for these types of days then where do they expect them to come from?  

Window dressing this industry will continue to ruin it.

Yes. You are totally correct. The current spread is wrong.

[The Rock My Soul 11]

This is the "Age old Chestnut" and a fundamental problem that remains in NZ Racing.

Yesterday we were winners in a rating 85 $25,000 race, over the moon and delighted of course. We only beat 5 others in what ostensibly is a "going through the grades race". The same sort of race could have been on a Tuesday at Waikickamoocow for $8,000? May have been 6 or there may have been a doz lining up?

The pity and my point is having started in many races of going through or trying to go through the grades where a 3rd, 4th or 5th is only achieved and such a small return in stakes comes, leaves such a disappointing taste V's costs of getting to the race being the same.

Why would it not be a silly idea to have a sound but increased limit of X $$$$$ for Maidens, R65, 75 and even perhaps R85? For these horses it's all about going through the grades. If the horse is only an average battler, it hopefully will still be covering at least the costs of going to the races. Coming up at Ellerslie, 50K is on offer for such races, still a chance and based on the 25k of yesterday that only 6 or 7 will turn up.

I'm sure there will still be highs & lows of numbers, but it will never be about the actual stake. For running 4th should not be a financial imposition on taking a horse to the races where place money received is only, equal to less than the horse even departing the trainers premises?