Otaki off....

[Ohokaman 5,824]

Yet another NZ meeting lost due to the weather, costing the Industry more money it can ill afford to lose.

No doubt this will re-ignite the All Weather track debate, and so it should.

Heard Lance O 'Sullivan this morning on the subject. He mentioned that at Shatin recently they had 5 and a half inches of rain between 5am and 10am. They ran the meeting later in the day and the 1200m race was run in a tick over 1.08.....!!

What is there to debate....really...??!

Just get on with it.....

[Midget 4,489]

You can't waste money on stakes and travel then somehow expect to invest in essential infrastructural assets simultaneously.

 

[Cornelius 94]

barryb: I hope your horse wasnt suppose to be running at Otaki today.

[We're Doomed 4,855]

Otaki is hardly Shatin, and Australia has had more abandoned meetings in recent months than NZ has.

Interesting that with all the uncertainty about tracks that John Bary is the only NI trainer who thought to take a horse down for each of the $30,000 open races on a decent track at Ashburton today. Good on him, I hope he does well.

There is more NI interest in the John Grigg, or whatever name it goes by these days, and hardly surprising given the guineas successes over recent years of horses that had some lead up racing on decent SI tracks.

[We're Doomed 4,855]

1 hour ago, Midget said:

You can't waste money on stakes and travel then somehow expect to invest in essential infrastructural assets simultaneously.

 

I don't really believe there is much money being wasted on stakes. Perhaps only a few races such as the Derby. Not as bad as when we had all of Winston's million dollar races.

Pointless having flash infrastructure and all weather tracks if the stakes are so poor there are no decent horses to race on them. All a bit chicken and egg really.

NZ Racing has limited funding, deteriorating assets and poor management. It's a matter of trying to make the best of what we have. Unfortunately everyone seems to have a different idea how this can be achieved.

[Ohokaman 5,824]

3 minutes ago, We're Doomed said:

Otaki is hardly Shatin, and Australia has had more abandoned meetings in recent months than NZ has.

Interesting that with all the uncertainty about tracks that John Bary is the only NI trainer who thought to take a horse down for each of the $30,000 open races on a decent track at Ashburton today. Good on him, I hope he does well.

There is more NI interest in the John Grigg, or whatever name it goes by these days, and hardly surprising given the guineas successes over recent years of horses that had some lead up racing on decent SI tracks.

Who said it was..??! And given the size, numbers of the Australian Racing scene that is no comparison either.

The need is undeniable. We need an All Weather track, but with the ineffectiveness of the current mob, if they can't get the simple thing right, they probably have no hope of carrying this one off...

[barryb 2,064]

1 hour ago, Cornelius said:

barryb: I hope your horse wasnt suppose to be running at Otaki today.

No, we looked at the long range and gave it away knowing that it was a huge chance of being abandoned.

 

 

[Midget 4,489]

32 minutes ago, We're Doomed said:

I don't really believe there is much money being wasted on stakes. Perhaps only a few races such as the Derby. Not as bad as when we had all of Winston's million dollar races.

Pointless having flash infrastructure and all weather tracks if the stakes are so poor there are no decent horses to race on them. All a bit chicken and egg really.

NZ Racing has limited funding, deteriorating assets and poor management. It's a matter of trying to make the best of what we have. Unfortunately everyone seems to have a different idea how this can be achieved.

You cannot increase revenue and profit unless you sell more product, or sell it at a bigger margin.

Let's agree to forget the latter because the globe is heading the opposite direction, so we need to sell more product, and when you're competing on the global stage ( which you are now with the internet ) you have to have a superior product with all the associated information systems and resources.

You cannot sell a superior product based on what we're currently producing in this country. There is no chicken and egg situation here, we've neglected reinvestment for years because of our preoccupation with stakes, and now we're paying the price of our neglect.

Just ask yourself one question WD, where will you bet today based on the typical criteria, let's say we're using the following, track, horses, media, information, transparency, accountability, professionalism and resources at your disposal.

Now you consider your choices, Rotorua, Ashburton, Sydney or Caulfield.

 

 

[We're Doomed 4,855]

I do agree totally midget. Some clubs such as Ashburton, Greymouth, Taranaki, Ellerslie, Riccarton were lucky enough to have facilities funded by the old Racing Board back in the late 80s, early 90s, most others have missed out. And even then very little was spent on racing surfaces.

I do tend to do most of my betting in Victoria as I find the form easier to follow. For someone who doesn't watch all of the midweek racing here in NZ form is impossible to follow. If I sit down on a saturday to assess a race and it has a mix of horses coming out of $7,000 races, $20,000 races and $30,000 races and the $7,000 horse is just as likely to win, it becomes impossible. When a $7,000 winner from Matamata can beat a $30,000 winner from Trentham the whole structure is a joke.

I must say though, if I am assessing a race at Caulfield the first horses I tend to eliminate are those with form on the all weather surfaces at Geelong or Pakenham, the next are generally those with form from Moonee Valley.

 

[Midget 4,489]

Don't get confused by our continued references to AW tracks.

I'm not a disciple of the polymer tracks you describe either because they're not aesthetically pleasing.

What we do largely agree on is that the black sand based facilities, or the alternative sand belt options like Ruakaka, offer an exciting option that's reliable, safe and durable whatever the season.

At the premium level we all agree what's described as Strathayr is the answer.

 

[We're Doomed 4,855]

I have never really thought of Ruakaka as exciting.

[Midget 4,489]

3 hours ago, Ohokaman said:

Yet another NZ meeting lost due to the weather, costing the Industry more money it can ill afford to lose.

No doubt this will re-ignite the All Weather track debate, and so it should.

Heard Lance O 'Sullivan this morning on the subject. He mentioned that at Shatin recently they had 5 and a half inches of rain between 5am and 10am. They ran the meeting later in the day and the 1200m race was run in a tick over 1.08.....!!

What is there to debate....really...??!

Just get on with it.....

 

Have been told Pitman was having a go at N Guy about when we are going to get an all-weather track and the reply was you have Addington!

[Ohokaman 5,824]

Correct Midget.....and we wonder why we are going backwards at a rate of knots.....

[Midget 4,489]

1 hour ago, We're Doomed said:

I have never really thought of Ruakaka as exciting.

Noted, but it's reliable during the lesser months, consistently a dead 5 in fact, and it's insanely popular with trainers trying to get horses ready during the transition period between winter and summer.

 

[WhoKnows 791]

To be honest when there is such a great days racing as there is at Caufield today, from a pure punting perspective I couldn't care if there were no NZ meetings today, the presenters, the horses, the commentators, the whole vibe about such a big day is what gets me going.

Now compare that to horses racing on a bog at Rotorua, an abandoned meeting at Otaki, and a semi-decent meeting from Ashburton with mostly sub-standard riders there is no contest to where my money is going today, and it's not here in NZ.

As a punter I would be more confident having a decent bet on a horse racing on an all-weather track where the form can be lined up week to week, rather than all this racing on bog tracks where the form can differ so much from meeting to meeting, it's a no brainer!

[Fiery Falcon 89]

To Who Knows

Move to Australia one less idiot on this site.Then when you are there you can complain about the racing in Australia.Winter racing in NZ its has been like this for years did not see the complaints 40 years ago.I can just see when a AW track is set up here you will all complain they have put it in the wrong place the racing is boring outsiders win

[puha 2,177]

3 hours ago, WhoKnows said:

To be honest when there is such a great days racing as there is at Caufield today, from a pure punting perspective I couldn't care if there were no NZ meetings today, the presenters, the horses, the commentators, the whole vibe about such a big day is what gets me going.

Now compare that to horses racing on a bog at Rotorua, an abandoned meeting at Otaki, and a semi-decent meeting from Ashburton with mostly sub-standard riders there is no contest to where my money is going today, and it's not here in NZ.

As a punter I would be more confident having a decent bet on a horse racing on an all-weather track where the form can be lined up week to week, rather than all this racing on bog tracks where the form can differ so much from meeting to meeting, it's a no brainer!

Lucky it's not all about you . Enjoying both Rotorua and Caulfield today  enjoy the differences it's what makes racing so appealing and challenging.

[HarryHindsight 117]

A form of all weather track with trakus or similar. It won't be any worse than the rubbish currently served up here. NZ racing has been left so far behind , deliberately i guess as it must be cheaper to cram the channels with imported content. 

[scooby3051 10,864]

5 hours ago, WhoKnows said:

To be honest when there is such a great days racing as there is at Caufield today, from a pure punting perspective I couldn't care if there were no NZ meetings today, the presenters, the horses, the commentators, the whole vibe about such a big day is what gets me going.

Now compare that to horses racing on a bog at Rotorua, an abandoned meeting at Otaki, and a semi-decent meeting from Ashburton with mostly sub-standard riders there is no contest to where my money is going today, and it's not here in NZ.

As a punter I would be more confident having a decent bet on a horse racing on an all-weather track where the form can be lined up week to week, rather than all this racing on bog tracks where the form can differ so much from meeting to meeting, it's a no brainer!

As my father used to say.... geez you would moan if your arse was on fire....... I would just give up the punting you will give yourself an ulcer....!!!

[Peter Harrop 226]

So we put an all weather track at, let's say, Matamata. What then? Do we ring up all the trainers on Friday afternoon and advise them they have to transport their horses to Matamata instead of Otaki? Then they have to find staff at short notice. Then there's the clash with nearby Rotorua. Then everyone who punted midweek based on the races being run on a heavy Otaki will need their bets refunded. Then the bookies will need to reset the odds. Then horses will scratch due to them not be suitable to all weather. Then they have to try and find some chips and hotdogs from somewhere ... and so on.

I would have thought it would be easier to scrub the meeting rather than shift it at short notice to wherever the all weather venue is.

[Leggy 4,076]

22 minutes ago, hesi said:

No, there needs to be an ongoing industry wide upgrading of key facilities and tracks, a plan of which should have been in place and being enacted upon years ago.

 

True. I think the other two codes have done and are doing a much better job of this.

[von Smallhaussen 3,226]

1 hour ago, hesi said:

No, there needs to be an ongoing industry wide upgrading of key facilities and tracks, a plan of which should have been in place and being enacted upon years ago.

 

Purcell told us all that it would take 5 years to just change the meeting programmes on the current tracks we have. Don't confuse them with stuff that would take a lot longer. No-one lives to be 250 ya know 

[Ohokaman 5,824]

He should be ready to retire by then Von.....convenient eh.....

[biff 2,158]

9 hours ago, Peter Harrop said:

So we put an all weather track at, let's say, Matamata. What then? Do we ring up all the trainers on Friday afternoon and advise them they have to transport their horses to Matamata instead of Otaki? Then they have to find staff at short notice. Then there's the clash with nearby Rotorua. Then everyone who punted midweek based on the races being run on a heavy Otaki will need their bets refunded. Then the bookies will need to reset the odds. Then horses will scratch due to them not be suitable to all weather. Then they have to try and find some chips and hotdogs from somewhere ... and so on.

I would have thought it would be easier to scrub the meeting rather than shift it at short notice to wherever the all weather venue is.

Why? they do it at Geelong? and Pakenham now, it was the owners and trainers saviour......don't knock it til you've tried it.

[biff 2,158]

You must have plenty of money Peter, not too many disgruntled trainers in MEL that I know, it's been in action [all weather's] over the ditch for many years now, and there were knockers when it kicked off, you know, the doubting Thomas types.......nothing wrong with them as betting mediums either, but by gee, as a trainer if I'm confronted with losing the chance of revenue or travelling a bit to an all weather, it's a no brainer......pick up the phone and give a few Brit trainers a call, anyone at Newmarket like, they have an all weather to work on every day, and the horses are used to it, but in any case there are so many all weather's there as they acknowledged early their climate demanded it, here it's all about lack of funds, and indifference to a strange surface......some horses wont cop it, the kick back, etc.......but the majority should rule, not the minority. 

If the meetings are a late transfer, there should be extra travel subsidies and accom payments etc......geezus; it's not hard, think outside the box. NZ used to be full of bright sparks, like AJ Hackett........now there's food for thought, but until someone grabs the rope and jumps, knowing/trusting the bungee will bring them back safely it will always be 3rd world NZ, laughing stock to innovative, go forward racing nations......South Africa, Latin America and Asia just to name a few have all weathers', The Poms for ages and AUS for ages, but NZ, lagging, as usual, excuse after excuse while revenue goes out the window.....much needed revenue too, good people have left the industry, I wonder how many would have stayed here should racing management been different?