Top Kiwi trainer calls for action on NZ tracks

[Yir Tiz 223]

ToCourtesy of Pike has slammed the state of New Zealand's racetracks. Photo: Darryl Sherer 

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AAP

08 January 2018

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Courtesy of RACENET

New Zealand Trainer's Association President, Tony Pike, has called on authorities to address the situation which has resulted in six race meetings being called off in a week because of unsafe tracks.

"What can you say, it's just a complete embarrassment for the Industry," Pike told NZ Racing Desk.

"I think we are all aware that the weather can play havoc at times but the circumstances around some of the abandonments in the last week are ridiculous and we just can't carry on like this.

"The livelihoods of so many people are being put in serious jeopardy and I just don't know how much more we can take."

Pike is seeking urgent action from the governing body, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing.

"I have heard there could be a meeting at NZTR this week which just can't come quick enough," he said.

"I'm sure they are aware of just what the implications are for the Industry, so we will be looking to see what comes out of this and how they intend to implement any measures to address the situation."

[Guest 2Admin2]

Going to take 5 to 10 years to fix.  Might be too late.  

My guess is they will pour dosh down the Ellerslie and Te Rapa drains.

[chevy86 2,704]

1 hour ago, Yir Tiz said:

 

"I have heard there could be a meeting at NZTR this week

 

Well that should solve the problem--more piss and wind from the racing illiterate! All good though as Winston downs another Pina Collada with Jonesy in Rarotonga. What problem bros?

[mike28 182]

they should all do what waller done and move to aus before they really get done there's worse coming

[Guest 2Admin2]

28 minutes ago, hesi said:

Ellerslie already are, drains galore, one every 5m, full circumference, full width.

Selling the water to Watercare and that is paying for the cost

That doesn't fix the problem if the soil is stuffed.  They'll end up irrigating more and it will go down the drains.  They'll be BUYING from not SELLING to Watercare.

[We're Doomed 4,855]

The two interesting things are firstly calling on NZTR to do something: surely they have no track record of doing anything and surely they have no money to achieve anything. It is the Racing Board, whatever they are called these days, that needs to take some leadership. And the other thing is him hearing there may be a meeting at NZTR, surely the Trainers Assoc should be invited?

Good to see the trainers doing something. They need to take a lot more leadership and involvement in Racing management as they have more skills than most of the amateur and uninterested people involved at national level these day

[von Smallhaussen 3,226]

being a conspiracy theorist - these abandonments have happened so that the trainers will need every meeting they can get and therefore there will be no strikes. 

[We're Doomed 4,855]

3 minutes ago, von Smallhaussen said:

being a conspiracy theorist - these abandonments have happened so that the trainers will need every meeting they can get and therefore there will be no strikes. 

I don't really understand that. I will have to get one of the more intelligent members of this forum to explain it.

[Chestnut 3,152]

If they stop filling up the holes in the track with sand it might be a good start.   Some tracks have so much sand in them now grass can't really take hold and whatever grass that grows is bad quality.

 

[Peter Harrop 226]

My amateur take on it is that tracks are having so much water put on them that come raceday they cut up, leaving them shifty for following meetings, especially if some natural aqua arrives. It's almost getting to the stage where if there is rain in the forecast, there's a pretty good chance the meeting will be abandoned at some point.

[We're Doomed 4,855]

20 minutes ago, Peter Harrop said:

My amateur take on it is that tracks are having so much water put on them that come raceday they cut up, leaving them shifty for following meetings, especially if some natural aqua arrives. It's almost getting to the stage where if there is rain in the forecast, there's a pretty good chance the meeting will be abandoned at some point.

The trouble is if the track is too firm and it rains on raceday the meeting is history, so hard to win either way.

[Chestnut 3,152]

If they watered too much the grass would be green, but it's not, there are yellow strips in tracks now .. there just aren't enough natural nutrients in the soil anymore, if you can call it that, or natural hold for the grass to bond and create a good sole so they chop out, get slippery, turn to mush in no time at all.   Tracks that are hardly raced on hold together much better because they have better soil make up, less sand, and they get less puggy and they don't break down as quickly on wet race days.    Maybe we need to race on the country tracks a bit more and give the central tracks time to resoil and get their acts together.     I think as long as tracks are decent, and horses get a fair run, on a consistent basis, owners, trainers and punters will be pretty happy.

[Insider 3,947]

31 minutes ago, Chestnut said:

If they stop filling up the holes in the track with sand it might be a good start.   Some tracks have so much sand in them now grass can't really take hold and whatever grass that grows is bad quality.

 

A few years ago I questioned Lyn Biddle, track manager of the WRC, why he was using sand to fill the hoof marks and his response was that, “the turf experts advised him to do it”. Those same experts employed by NZTR, got most of the clubs to do it!

Well I have good news for some of you. When I asked the current track manager at Wellington (Mark Biddle) a few weeks ago about using sand, he stated that they stopped using is when he took over. 

Have you noticed how you now don’t notice the little puffs of dust/sand every few strides at Trentham anymore?

Te Rapa though is the opposite! Other tracks too.

[Turny 1,224]

Issue is wider - racing is fcuked - noone goes and they are only interested in sports betting - your game is anachronistic - take up some other pastime where you actually race - 7 cancellations in 5 days - get a life

[Turny 1,224]

And the Trainers will army up and deal with the issues - Yeah Right - I will drink to that - what a fcuken joke they are

[Turny 1,224]

And the Breeders will do nothing - drink up and will win - odds on

[Turny 1,224]

And Allen & Co will laugh at you all - again

[barryb 2,064]

It’s Monday night in the North Island, most of us have left the grog in the weekend Turny. 

[Turny 1,224]

Barry I suggest you take your meds and hope your dreams burst into reality

[Peter Harrop 226]

1 hour ago, We're Doomed said:

The trouble is if the track is too firm and it rains on raceday the meeting is history, so hard to win either way.

Well, my evidence is anecdotal. Up to a few years ago, tracks were set up for Firm/Good footing in summer. Recently, the directive has been to set up for Dead 4 on race mornings. From this point there appears to have been more cancellations compared to when the tracks were not watered as much. We've also been getting ridiculous situations where meetings are being abandoned, even though there has been no rain. On top of that, some meetings are affected by the track cutting up, with horses going wide to avoid the watered part of the track. I'd expect most punters would like an even surface, preferably a Good 2 or 3, if the weather allows it.

Yea, difficult situation for the track managers though.

[Peter Harrop 226]

Hope all this makes sense.

Ive been keeping records of race times since 1995. I decided to have a look at the fastest 100 times run in NZ over 1200m, 1400m, 1600m and 2000m from those 22 years. Then I counted up the number of instances where a time from the last 3 years (2015-2017) appears on each of those Top 100's.

All things being equal, there should be, on average, 13.6 entries from the 2015-17 period on each Top 100 (ie 3 years divided by 22 years).

This is what I found :

1200 metres : 9 of the top 100 from 2015-17 (should be 13.6 of the top 100)

1400m : 7 out of 100

1600m : 12 out of 100

2000m : 6 out of 100

Counting up all 4 distances and the fastest 100 times of each, there are 34 fast times from the last 3 years when there should be 54.

There is evidence that recorded times over the last 3 years have got slower. So, is this down to increased irrigation, or some other factor?

Maybe the difference is due to changes in the way races are electronically timed? 

[bestbets 206]

Before they decided to throw all this water on tracks to get the dead 4 rating at race start we had tracks with no bais we now have track bais which leaves punters with little confidence in betting hence turnovers decreasing. I always understood racing was meant to have tracks where every horse had equal chance to win. Sadly so many meetings where irrigation is used you have fast an slow lanes a total joke. Ellerslie boxing day not one favorite won. I know of people that do there betting on metro Australian where most runners get there chance to win. The 80s when I was involved in racing I never recall one meeting been called off. How the guard has changed for the worse

[bloke 1,232]

10 hours ago, Insider said:

A few years ago I questioned Lyn Biddle, track manager of the WRC, why he was using sand to fill the hoof marks and his response was that, “the turf experts advised him to do it”. Those same experts employed by NZTR, got most of the clubs to do it!

Well I have good news for some of you. When I asked the current track manager at Wellington (Mark Biddle) a few weeks ago about using sand, he stated that they stopped using is when he took over. 

Have you noticed how you now don’t notice the little puffs of dust/sand every few strides at Trentham anymore?

Te Rapa though is the opposite! Other tracks too.s

 

Gee Liz I would not quote "The Water Boy" Lyn Biddle, his record was appalling. However, his son has done an excellent job, I suspect doing the opposite to his father

 

[bazach 133]

What has changed that has caused many more meetings to be cancelled than in previous decades, is (in my view), 'Worksafe' legislation, ie The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. In effect, even volunteer 'officers' of a racing club are potentially liable to be prosecuted following a death or serious injury. In previous decades (before Health and Safety legislation became such a big issue) was it not mainly jockeys who decided whether they would continue to ride or not?  Although H&S is very important, it's not difficult to see numerous examples of H&S going overboard and the 'nanny' state prevailing. It's not therefore surprizing to see race day officials having little option but to call off meetings at the first sign of a horse slipping.

We can't change the legislation, so the big question is, how to make the tracks we are going to retain for the future, safer?

 

[CommonSensical 68]

3 hours ago, bestbets said:

Before they decided to throw all this water on tracks to get the dead 4 rating at race start we had tracks with no bais we now have track bais which leaves punters with little confidence in betting hence turnovers decreasing. I always understood racing was meant to have tracks where every horse had equal chance to win. Sadly so many meetings where irrigation is used you have fast an slow lanes a total joke. Ellerslie boxing day not one favorite won. I know of people that do there betting on metro Australian where most runners get there chance to win. The 80s when I was involved in racing I never recall one meeting been called off. How the guard has changed for the worse

I would have to agree , very few abandonments 20 years ago and little or no Irrigation!  Irrigation cant be applied consistently, there has to be softer patches on the inside of track, also where the circular spread overlaps and right in the middle . Is that not Dangerous? Why carry on this process?  Irrigation causes the root system to develop on top of ground causing a hard pan a few cm down. This would have to be dangerous it is like running on a mat on a varnished floor. Tracks without irrigation have a deep root system which actually keeps the soil fractured rather than rock hard. Who actually demanded that horses  race on nothing harder than dead4 tracks  in summer ?