Yet Another Abandonment

[Guest 2Admin2]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101983761/Popular-Castlepoint-beach-races-cancelled?cid=app-android

[Pam Robson 1,551]

And here was I thinking Mr Bidlake was taking the p......

[von Smallhaussen 3,226]

Foxton trials canned - not enough entries and Trentham this Saturday 8 races 73 nom's = chickens/roost?

[Insider 3,960]

8 hours ago, von Smallhaussen said:

Foxton trials canned - not enough entries and Trentham this Saturday 8 races 73 nom's = chickens/roost?

Don’t worry the fields at Trentham the following week will be fantastic. Just you wait and see Von!

[puha 2,177]

16 hours ago, von Smallhaussen said:

Foxton trials canned - not enough entries and Trentham this Saturday 8 races 73 nom's = chickens/roost?

Bound to be a fair few extra noms today

[Huey 2,037]

Castlepoint Beach Races to be transferred to Otaki???

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Huey said:

Castlepoint Beach Races to be transferred to Otaki???

Not quite enough sand.

[Blue 1,099]

1 hour ago, 2Admin2 said:

Not quite enough sand.

They're going to run them down the main street Admin. We'll see how the track plays after the first couple of races.

[100 1 1,386]

So why would they irrigate last night when there is rain around?

Do they want more scratchings and reduce field size and erode punter confidence?

Rain radar showing rain ATM.

 

Auckland RC | Saturday 10 March

8 Mar

Thursday Morning
Weather: Overcast | 1mm Rain Overnight | 10mm Irrigation Applied Overnight
Track: Good 3
Rail: Out 2.5m from 1000m-400m (Home Bend) | Remainder True Position 
Weather and Track updated at 8.53am Thursday 8 March

[Blind Squirrel 315]

31 minutes ago, 100 1 said:

So why would they irrigate last night when there is rain around?

Do they want more scratchings and reduce field size and erode punter confidence?

Rain radar showing rain ATM.

 

Auckland RC | Saturday 10 March

8 Mar

Thursday Morning
Weather: Overcast | 1mm Rain Overnight | 10mm Irrigation Applied Overnight
Track: Good 3
Rail: Out 2.5m from 1000m-400m (Home Bend) | Remainder True Position 
Weather and Track updated at 8.53am Thursday 8 March

If you had followed the weather forecasts from Monday, significant rain was promised on both Tuesday and Wednesday - it didn't arrive so what were they to do - Cross their fingers and not irrigate and run on a Good 1 if the rain didn't come or take the sensible option and apply something to try and mitigate for what may or may not arrive.

Damned if they do and damned if they don't - who wants to be a track manager!

[100 1 1,386]

56 minutes ago, Blind Squirrel said:

If you had followed the weather forecasts from Monday, significant rain was promised on both Tuesday and Wednesday - it didn't arrive so what were they to do - Cross their fingers and not irrigate and run on a Good 1 if the rain didn't come or take the sensible option and apply something to try and mitigate for what may or may not arrive.

Damned if they do and damned if they don't - who wants to be a track manager!

Na ....over watering is the punters curse .... give us G1 every time

Every racetrack has double the NZ rainfall....no wonder they have drainage problems.

Should ban irrigation March - Dec

[100 1 1,386]

This is the point I’m trying to make and would love to be proven wrong.

Now if you were to compare the turf at Ellerslie on the infield golf course with turf on the course proper right at this point which would be in the better condition?

If the infield turf was on the course proper now would they be doing an expensive upgrade?

The course proper should be in far better condition because ….previous drainage works, draining camber, elevated, sand, fertiliser, maintenance etc.

By comparison the infield turf is low lying and less maintenance.

Now the difference as I see it is the irrigation.

Irrigation encourages shallow grass roots and weeds.

Natural rainfall encourages deep grass roots and consolidation.

Hope I’m wrong but in IMO since the implementation of irrigation tracks have deteriorated over the years…resulting in more abandonments and poor spectacles.

Also watching horses scout for better ground degrades local racing let alone reducing turnover due to uncertainty.

Therefore I would restrict irrigation to only Jan and Feb to prevent dieback.

Am I completely wrong?

[Gruff 2,800]

Hard to make an assessment without knowing all the facts 100. I know in household drainage the council make you put on that ‘filter sock’ which clogs up with clay residue and only allows water to run around the scoria instead of in your novacoil in your trench which in time silts up then you have flooded basements,they also use it under roads and the jury’s out on how  they are performing racetracks? Tough gig