tim vince 985 Report post Posted June 2, 2019 Tasman man kept up his amazing record as an owner another group one one the wall.wahoo scooby3051 and JJ Flash 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasman man 11 979 Report post Posted June 2, 2019 12 hours ago, Everton said: Seriously !!! .. you can tell by the lack of enthusiasm on this thread how exciting it was. Honesty and respect for harness racing would be at an all time low. I see things a little different. At the Jewels yesterday a contributor to this forum when it was set up said what a great idea it was for like minded people to discuss the sport/industry they love. Social media ,including this forum ,are now mainly used to point out every negative ,mistake or to denigrate individuals. To many ,this is a turn off ,especially when the key board warriors are those who claim to love the industry. Misery loves company ,and for some reason many feed on the negativity of others . So the industry tends to eat itself up from the inside. There are many challenges as horse racing is basically dependant on 'gambling' which is viewed dimly by many and faces much competition . No longer is racing part of our DNA. The Jewels is one of the few days on the calendar when Harness racing can show case itself. The weather intervened ,always a risk in June especially in the South Island.....and the fact that the day proceeded on time was a real tribute to the facilities ,the track itself and the people . The people involved with the day put on a fantastic showcase in atrocious conditions and the day seemed to go off very smoothly. Preparation seemed very thorough and in very trying conditions they performed extremely well. Ive been to many Jewels and thought it was a step up in many ways......the trainers and horse people just rolled up their sleeves and turned on a show .The race books were excellent ,the food and coffee etc outstanding , racing was exciting and on time ,the coverage ,filming , communications were top-class and the excellent entertainment did its best to soldier on. I had trouble performing my best dances as puddles on the dance lawn and the fact my shoes filled with water before the first race slowed me down a bit. Boys Get Paid [BGP] were in attendance as were many harness enthusiasts from all around NZ and parts of Australia. I spoke to dozens of folk involved with horses and all were pleased to be part of the day.......it was exciting to be part of. Its a shame the weather had a crack at washing the whole thing out !! My only query would be the starter.....how can he continually allow horses to have second chances when they just fire up the others doing things right...and why don't they make the perennial trouble makers UNRULY ! Lee270744, JJ Flash, what a post and 2 others 3 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasman man 11 979 Report post Posted June 2, 2019 5 hours ago, tim vince said: Tasman man kept up his amazing record as an owner another group one one the wall.wahoo Cheers Tim ...it was nice to get a bit of luck this year after 2018 when it was mostly bad luck.From the excellent filming/ coverage I doubt if it was able to guage how bad the weather was. Very heavy rain , serious wind and freezing cold...ZERO.....the camera people were remarkable ,wrapped in plastic bags. The track stood up real well and of course the covered barn right next to track a real winner. As usual the trainers and strappers did a great job ,helping others by walking horses and escorting them to swab box etc...chipping in. No complaints at all ,everyone was quite excited, it seems, to be involved. Let's try and get a couple qualified for next year ! The Northern horses ,trainers and drivers were very prominent and did well. Racing was great ,despite the conditions and there were some very close finishes . Personally I thought it was a step up , even though weather tried to ruin the day. A great vibe to the day IMO. You can't imagine how bad that weather was ,especially prior to the start ......walking in, the water was lapping into my shoes ! Lee270744, Iraklis, westview and 1 other 2 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Piper 408 Report post Posted June 2, 2019 11 hours ago, tasman man 11 said: I see things a little different. At the Jewels yesterday a contributor to this forum when it was set up said what a great idea it was for like minded people to discuss the sport/industry they love. Social media ,including this forum ,are now mainly used to point out every negative ,mistake or to denigrate individuals. To many ,this is a turn off ,especially when the key board warriors are those who claim to love the industry. Misery loves company ,and for some reason many feed on the negativity of others . So the industry tends to eat itself up from the inside. There are many challenges as horse racing is basically dependant on 'gambling' which is viewed dimly by many and faces much competition . No longer is racing part of our DNA. The Jewels is one of the few days on the calendar when Harness racing can show case itself. The weather intervened ,always a risk in June especially in the South Island.....and the fact that the day proceeded on time was a real tribute to the facilities ,the track itself and the people . The people involved with the day put on a fantastic showcase in atrocious conditions and the day seemed to go off very smoothly. Preparation seemed very thorough and in very trying conditions they performed extremely well. Ive been to many Jewels and thought it was a step up in many ways......the trainers and horse people just rolled up their sleeves and turned on a show .The race books were excellent ,the food and coffee etc outstanding , racing was exciting and on time ,the coverage ,filming , communications were top-class and the excellent entertainment did its best to soldier on. I had trouble performing my best dances as puddles on the dance lawn and the fact my shoes filled with water before the first race slowed me down a bit. Boys Get Paid [BGP] were in attendance as were many harness enthusiasts from all around NZ and parts of Australia. I spoke to dozens of folk involved with horses and all were pleased to be part of the day.......it was exciting to be part of. Its a shame the weather had a crack at washing the whole thing out !! My only query would be the starter.....how can he continually allow horses to have second chances when they just fire up the others doing things right...and why don't they make the perennial trouble makers UNRULY ! Have you seen the lastest anti gambling advert on TV. Racing to the fore.Havn't seen any other gambling medium shown as yet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eljay 1,720 Report post Posted June 2, 2019 In view of the weather, how was the attendance TM? I know it was mainly pre sold but did the weathaer seriously affect the "walk up" attendance which usually mainly punters? Nowadays while attendance is always a plus it is the $$$$$$$ that count in all sporting fixtures. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eljay 1,720 Report post Posted June 2, 2019 Also TM, was Winston there? Did he make a speech? And if so what (if anything) did he promise which would particularly benefit harness racing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasman man 11 979 Report post Posted June 2, 2019 13 minutes ago, eljay said: Also TM, was Winston there? Did he make a speech? And if so what (if anything) did he promise which would particularly benefit harness racing? Doubt it.....it's hard to believe how adverse the conditions were ,few people moved around and presentations etc just done inside yet speeches etc on the excellent sound system.Folk just didn't move around the weather was wet and numbing ,water everywhere even taxis who tried to drop by door ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim vince 985 Report post Posted June 3, 2019 Is there a better time for it on the CALENDAR? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasman man 11 979 Report post Posted June 3, 2019 2 hours ago, tim vince said: Is there a better time for it on the CALENDAR? Not really cos its a grand final situation. All the other Group 1's for 2,3 and 4 yr olds are spread over the calendar and this is the final fling for the season. And as its contested by the biggest earners its something that you build up to. Sure a few of the qualifiers drop out ,are injured or need a spell but I think the concept is sound. It was designed originally to be shared around provincial tracks but really facilities and ability to run a 'showcase ' day doesn't really allow that. But the theory was sound. With June weather what it is ,especially in South ,it was bound to become an issue at some stage. The very first year [ in Ashburton ] a big issue was averted by a few days when on the Wednesday the track was covered in snow ! JJ Flash and Thejanitor 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasman man 11 979 Report post Posted June 3, 2019 7 hours ago, eljay said: In view of the weather, how was the attendance TM? I know it was mainly pre sold but did the weathaer seriously affect the "walk up" attendance which usually mainly punters? Nowadays while attendance is always a plus it is the $$$$$$$ that count in all sporting fixtures. I'm sure the weather put off a good percentage of the potential walk up crowd ........it WAS that bad ! As a few posted on here , the day looked in doubt...I seriously wondered if the track would be usable and thought there could be a delay of up to 2 hours while the weather bomber ran out of steam.The forecast suggested things would get better. They did marginally. But Eljay ,as you say there was a lot of pre-sold attendance and I note a lot of people bet on their phones nowadays. The small punter is not too important when it comes to punting numbers ,John Allen confirmed this. Elite punters ,gold ,silver and bronze are the ones that matter.! The top 2% do over 56% of the turnover. Them the FACTS ! If you and your mates get washed out the door ......who cares ! And the TAB has lost a few of their huge punters recently ! JJ Flash 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Piper 408 Report post Posted June 3, 2019 4 hours ago, tasman man 11 said: Not really cos its a grand final situation. All the other Group 1's for 2,3 and 4 yr olds are spread over the calendar and this is the final fling for the season. And as its contested by the biggest earners its something that you build up to. Sure a few of the qualifiers drop out ,are injured or need a spell but I think the concept is sound. It was designed originally to be shared around provincial tracks but really facilities and ability to run a 'showcase ' day doesn't really allow that. But the theory was sound. With June weather what it is ,especially in South ,it was bound to become an issue at some stage. The very first year [ in Ashburton ] a big issue was averted by a few days when on the Wednesday the track was covered in snow ! We had snow here in Nth Canterbury on Saturday morning but didn't last all that long where I am but it did settled in Oxford so very lucky it stayed away from the track. JJ Flash 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iraklis 2,231 Report post Posted June 3, 2019 2piper, I reckon those one arm bandits are far, far, worse than horse racing (re the anti gamblin ad), some of the things I've seen up at Sky City re those machines is absolutely disgustin! yuh don't get/see that bullshit at racecourses..... Cheers Iraklis Thejanitor, Rusty and JJ Flash 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eclipsed 250 Report post Posted June 4, 2019 have to agree with Tasman Man's comments - the Met did it really well. Went for the whole day and there was a real event buzz to it. The food, service and facilities in our area were superb. The new CEO was out and about talking with people - making sure they got what they paid for. And hats off the The Whale for selecting 30/1 shot Bolt For Brilliance on the box seat on Wednesday night in his 4 selections in race 2. Just a shame to fritter all of those winnings away by the time day was over My understanding is that overall turnover year on year ( Vs Cambridge) was up by almost $200k on a $2.5million total. Will definitely be there again in 2 years time. Thejanitor, Hermione, westview and 1 other 2 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasman man 11 979 Report post Posted June 4, 2019 4 hours ago, Eclipsed said: have to agree with Tasman Man's comments - the Met did it really well. Went for the whole day and there was a real event buzz to it. The food, service and facilities in our area were superb. The new CEO was out and about talking with people - making sure they got what they paid for. And hats off the The Whale for selecting 30/1 shot Bolt For Brilliance on the box seat on Wednesday night in his 4 selections in race 2. Just a shame to fritter all of those winnings away by the time day was over My understanding is that overall turnover year on year ( Vs Cambridge) was up by almost $200k on a $2.5million total. Will definitely be there again in 2 years time. And I noticed Nigel the Westview man doing sterling work in a number of roles. Firstly ,his witches syndicate was in glowing form and attendance , their horse ran a valiant second , and he was out in the elements ensuring after race rituals were carried out as planned during the rest of the day ! Great job westview.......well done ! Thejanitor, JJ Flash, chelseacol and 1 other 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelseacol 2,488 Report post Posted June 4, 2019 9 hours ago, tasman man 11 said: And I noticed Nigel the Westview man doing sterling work in a number of roles. Firstly ,his witches syndicate was in glowing form and attendance , their horse ran a valiant second , and he was out in the elements ensuring after race rituals were carried out as planned during the rest of the day ! Great job westview.......well done ! Well said Tasman Nigel certainly loves the game and puts in the hard yards - as does Belinda. tasman man 11 and JJ Flash 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westview 155 Report post Posted June 5, 2019 19 hours ago, tasman man 11 said: And I noticed Nigel the Westview man doing sterling work in a number of roles. Firstly ,his witches syndicate was in glowing form and attendance , their horse ran a valiant second , and he was out in the elements ensuring after race rituals were carried out as planned during the rest of the day ! Great job westview.......well done ! Cheers Tasman and Col , the highlight on the day for me was the cheer Spellbound got when she was called in second. On the day 675 owners were represented on the track of which 250 were involved with Spellbound , next year I want 350. lamour, JJ Flash, chelseacol and 3 others 5 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Flash 2,137 Report post Posted June 5, 2019 Just like the Tbs it's clear that syndication gets more people involved in the sport both in terms of on and off course participation. Well done to team Westview on Spellbound placing Greg Thejanitor and chelseacol 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...