RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.
Ludwig

Kurow

Recommended Posts

Great meeting. Once a year, track well maintained by local cockies. The whole town and environs are there and it's a great day out, and a great day's racing.

We raced there a couple of years back and managed a win.

Closing this track would be a shame. There's no reason to do so: it's an iconic part of South Island holiday festivities.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Ludwig said:

I agree entirely. It's grassroots racing at its best. But for some bizarre reason, the powers that be think that getting rid of tracks like this and Omakau, will somehow benefit the industry.

All it will benefit for the 'powers that be' is continue their snouts in troughs at the bigger tracks.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, Pam Robson said:

There will be more racegoers lost to the industry, is all.

How many holidaymakers will bother to go to the 'designated' track to attend the 'Kurow' races?

And by "designated" tracks, what is left? Oamaru ,Waikouaiti?? How to drive people away from the races in one easy lesson.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I imagine that one day rita will come out and quantify the numerous benefits to the industry from closing Kurow. Just as they will explain how winter racing in the south will be better off now that Waimate has gone. I presume stakes at those meetings around where Waimate used to be will now increase because of increased efficiencies. And much the same when all that money is saved from closing Kurow. Just imagine what the Waikouaiti Cup will be worth when they close down Timaru. 

I presume the Timaru licence would have to remain in Canterbury as currently it is the only Canterbury race-meeting for 5 and a half weeks. Must be tough being a Riccarton based trainer if you don't want to travel for four or five hours to race in a $10,000 race, just to get a racing opportunity. As it was, the maiden 1,200m at Timaru had 28 noms, but only 14 got to start; no intention of splitting the field. And on that subject, 69 of the 86 acceptances at Waikouaiti come from Canterbury. Not much interest from Otago or Southland. I do think Otago is perhaps over raced at this time of year.

Interesting too, no maiden stayers races at Wingatui, Timaru or Kurow, so 22 nominate at Waikouaiti and only 12 will get a start. But wait, there is another stayers maiden two days later at Omakau. That's clever isn't it.

I actually blame the trainers for a lot of the problems in the South. South Island racing is so badly run when it comes to dates, racing programmes and the distribution of stakes money that I am stunned that the trainers haven't all got together and said "look, this is hopeless. You people couldn't run a piss up in a brewery". After all it is the trainers lives at stake. God knows how they manage to attract owners when they are surrounded by such gross incompetence. I used the think the average trainer was brighter than the average administrator, but I am beginning to wonder. What do the trainers say when their owners ask them which SI 2yo race they will be setting their syndicated 2yo for over Xmas so all the owners can turn up?

It would be nice if rita could spot where the actual problems are rather than thinking closing Kurow, Waimate and Timaru will solve all of Racing's problems. I must admit, I have virtually given up on anything constructive happening, so for all I know rita may have come out and said something useful already, but I just haven't seen it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

To be fair I don't think the blame for closing those particular tracks can be laid entirely at the feet of RITA.

NZTR are the ones that have been beating those drums from well before the Messara Report.    Alan Jackson has had that notion as a pet fix-it for a good while.  I can actually remember Purcell saying in a meeting of some sort that he [ personally]  was not in favour of forcing tracks to close.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Pam Robson said:

To be fair I don't think the blame for closing those particular tracks can be laid entirely at the feet of RITA.

NZTR are the ones that have been beating those drums from well before the Messara Report.    Alan Jackson has had that notion as a pet fix-it for a good while.  I can actually remember Purcell saying in a meeting of some sort that he [ personally]  was not in favour of forcing tracks to close.

 

You are of course correct Pam, but perhaps rita needs to talk to NZTR and tell them they are doing a very poor job and rita is going to appoint their own manager to oversee NZTR, much the same as is done with dysfunctional schools and health boards. I have no idea if they have the power to do that but they should have.

When you look at how badly NZTR manages dates, programmes and stakes in the SI, which are pretty basic concepts, who on earth would trust them to manage any difficult concepts. There are probably horses in the South that will go through the holiday period without a race, which is disgraceful, especially when you compare it to the likes of Tauherenikau, HB and Tauranga who are happy to go around with tiny fields.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Shad said:

Let's hope the coasters get enough horses fo their circuit 

Today or tomorrow for Kumara decision . They might be struggling with  the uncertainty for NI runners now, Myers stable seem to just be battling at moment a wee bit by their high standards  , Tyler's I'd guess will send a decent team as they could have a right old go on Coast as stable in top nick at moment .

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Red Rum said:

Today or tomorrow for Kumara decision . They might be struggling with  the uncertainty for NI runners now, Myers stable seem to just be battling at moment a wee bit by their high standards  , Tyler's I'd guess will send a decent team as they could have a right old go on Coast as stable in top nick at moment .

Kumara got the green light for track clearance today. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Rusty said:

Kumara got the green light for track clearance today. 

You seem to have the good oil Rusty , now due to the nature of issues at Kumara are there likely to be value for money , bacon sammys , hog roasts and losing tickets draws for hams , I certainly hope so .

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Red Rum said:

You seem to have the good oil Rusty , now due to the nature of issues at Kumara are there likely to be value for money , bacon sammys , hog roasts and losing tickets draws for hams , I certainly hope so .

Mate I just received an email this arvo saying exactly that. 

I don't know, it could be good oil like you say, or it could just be spam. 

20191229_213009.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, We're Doomed said:

 

When you look at how badly NZTR manages dates, programmes and stakes in the SI, which are pretty basic concepts, who on earth would trust them to manage any difficult concepts. 

That's been exactly my point for ages.

How can they possibly be trusted to make the right decisions given their track record.?

And as for your earlier comment about trainers,  just think about herding cats.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Rusty said:

Mate I just received an email this arvo saying exactly that. 

I don't know, it could be good oil like you say, or it could just be spam. 

20191229_213009.jpg

As John Cleese the cafe owner said , you can have spam and eggs , spam and chips , chips eggs and spam, chips spam eggs spam , eggs spam chips spam or my all time favorite after a game of football as a kid spam spam spam and spam.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Pam Robson said:

That's been exactly my point for ages.

How can they possibly be trusted to make the right decisions given their track record.?

And as for your earlier comment about trainers,  just think about herding cats.

If you had the decision making power, what specific changes would you like to see to this programming of  5 meetings in 9 days in the south?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Many apparent date ' anomalies '  are hangovers from a time when there were two distinct pools of horses/ jockeys in the S. I.

They were effectively stand - alone areas, and seldom met apart from Cup time, National meeting. 

The hiatus in Canterbury over the five week holiday period reflects the traditional West Coast circuits of which there used to be two,  a November one , followed by the January one .

To adequately reflect the changing demographic there needs to be consultation with regard to requirements , numbers and grades etc of actual horses in training.

Shouldn't be too difficult to retrieve such data with modern technology, it's not as if we are using pencils and paper.

But it would take some thought and should have the buy - in of everyone, not a select few.

And it shouldn't involve the forced closure of anything.  Market forces should dictate which remains....genuine market forces, not artificial constraints applied due to flawed ideology.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Ludwig said:

If you had the decision making power, what specific changes would you like to see to this programming of  5 meetings in 9 days in the south?

There is nothing actually wrong with the programming of 5 meetings in 9 days as long as there are enough horses to go around, and there are in the South, they just have to be used properly. Although it must be remembered that most of the horses are in Canterbury, whereas most of the race meetings are in Otago Southland for several months at this time of year. As I mentioned above, 28 horses were nominated for a maiden 1,200m at Timaru and only 14 got a start. 22 were nominated for a maiden stayers at Waikouaiti and only 12 will get a start. That shows gross inefficiency in the use of available horse resources. And surely horse resources are the most important thing in racing.

I think the most dramatic change I would suggest during this period in the south is for Timaru to race on New Years day with a feature race meeting.This would give the top tier of horses a chance to race at Wingatui and then Timaru a week later for decent stakes. I base this on the fact that most of the horses come from Canterbury, and Timaru is the only club in the country with several race meetings and no feature meeting. I found it a bit sad that Andrew Carston had to take Red River Rock to Awapuni pre xmas for a low grade race as there was nothing worth waiting for in the South over Xmas. Many of the better Canterbury horses don't race over the holiday period as there is nothing for them.

And at that Timaru meeting there needs to be a 2yo race and probably a 3yo fillies race, the latter probably over 1,200m; I would run the Wingatui 3yo race over 1,400m. For over 100 years Wingatui used to run the Champagne Stakes on Boxing Day, but they seem to have given up on 2yo racing altogether in Otago (no McLean Stakes anymore either). With the rise of syndication there needs to be 2yo opportunities in the South. Remember that Timaru used to run twice during this period; 28th and 30th and one of the features was the Show Gate Stakes for fillies over 1,600m.

I would go Wingatui, Kurow, Waikouaiti, Timaru, Omakau. Kurow never used to race today, they always used to race after New Year. Interestingly, the pattern used to see Wyndham and Waikouaiti race on New Year's day. Southland the following day, Kurow on the 4th, Southland again on the 5th, Reefton the 6th, Kumara and Omakau on the 9th, or thereabouts, Hokitika and Omakau on the 11th. That pattern probably wouldn't work today.

I am not a fan of this modern idea of forcing any decent 3yo in the south to follow the pattern of racing through the Gore, Wingatui and Southland Guineas. That is hardly ideal for all 3yos. That filly of the Tylers has already won over 2,200 so she has absolutely nothing to aim for in the South.

Just imagine what sort of field Omakau would get for a $30,000 race for horses that were maidens in mid December.

There are lots of subtle changes, and some not so subtle, that would benefit racing in the South, but sadly there is no motivation or leadership these days.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have just watched some races from Kurow and the track looks to be in magnificent order, winners coming from everywhere, and looks like a big crowd. Probably some of the best fields I have seen at Kurow, so well done to the trainers for supporting it, 12 scratched ballots as well, and a decent sponsor for every race. You can confidently suggest that the person who recommended closing Kurow had never been to Kurow Cup Day.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, We're Doomed said:

There is nothing actually wrong with the programming of 5 meetings in 9 days as long as there are enough horses to go around, and there are in the South, they just have to be used properly. Although it must be remembered that most of the horses are in Canterbury, whereas most of the race meetings are in Otago Southland for several months at this time of year. As I mentioned above, 28 horses were nominated for a maiden 1,200m at Timaru and only 14 got a start. 22 were nominated for a maiden stayers at Waikouaiti and only 12 will get a start. That shows gross inefficiency in the use of available horse resources. And surely horse resources are the most important thing in racing.

Your post makes a lot of sense WD - I don't follow the South Island programming too closely  - But as you say, owners should be thought of as well when programming so they get to have a run close to home over the busy holiday period.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, We're Doomed said:

I have just watched some races from Kurow and the track looks to be in magnificent order, winners coming from everywhere, and looks like a big crowd. Probably some of the best fields I have seen at Kurow, so well done to the trainers for supporting it, 12 scratched ballots as well, and a decent sponsor for every race. You can confidently suggest that the person who recommended closing Kurow had never been to Kurow Cup Day.

Was speaking to the President,  he said he had extended a personal invitation to Mr Saundry to attend....but no sign of that personage.

It was super day of racing,  the fields were competitive - as alluded to - the weather pleasant and mild,  games and competitons for the many children on course,  just a great atmosphere.

Food vans galore...only complaint was that I couldn't find any cherries for sale on course.......

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.