Massive downgrade in Stakes for Addington

[lamour 673]

Very sad to see the Summer Premier Meeting  with the Breeders Stakes at Addington on 11th Feb has had a massive downgrade as a race night.

The 3 year old fillies race has gone to Auckland and the minimum stake for the night has gone from 20k to 15k.

What is going on there?  Are sales series races being concentrated at Auckland in spite of most of the horses coming from the South Island?

Are Addington struggling financially even more than Auckland who are in the whole for $100 million ?

[JJ Flash 2,135]

3 hours ago, lamour said:

Very sad to see the Summer Premier Meeting  with the Breeders Stakes at Addington on 11th Feb has had a massive downgrade as a race night.

The 3 year old fillies race has gone to Auckland and the minimum stake for the night has gone from 20k to 15k.

What is going on there?  Are sales series races being concentrated at Auckland in spite of most of the horses coming from the South Island?

Are Addington struggling financially even more than Auckland who are in the whole for $100 million ?

My guess is the latter. Get used to it as more is coming

[tasman man 742]

Apparently the ' new beaut plan ' is to herd all the better class of horses who contest Group races to the same part of New Zealand so they can contest these races . 

But right now it is early on  in change, and the horses who are expected to merely pad   these race numbers up are all over the show looking for opportunities.

Two weeks ago there were 2 x Group 3 Trots on same time...one at Cambridge and one at Invercargill.... 2 of the top trotters raced at Cambridge while the other top 2 including the champ Sundees Son went South. This week another Group 3 Trot is at Addington and another small field contests it with one of the top trotters Oscar Bonavena the hot shot. Sundees Son is reportedly heading north so obviously considering Australia or getting ready for Auckland to host the Group races like the Rowe Cup.

Probably the canon -fodder horses that pad the top races will get few opportunities to win a race ,unless off a long mark. Frustration at this will lead to a move to Aussie.

Probably more obvious in Pacing division where there is no longer a strong Intermediate grade ,especially up North where horse numbers low. It's grim !

A horse like Taipo who looked very promising wins 5 races quite quickly and now has to mainly race in FFA against Self Assured [last week] and South Coast Arden this week in 5 or 6 horse fields. It has won $50 k , cant race like horses off even marks so an export deal seems obvious. Laver grabbed a couple of wins recently ,while there are other top horses just below the top level  eg Steal the Show,Franco Niven who will be expected to move around NZ and make up the numbers.The fact there is often preferential drawers in some Group races hardly makes up for 30 + rating difference.

The age group races eg Taylor Mile and Messenger will remain an incentive for the age groups but with costs rising in NZ and stakes  generally drifting it makes sense to look to Aussie or sell.

And all age groups are similar....this weeks $20k Waikato Guineas for 3 yr olds had insufficient entries ..not held.

2 year old races have been suffering like this for years now.....you train up a young horse to contest the planned races and they not held or a non-tote for peanuts !

Owners get frustrated , so when a pretty good offer comes in after a nice placing , they take it and that further decimates that intermediate grade. We have plenty of slow slugs to contest grass track racing , these good size fields on a Sunday attract the best betting other than a couple of the top Group meetings!

 

[LongOwner 217]

Let’s give the new program a chance . It is in it first month and in 18 months it could be a huge success .

Let’s be patient as the season calendar has changed so the old dates didn’t work versus age group birthdays .  

[lamour 673]

I agree with many of your points Tasman.  Would it make more sense to run rating 30 - 50 races for $7000 to $8000 and put the money saved into rating 55-70 races to make it more attractive to keep intermediate horses racing here?  After all we have probably the highest minimum stakes out of USA or Aussie 

[Nelli 432]

If you want an example of idiotic programming to piss off owners, Cambridge will have to win 1st prize. They have been running heats for a $20K Gold Cup final for trotters on 11 Feb. Good news you'd think, giving a chance to earn a few more pennies than usual at this track. But wait, on the same night as the final they are holding a $30K G3 race for trotting f&m. So owners of trotting mares eligible for both have to decide which to enter. Also, with f&m making up at least half the qualifying fields (7/11 this week), the loss of the best performing f&m results in a much poorer quality trotters Gold Cup final field. It is great to give mid grade trotters a chance to earn good money but when there so few opportunities, put both on the same night?

[JJ Flash 2,135]

Speaking of better graded horses continually being sold, a solution  not of HRNZ's making has occured, Price to fly a horse to USA $55K.  US buyers  have withdrawn from sales at that price and who could blame them

[tasman man 742]

5 hours ago, lamour said:

I agree with many of your points Tasman.  Would it make more sense to run rating 30 - 50 races for $7000 to $8000 and put the money saved into rating 55-70 races to make it more attractive to keep intermediate horses racing here?  After all we have probably the highest minimum stakes out of USA or Aussie 

I think the big issue is our costs in NZ , on top of the fact that there are not the opportunities to earn stakes.

ie....races are less frequent than abroad and many horses are in races that they have little show of running a place , Often it's not like v like.

NZ horses have to race to lose points to get back to where they have a chance.

Aussie horses , in the lower classes , race for less stakes but seem to have a lot more options.

NZ horses that struggle to win in their grade can win 4 or 5 races in Aussie !

[tasman man 742]

2 hours ago, Nelli said:

If you want an example of idiotic programming to piss off owners, Cambridge will have to win 1st prize. They have been running heats for a $20K Gold Cup final for trotters on 11 Feb. Good news you'd think, giving a chance to earn a few more pennies than usual at this track. But wait, on the same night as the final they are holding a $30K G3 race for trotting f&m. So owners of trotting mares eligible for both have to decide which to enter. Also, with f&m making up at least half the qualifying fields (7/11 this week), the loss of the best performing f&m results in a much poorer quality trotters Gold Cup final field. It is great to give mid grade trotters a chance to earn good money but when there so few opportunities, put both on the same night?

I see that this clash is tentatively on programme for night.

Surely the folk who run the club are awake to this......especially as the Club officials are involved with racing Trotters.

[eljay 1,720]

Interesting discussion.    I remember a few years back when I commented aid these same or similar occurrences were likely. I was told not to be dismal or negative and "all will be well"         Still waiting to be proved wrong! 

[tasman man 742]

10 minutes ago, eljay said:

Interesting discussion.    I remember a few years back when I commented aid these same or similar occurrences were likely. I was told not to be dismal or negative and "all will be well"         Still waiting to be proved wrong! 

A few years back eljay ?

Probably about the time when the Apartments were starting out and it was a racecourse certainty that they would magically put $40 million plus in the kitty and stakes at Auckland at least would be doubling and more.

Breeding and owning horses in the North would be an 'essential ' hobby.

But the dream ended and everyone woke up..........and the club members who voted the project thru talk about how they had doubts while the plotters just move on !

[tasman man 742]

6 hours ago, lamour said:

I agree with many of your points Tasman.  Would it make more sense to run rating 30 - 50 races for $7000 to $8000 and put the money saved into rating 55-70 races to make it more attractive to keep intermediate horses racing here?  After all we have probably the highest minimum stakes out of USA or Aussie 

Most Aussie meetings are laced with ex-Kiwi owned horses.

A few I have noticed recently...

1 ) Peakz Luck - a handy trotting mare who placed in a couple of Group races in NZ...In NZ raced 26 times for 3 wins ,3 seconds and earned $40 k. Last raced Cambridge in August , has had  8 Aussie starts for 5 wins and 3 thirds and earned A$34 k .Yesterday won a Group 3 off back mark, winning A$14,250.Her previous 4 wins were for A$4,000 each.

2 ) Once Bitten - a filly/mare by Sir Lincoln. Just raced twice in NZ for a maiden win and unlucky third at Auckland .Reportedly sold for $130 k. Has raced 3 x times in Aussie for a third , now spelling.

3 ) Mass Destruction - won his only start as a 2 yr old trotter .had 32 starts in NZ for 5 wins and 2 seconds  [$35k].Has had 54 Aussie starts for 10 wins and $77k stakes

4 ) Simon - had 24 starts in NZ for 4 wins and $35 . In Aussie has had 46 starts for 12 wins ,several places and earned  A$64 k.His most recent wins were in Queensland [Redcliffe] and won A$2566 and A$1764. Redcliffe seems to run several meetings a week !

There are many other examples of  NZ horses thriving on the extra opportunities over the ditch.

[eljay 1,720]

TM it was on the decline before the big con.   

[tasman man 742]

On 1/25/2022 at 5:30 PM, tasman man said:

Most Aussie meetings are laced with ex-Kiwi owned horses.

A few I have noticed recently...

1 ) Peakz Luck - a handy trotting mare who placed in a couple of Group races in NZ...In NZ raced 26 times for 3 wins ,3 seconds and earned $40 k. Last raced Cambridge in August , has had  8 Aussie starts for 5 wins and 3 thirds and earned A$34 k .Yesterday won a Group 3 off back mark, winning A$14,250.Her previous 4 wins were for A$4,000 each.

2 ) Once Bitten - a filly/mare by Sir Lincoln. Just raced twice in NZ for a maiden win and unlucky third at Auckland .Reportedly sold for $130 k. Has raced 3 x times in Aussie for a third , now spelling.

3 ) Mass Destruction - won his only start as a 2 yr old trotter .had 32 starts in NZ for 5 wins and 2 seconds  [$35k].Has had 54 Aussie starts for 10 wins and $77k stakes

4 ) Simon - had 24 starts in NZ for 4 wins and $35 . In Aussie has had 46 starts for 12 wins ,several places and earned  A$64 k.His most recent wins were in Queensland [Redcliffe] and won A$2566 and A$1764. Redcliffe seems to run several meetings a week !

There are many other examples of  NZ horses thriving on the extra opportunities over the ditch.

More on horses moving to Aussie for more opportunities of like v like...

Tonight I see Kayla Maguire...was racing in Amateur races in NZ then won a race at Cambridge rated around 50 ,giving her 4 wins from 49 starts.

That was August.....goes to Aussie and has had 4 starts for 4 x wins .

[2Piper 408]

On 1/25/2022 at 4:26 PM, tasman man said:

I think the big issue is our costs in NZ , on top of the fact that there are not the opportunities to earn stakes.

ie....races are less frequent than abroad and many horses are in races that they have little show of running a place , Often it's not like v like.

NZ horses have to race to lose points to get back to where they have a chance.

Aussie horses , in the lower classes , race for less stakes but seem to have a lot more options.

NZ horses that struggle to win in their grade can win 4 or 5 races in Aussie !

Very true with last statement.

e.g.. Marie Long 16 NZ starts 7 placings - exported to WA , 5 wins from less than 10 starts. Was odds on to win no. 6 but meeting was called off as extreme weather event.