I should add that I have absolutely no problem with the AWTs as such, contrary to what it may seem sometimes. However, I see the AWTs as an add on, a nice to have extra option. What I do object to is the way the provincial track at Yaldhurst  has been used in a cynical and vindictive fashion. NZTR have absolutely no interest in "helping out" the SI with an AWT. They have never spent that amount of money to help the SI. They purely see it as an opportunity to close down several existing well performed tracks. It is highly likely the Riccarton track is the best of the three, the others are too small and tight, but that doesn't excuse the way it has been used to kill off other clubs/tracks.

Bonus' for the purchasers , what about bonus' for the vendors ? They will be taking a big financial risk to get their horse to the K3 sale , probably still paying the normal entry fees and percentages . Better off putting it on Gavelhouse .  This is the end that is retracting at a fast rate , they need more incentives to keep breeding , but I suspect that the decline will continue . Better off sticking with K1 and 2 .

If your figures are correct & the ATC accepts the offer it would leave them with a debt of approximately $17million which would be terminal for Alexandra Park I believe.  One question CeeMeNow,  if the interest is $6m per year and the debt has increased by $6 million in 12 months it suggests the ATC is not paying any interest at all and all the interest is accumulating onto the balance owing. Is this correct?.  I would have expected the ATC to be paying at least some of the interest to the bank. 

See the other thread for details on how this six week comp will flow. In terms of Week 1 entry, most of you know the drill by now, but new entrants are more than welcome.  Please read the rules below carefully. 1.  Either pick two horses in each race listed below - you will have $10 each way on both and a $2 quinella; or if you'd prefer to pick just one horse in any (or all of the races) you can do that and you will have $20 each way on that one runner,  but you will forego the quinella. 2.  You will have two best bet races where your bet is doubled.  They can be any two of the 12 races listed below. Posting deadline this week is 1.30pm  This weeks 12 races are as follows - focus on Queensland but a few good races at the tail end of the SA carnival, and a tiny bit of Vegas. 1. Rotorua R6 2. Rotorua R8 3. Gold Coast R3 4. Gold Coast R4 5. Gold Coast R5 6. Gold Coast R6 7. Gold Coast R7 8. Gold Coast R8 9. Morphettville R5 10. Morphettville R6 11. Morphettville R7 12. Morphettville R8 Please enter horse numbers, not names and remember to nominate two best bet races, and some form of punctuation between your two numbers is very helpful - thanks.  Regular scratchings - it is up to you to replace any scratchings prior to the posting deadline.  If you don't then you will have only one runner in the race, unless you have two scratchings or a single pick is scratched, in which case you will have no runners in that race. (and for the avoidance of any doubt if you pick two and one is scratched the single remaining runner will be a $10 each way bet). Late scratchings - any late scratchings will default to the TAB sub (and second win favourite if you already have the sub or both your runners are late scratched).  In the event of equal second win favourites the second sub will be the horse with the lower saddlecloth number.  If you have a single bet and it is late scratched, you will have a single bet on the TAB sub. Abandoned races - we need a minimum of 6 races to be run for the results to stand.  Any less than 6 and this round will be null and void.  If you had a best bet in an abandoned race you can change best bet races up until the posting deadline - after that it is just the rub of the green.

Correct 

I'd say that would explain the majority of defections along with significant distance change and possibly horses not pre-conditioned for synthetic surface racing.

So the 200K bonus is only for Book 3 purchases ???

I agree they were sold as one thing and have ended up being another. I know from working with them in Asia they can cause catastrophic injuries if not maintained and managed correctly. The thing I cant get over is that the three we have all seem to look different but I do not know if some of the materials used in each place were different. I would not like to race a good horse on them, for me they are too tight and very boring to watch also. I was surprised last year to see the photos of Riccarton that were wildly circulated but I believe now those issues have been addressed and rectified.

To be fair, the Riccarton scratchings were because trainers accepted thinking they would be racing on a heavy 10 and accepted with horses suited to that. Most of those horses were not ones that had a natural liking for a firm AWT. Connections were given no compensation for that significant change of venue. As Nomates says, it is a dead end if you have a horse suited to AWTs as they largely end up racing for $17,000, with only a few token exceptions. The SI is not a fair indication of trainers enthusiasm for the AWTs. Southern horses have the Claytons option of racing on the AWT or not at all. Awapuni and Cambridge are probably better indications of trainers enthusiasm for the AWTs.

Inside the Goshen Harness Racing Museum, New York:  

It’s scheduled to be held at Awapuni along with the whole of the HBJC Spring Carnival except for the first let of the Triple Crown, the Tarzino Stakes which is going to Ellerslie.  I guess nearly everything depends on how Awapuni performs once racing starts there again.  Hopefully the problems are resolved, the track consolidates or does what it needs to and we have a fantastic Spring. 

I mentioned the other week that there is clearly an issue around numbers , it has been clear that numbers have not been good outside of Riccarton , and some suggest that is because opportunities are limited for grass track racing during the wet months . Cambridge and Awapuni have programmed open nom's for their meetings for the foreseeable future , so they will see how many nom for a specific distance then make fields up from there , so I would think there will be many 1 race winners racing against higher rated horses .  This in my books is an admission that they are worried about getting sufficient numbers , going to be interesting .

Thanks for the US data Leggy, it appears that the synthetic has the smallest percentages of fatalities per 1000 runs.  The synthetic also has the smallest number of runs. What is  not clear is the calibre of horse running, Riccarton last week was the first black type race on synthetic. Can an all weather winner  compete on grass ? any examples of success on both?

There was a couple who scratched all their runners I believe , the Tyler stable scr'd all but 2 , one having raced and won on them in Q'land and the other needing a run because it was heading over there . Anna Furlong the other ? Both stated their horses required wet tracks to be competitive . Most big stables run horses there as a last resort for a lot of horses , in the hope that the horse might handle it . The biggest issue for a horse that handles the A/W's is that they have no long term future as once they reach a certain rating on them they have to revert back to grass racing . The fact that they don't run races past R75 suggests that even NZTR understand that it is racing for lower class horses , why?

They have failed their proposed purpose which was to stop industry losses from abandonments , that was the sole purpose of them being built .

I don't know enough to have an educated opinion on your wider point, but I have seen a lot of comments centred around this sentence I have quoted and thought it was strange.  Some of NZs biggest stables, and certainly some of the biggest South stables, had a winner on Saturday.  Was there a trainer who scratched ALL their runners?  Are we assuming trainers didnt want to but owners gave them the hard word?  The number of scratchings seems to fit the narrative, but the wide range of stables lining up a runner does not.  

Here's some US data to consider.

Following last weeks Riccarton move from Grass to Synthetic the fields were reduced considerably by horses being scratched. Clearly trainers did not want to run on the synthetic as opposed to grass. Is there any evidence to justify not running on synthetic surfaces? The synthetic tracks have been around for a couple of seasons and have apparently met with their proposed purpose. Does anyone have any knowledge around the merits or otherwise of the synthetics? I have a small share in a filly due to start on the synthetic.

Where do cafers think this will be held in the new season? Possibly Trentham or will it be another relocation to Te Rapa, Pukekohe or Ellerslie?

I think we can work out the answer to that one.