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- new race calendar
  
  By Slippery Slope · Posted 17 minutes ago
  
  Currently the Crusaders catchment (Canty/Nels/Marl/WC) annual harness racing programme generates (excluding group race subsidies) over $2m of surplus betting revenue over stakes subsidies paid out by HRNZ on those races. This is approx. 10% of the total betting revenue earned on those c.1000 annual races. A viable and sustainable business model! But then across the whole of the North Island betting revenue is short of HRNZ stakes subsidies paid by over 15%, around $3000 for every race north of Cook Strait ($4000 per race at Manawatu). So effectively mainly Canterbury horses and race meetings enable HRNZ to shift $2m every year to subsidise meetings/ races in the North Island that don’t pay their way. I would like to think owners/ trainers/drivers in Canterbury understand that they don’t get back 10% of the income their horses generate, but I’m not sure they do. Now HRNZ have supported Entain to add over 250 races (c.35%) to the 3 NI venues, catering mainly for lower class horses, the same venues that already get a massive per race subsidy from betting revenue generated from the Canterbury harness racing. This seems a bizarre if not ludicrous business strategy to grow harness racing punter support/ interest, putting more meetings on at venues punters already don’t support and make our product even less discernible from greyhounds. We currently have a smart way to provide a real quality lower-class product for our punters- racing at all the Crusaders venues that support Addington when a substantial Canterbury harness racing community deliver big and even fields at fair and often grass tracks. This is where those extra meetings, if really needed, should have been. Punters long ago made their choice in the digital age where they would bet remotely- Crusaders country harness racing built around Addington Fridays and country Sundays won, Alexandra Park in particular lost. Physical venue location is virtually irrelevant to the digital punter, they just want the best betting product as they define it. The digital punter bets worldwide on the product they are interested in, and New Zealand harness racing has one maybe two unique selling propositions- Crusaders country supporting Addington, and maybe Auckland or Cambridge/Addington Friday nights. There are so many products offered to bet on in 2024, if you don’t have a USP you will eventually be lost. Harness racing is doing its best to weaken the only major one it has left, and punters across the country stopped supporting Alexandra Park relative to Addington many years ago. So what can HRNZ do to give themselves a last chance to maintain relative market share in the long term, especially vs thoroughbreds? It has to protect and grow the only areas in the country (Canterbury supported by Southland) where a genuine harness racing community of interest still exists and participation is affordable. It has one mechanism left to do this, the stakes funding model, and apparently all will be revealed next month. If HRNZ does not stop the current cross subsidy out of Canterbury harness racing owners, trainers and drivers pockets to the North Island, and ensure stakes paid across the Crusaders catchment reflects the value of those races to both punters and the industry, then harness racing is on a very slippery slope to the same relative oblivion and market share vs thoroughbreds and greyhounds that Australian harness racing has already reached. A sustainable harness racing industry doesn’t pass through Alexndra Park and Manawatu. It passes through Addington, Rangiora, Marlborough and the 9 other venues in the Crusaders catchment. HRNZ needs to stop siphoning off $millions every year from the venues that all of punters, owners and trainers support to those that don’t, before it is too late.
- Forget about the history what's the F-ing track going to be like?!
  
  By billy connolly · Posted 31 minutes ago
  
  Totally irrelevant, two different scenarios. What is the current camber at Ellerslie? According to this paper(which is an interesting read) Mooney Valley has 7.5% camber on bends and 2.5% on straights. Ellerslie also has a slight downhill run from approx 1200 metres to the point of the turn and an odd shaped home bend who's contour should've been given more consideration. It looks like Ellerslie have paid a huge price for trying to preserve their old layout. Note Mooney Valley's Strathayr cost 7 million in 1994.
- mitchell kerr
  
  By the galah · Posted 1 hour ago
  
  i think those trainers will be stressed out thinking about their appeals,but their horses will be feeling chilled out about it all.
- mitchell kerr
  
  By Chief Stipe · Posted 2 hours ago
  
  We'll leave you to ride your high horse. Note all the trainers have appealed. Don't you think it odd that there are so many positives?
- The Anti-Te Akau Thread aka the Anti-Syndicators Thread.
  
  By Chief Stipe · Posted 2 hours ago
  
  Took another 2 years though.
Topics
- 82
  
  Forget about the history what's the F-ing track going to be like?!
  
  Chief Stipe · Started April 18
- 35
  
  The Anti-Te Akau Thread aka the Anti-Syndicators Thread.
  
  Chief Stipe · Started Saturday at 05:23 AM
- 4
  
  Darren Weir is on his way back!
  
  Chief Stipe · Started Yesterday at 04:47 AM
- 49
  
  Ellerslie to race again! Message from NZTR.
  
  Chief Stipe · Started April 15
- 3
  
  The New Calendar
  
  Doomed · Started 6 hours ago

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