Hockey

yes , sadder times are approaching. The sport is on borrowed time now as you say. We had a couple of miracles in Aus that has saved the day in some States when it would of collapsed . so wishing NZ some luck that the Sport can re-vitalise. My favourite of the Interdominion got re-vamped and is on again so things are possible. Alas NZ has run it only once the past 15 years so the sport lost all publicity.  Victoria gone broke , and already running with the slashed stakemoney. yes I guess NZ will follow suit with the same amount of participants and interest I guess. ( QLD has even less generally but has Millionaire owners and Entain Ladbrokes propping it up for cohort of 500 horses racing weekly.) A lot of the NZ participants are retiring soon when the game closes there in North Island. They're ALL very old now. Mike Berger already did. But Ray Green, Maurice McKendry,  Barry Purdon, Mark Purdon, AGH,  old man Hughes, old Ferguson, Old Mango, Old David Butcher, even Bernie H  don't really need to go round with them anymore after all these decades of success. No one has been good enough to challenge them generally? which has left very few even trying. for as long as I can remember.  Perhaps the younger ones who might continue in the sport like Matty White and Arna Donnelly could shift to the South Island ? or Queensland would be better for them as get a lot more winners like Graeme Harris and Tim Butt did.    some like Delaney and Phelan and Zac Butcher and Tony Cameron should tackle Menangle and really make a name for themselves . ? like Jack Trainor did for NZ.   

Fair enough Gamma. Lets have 8 or 9 horses races on every programme so that owners have more chance of getting some stake money! What I would be betting on is that harness racing in NZ will be gone in 10 years if not sooner through lack of participants, lack of punting and lack of horses! It is going to be bad enough in 2 years when the stakes are going to be slashed and there will be owners and breeders running fir the hills.

So you say all of America, Canada and Australia are wrong. with 8 horse mile racing.  Ashburton looked great running a heap of just 9 and 10 horses 1700m races. very easy for horse and driver to find a spot and time their run. As Wilson House did from last and the outside barrier with average horse. in race 2  sorry mate. you're living in the past if you think and extra lap of the track makes a difference to punters. Might just put them to sleep waiting for the action to start lol 😎. Very Tiring ? lol😉  Swayzee would outstay you anyway. seriously though, I will mention having trained my first horses in NZ (nearly always over mile and half ) it has been WAY WAY Easier in Australia just Sprint training them over a mile . Rolling along 30 second quarters and zipping them home for a furlong or 2. Race driving a Piiece of Cake compared to NZ as well. you actually have to be a pretty handy driver to win in 14 horse races Brodster. with 13 others trying to mug ya. far far easier to win in Aus. I have mates going around Redcliffe at this very moment still training winners there. But NO CHANCE in the speed racing at Albion Park , and their horses would be dead of heart attack if they went 2400m at Redcliffe. 😅😂   they all say thank the Racing Gods for the 1700m . He's My Reson should be winning Race 7 shortly. as only 1700m . just get tired if had to go 2400m for no reason lol 😉

Gamma, not used to gallopers finishing down the track at all, as I do not invest on them! Too hard to follow form, so I dont touch them! You mention when they had 11 or 12 horses over the mile at Albion park, if you were out the back you had no chance! Rest my case, mile racing is not what harness should be running over! Horrible boring racing on all tracks in NZ.

yes that is definitely a problem then.  Mile racing is for just 9-10 horses. We lobbyed QLD racing to cut the maximum field size for mile racing to 10.  they obliged and bought in that maximum limit of starters thankfully. that's 2 down from the 12 they were racing at a mile sometimes,  up to about 5 years ago as the horse's running 11th and 12th at the quarter mile were NO Chance whatsoever , and so there was drivers not even 'having a go' whatsoever if caught in that position. A very bad look. and Something you see in NZ racing a lot still,  but not in Australia as we have 'proper' field sizes where everyone gets a chance thankfully. Doesn't have to be. Gallopers are still attracting good betting , and the stayers are getting more rare. And the vast majority of runners , race at 1200m to 1400m . there is still a few good mile runners, but once you get 2000m and beyond the Horses get VERY Tired. the Margins Blow right out , and it's quite '0ff-putting to the punter to see the horse they invested on finish sometimes 1/2 furlong from the winner 😅😂😁  Brodie probably used to it over the years finishing way back, but smart Punters are CLOSER to the Winner in shorter races. and enjoy that feeling. Gallops and trots.  Who wants to see their wager way down the track in a stayers race ? no one really.