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Do you think any coast tracks will survive the RCP review?

Patience will be the key to the chances of Beauty Bolt in Sunday’s Classic Cup (1,800m) at Sha Tin, with his trainer Tony Cruz emphasising how crucial it is for jockey James McDonald to wait until the very last minute to pounce. The Night Of Thunder galloper won his only start in Ireland pre-import for Joseph O’Brien and is yet to finish outside the top four in eight Hong Kong starts, with seven of those runs seeing him finish on the podium. A mile winner four runs ago, he posted a career-best...View the full article

No disrespect to your knowledge but as an athlete in my teenage years on the Coast I trained and raced at all four tracks.   Omoto is also a swamp in the middle and any further development is constrained by physical barriers.  Not to mention the periodic flooding from the Grey River which is one of those physical barriers. Yes Kumara is built on pakahi flats however many farmers and science has worked out how to turn it into very productive paddocks.  Pakahi soil forms over hard iron pans.  The soil itself isn't that bad but the problem is drainage.  Crack the pan and put in good drains you are fine.   The difference with Kumara is that there is acres of cheap land surrounding the existing course.  Pakahi doesn't worry the building of infrastructure.  You could very easily build a pseudo artificial turf track on the top of a hard iron pan. Westland missed an opportunity to promote West Coast racing.

By Michael Guerin Punters shouldn’t be put off by Muscle Mountain missing the logical lead-up to Friday night’s $100,000 Fred Shaw Memorial NZ Trotting Champs at Addington. Because co-trainer and driver Ben Hope says that was by design and the big fella is exactly where he needs to be for his shot at winning the Group 1 for the fourth time. While many of his rivals clashed in the Lamb And Hayward Classic won by Eurostyle two weeks ago Muscle Mountain was enjoying a night off at home. “We chose to miss that race because he would have been off 30m,” says Hope, who trains Muscle Mountain with his father Greg. “We didn’t think he needed that and to be honest he doesn’t need that much racing or trialing. “So while he won’t have raced for four weeks he will be exactly where we need him.” Muscle Mountain also finds himself in the rare position of having a handy front line draw in the mobile 2600m as he so often races in handicap races or drawn wide in preferential draw mobiles. “A good draw was the one thing I was really hoping for and from five we will be able to use his gate speed.” Even with second favourite Eurostyle drawn directly to his inside most punters will expect him to lead and therefore be the one to beat. TAB bookies definitely do, with Muscle Mountain opening the $1.80 final field favourite over Eurostyle at $4.20 (soon into $3.70) and the favourite’s stablemate Mr Love at $4.40. Hope says the stable expect a better performance from Mr Love after he disappointed when fifth in the Lamb And Hayward. “He was fresh up that night and the track was actually a little harder then he likes because they had sealed it because of the rain that was forecast. “So we know he can go better than that but both he and Midnight Dash rank behind Muscle Mountain.” To see the field for the Fred Shaw Memorial (8.54pm) click here  While Muscle Mountain could even tighten in the market a far more intriguing puzzle and probably race of the night honours will be a $19,000 mid-grade pace featuring some of our most exciting horses. Race 7, the Matt Harrison Construction Mobile Pace (8.23pm) sees the return of both last season’s champion juvenile Jumal as well as The Lazarus Effect, the pair up against the talented Sonofamistery. Jumal and The Lazarus Effect met in a two-horse trial at Rangiora on February 11 and hit the line together, The Lazarus Effect just winning after leading. They are both stars in their own right and the tactics adopted by their drivers could be crucial as neither will want a brutal run to start their busy campaigns. Which is why the words of Jumal’s trainer Steven Reid are crucial when he says the race is a chance to teach Jumal how to settle and sprint. “Its the old story, we want to win but we don’t want him to have a gutbuster to do it,” says Reid. “So I have told Sam [Ottley, driver] I am happy for her to get cover at the start and let him run home hard. “I actually reckon that is ultimately how we will see the best of him and I think he can still win doing that, albeit probably not if The Lazarus Effect gets the front then comes home (800m) in 55 seconds. “But I think to be driven in it will be good for him and I don’t think we need to be going too hard too soon this week because he is still a race or two away from his peak.” To see the field for the race click here  The feature on Auckland’s nine race meeting on Friday will be the Group 3 H R Fisken and Sons Breeders Stakes Handicap Trot (7.44pm) as well as the two $35,000 Northern Metro Finals, with the Pacers at 8.09pm and the Trotters at 8.39pm. View the full article

Where the hell did I say that? Is that the so called "myth" you are talking about?

Anyone wanting to support Coast racing would have sponsored Greymouth,  not Kumara,  district or not. Kumara has no infrastructure to speak of apart from newish tie ups, and as it is pakihi, there isn't much point in spending more money on a swamp. Greymouth,  on the other hand, has stabling, snd ran a raceday for Westland and probably still would, if not for that fourth day being dropped from the circuit.   As it is they still run the Miss Scenicland.

FFS - you deliberately left the other clause out which is specifically aligned to the objectives of the Club.  All other clauses are tested against those objectives. Geez spin around if you will.  One minute you are saying it should be returned to the community that built it now you are saying stuff history it is what the latest community wants!  When the assets were built up a long time before this latest generation came along!!   The realised assets should have gone to Kumara to further racing on the West Coast.  Not sold to developers to to reduce the rates of ratepayers of the Westland District Council. But just keep on perpetuating the poster child myth that the Westland Racing Club gave the finger to NZTR!  

Can't you read? The one I quote clearly says they would seek NZTR approval in accord with the one you cite. They have invested in Kumara btw. Loaned them money and sponsored races there and the other West Coast clubs. Unfortunately, times change and the 150 year old agenda you are promoting became unviable and unnecessary in the eyes of today's members.

So the 150+ year paramount objective of the Club is over ridden with no consideration to those members who developed the assets to pursue their chosen sport of racing. I think you are deliberating obfuscating the point to suit an ill advised agenda.  Racing AND the people of Westland could have benefited by the Club investing in Kumara which is officially in the District of Westland.   You also ignore the clause immediately above the one you quote: In the event of the Club being wound-up or put into liquidation in accordance with (a) above, the property and surplus assets of the Club after payment of the Club's liabilities and the expenses of the winding-up must be disposed of in accordance with section 27 of the Racing Act, for racing, public, charitable, or other purposes in the manner that the Club, with the approval of NZTR, determines.