Chief Stipe

Does it work that well? Or is it something else? You can still have a centralised racecourse as an entry point - i.e. you mix your racedays aiming at different demographics. Waipukurau has a population of 4,700 people and is only 35min from Hastings. Put some free buses on like they do in Whangarei for Ruakaka which is roughly the same distance.

Yes however one begets the other. I imagine ENTAIN are frustrated with the lack of quality product being produced in NZ. NZTR need to focus their resources on improving that.

You can't help yourself @Huey . I know this will wind you up hence I'm posting it. I see Mark Walker (Te Akau) received an Award from Southside Racing (Cranbourne and Pakenham) for the "Best Strike Rate Trainer" for the last season! Plus the South Island Trainers championship! If you think the black type racing is New Zealand is weak then I guess you haven't tried to win some! LOL I must say that this comment has me uncontrollably laughing as it contradicts where you and others went with this thread. So are you saying the trick to racing success is "to buy expensive yearlings and place them well"?

I think there are some solid green shoots emerging (just not on renovated tracks) with ENTAIN efforts. The 20 to 30 demographic are where the money is now. I wouldn't spend a dollar on the perpetually cynical age group.

The only thing I would add is that the top class facilities should be focussed on the horses first!

What specific demographic are you referring to? The Corporate sponsors that held customer events at the races? Well they are normally catered for at Hastings. The family picnic group? Yes Waipuk catered to them but they don't actually punt much! You could just as easily catered for them on the lawn at Hastings. In the rest of the country they are well catered for over the summer months. The Hawkes Bay hanger-on's and racing elite? Which demographic? Misinformation - I've been to a few Grp 1's in the last 18 months and I assure you there was enough in attendance that I had to queue for a beer! You're so out of touch. Yes I agree "ignoring the foundation of racing" will result in its demise. But you and I disagree with what the foundation is. My view of the foundation is providing good, safe and fair surfaces for horses to run on. Also providing well maintained core racing infrastructure. I'm sorry but a picnic meeting at Waipukurau or Kumara isn't the foundation of NZ Racing.

Yet he has the best black type strike rate of any buyer from the Magic Millions sale.

FFS you seemed to be bored with life in general! If you are referring to Waipukurau it just shows you how silly you are. They ran essentially a picnic meeting on a very poor track that hardly anyone wanted to punt on. The crowd numbers have been exaggerated and were probably less than any number of Christmas at the Races at other Clubs. If you think that is where the future of NZ racing lies then you are losing it.

Mmmmm that's interesting some online critics suggested the scavenging would be the other way i.e. racing to sports.

Then get the Club to secure the perimeter so they rip their undies getting over the razor wire. Did the trainer sign the Asian couple up for a share in a syndicate?

Right so you are looking for a homeless person willing to work 24/7?

Many stables put their own CCTV systems in and the perimeter is managed by the Racing Club. I imagine some leverage off the Club broadband/WiFi links that they require to be compliant with Raceday protocols. The RIB's role isn't managing the security of every training stable in NZ. Hell most complain enough as it is about the expense of the outfit.

You would have been willing to pay more for the service of course?

Too late for Committees. The industry needs strong decisive centralised management.

So what is the difference in margin that you are quibbling over? BTW I'm winning when you aren't and I fund the product you try to make money on.

You only read the bits that you agree with. How do you offer better odds when your margins are tighter than the free loading competitors? People are punting on the product YOU provide at YOUR cost through bookies that contribute nothing to the stakes you are racing for. But then I guess racing horses is just a hobby for you.

He doesn't do any with ramps and wheel in showers so obviously not in your market.

Crypto is harder to trace.

Well how do you fix the leaks?

Yeah and you end up at a Working Bee of one!!!

A shame some punters don't have a conscience! Add to the issues described in the article is the one of gambling using Crypto-currency.

The offshore drain: Racing is sleepwalking into a funding crisis betsy.com.au A global betting shift is stripping billions from Australian racing. The money is not disappearing. It is going offshore. Australian wagering is edging toward the same fate that gutted the legal tobacco market. And if racing and governments do not act fast, owners and prizemoney will feel the hit long before anyone realises what has happened.https://bitofayarn.com When governments pushed tobacco taxes to breaking point, smokers did not quit. They went underground. A $10 billion black market exploded. Smoking rates barely moved. Revenue collapsed. According to a Responsible Wagering Australia report, the illegal offshore betting market has doubled since 2019. Australians now lose $3.9 billion a year to sites that pay no tax, offer no protections and give nothing back to racing. That figure is expected to hit $5 billion by 2029. As the report warns, “over the past two years in particular, the onshore betting market has decreased by five percent, while the illegal offshore market has grown by fourteen percent.” The hit to racing is enormous. Offshore operators now take 36 percent of all online wagering in Australia. Governments are staring at almost $2 billion in lost revenue over the next five years. Racing and sports will miss almost $800 million in product fees.https://bitofayarn.com Not all offshore turnover is recoverable. Some of it comes from criminals or activity that will never be welcomed back onshore. But a huge slice comes from everyday punters chasing a better deal. That is the cohort racing can still save. Sportsbet chief commercial officer Nathan Arundell says the damage is already on the doorstep. “The new research released by RWA shows the growing threat of illegal offshore gambling, including to racing across Australia. It shows racing losing between $100 million and $135 million each year and growing.” “This undermines funding for integrity, equine welfare, prizemoney, and importantly, puts jobs at risk.”https://bitofayarn.com “As the offshore market expands, the cost of integrity monitoring, investigations and insurance for racing authorities will continue to increase. Offshore creates new opportunities for race manipulation, but none of the data transparency needed to detect it.” “Sportsbet believes that protecting Australian punters requires genuine collaboration between industry, regulators, and government. Key measures include a national framework to ensure official racing data is supplied only to licensed operators. A national illegal gambling blacklist. And engaging banks and payment providers to block payments to illegal operators, including preventing credit from being used to fund betting.”https://bitofayarn.com These structural vulnerabilities explain why industry leaders are calling for stronger national coordination. But none of those measures answer the core question: why are everyday punters choosing to leave the regulated system in the first place? The RWA surveyed 4,000 of them. Almost half said the same thing. “Better odds.” Not better apps. Not better promos. Just better prices. But price is only part of it. Offshore operators push aggressive bonuses that are banned or restricted in Australia. They pay no tax, so they run far thinner markets. They also offer full iGaming products that are illegal onshore and heavily marketed overseas. Then there is in-play betting. Offshore bookies offer in-running markets on every match, every point and every possession. Australian punters can only do it over the phone, which is slow and outdated. Combine that with casino-style products and you get a sticky ecosystem that keeps customers offshore. This is why younger punters are drifting away. They live on live sport. They expect instant access. Australia tells them to call a phone line in 2025. Offshore tells them to click a button. At this point the cause and effect becomes clear. Punters want value. Regulation and taxes make value harder to offer onshore. And the more offshore grows, the more pressure racing faces to fund its own integrity and prizemoney. This is the path to an industry that slowly bleeds out.https://bitofayarn.com Principal Racing Authorities have levers. If racing wants to keep turnover onshore, pricing must be fixed. Taxation and fees need to come down. Lower costs mean lower market percentages. Lower market percentages mean better odds. Better odds keep turnover here. That is the difference between an industry that grows and one that slowly bleeds out. Governments have a role too. The tobacco lesson is simple. Push taxes too far and the market goes underground. A more realistic Point of Consumption Tax is essential. The surge in offshore activity mirrors the introduction and escalation of PoCT. Government should also review the ban on online in-play sports betting. It is one of the clearest product gaps pushing younger punters offshore. Allowing regulated in-play online removes a major reason customers drift away and keeps turnover inside the system. Reduced taxation burdens give bookmakers the room to offer competitive odds and bring lost turnover back home.https://bitofayarn.com Stronger blocking tools, a national data framework and coordinated enforcement all matter. But none of it will work unless punters believe they get real value onshore. Pricing sits at the centre of all of it. The warning signs are flashing now. Racing and government must act with urgency. Lower costs. Smarter taxes. Better odds. More competitive products. If not, turnover will keep draining offshore. And once it goes, it does not come back.

$554,350. Won the Grp2 Annie Sarten Memorial. A gallant 3rd in the Grp1 Herbie Dyke. A tough second in the $1m Karaka Million 3yr old classic (galloped on and interferred with when Prowess lay out). Won the Uncle Remus Stakes. Raced against some very good 3yr olds of his year - Prowess, Legarto, Sharp N' Smart, Sacred Satono, Desert Lightning, Campionessa. You can also add horses like La Crique and Levante to those he beat. A shame he was hampered through his career by leg issues.

No because I saw a room of closed minds. A hint for you is when you hear someone say one of the following: Oh we tried that in 1984 and it didn't work; or That's not how we do things around here; or No we don't need a maintenance budget or plan; and so on. Get the picture? Probably not. It becomes endemic and executive committee membership often becomes an entitlement for having been a long serving member rather than for your ability to do anything.