Chief Stipe

Who needs flash facilities?

Look at the crowd - the fence is lined up with punters halfway around the track! See how close the crowd is at the start? Close to the action! A lot more exciting than trying to watch your horse at Trentham through a pile of rubble!

Two helicopters in the centre of the track today...even the big punters fly to Kumara!

Twice that many if you look in the other direction! 6,000+ on course!!! Beat that Ellerslie!

Huge crowd at Kumara!! The fields are better for wagering than Hastings. Even before scratchings Kumara had larger fields.

That is increase your revenue, yield, profit!

Eh?! Aren't you now arguing against yourself? The two loaves with a $1 margin is a higher turnover than one loaf at $2! Your turnover is double at the $1 margin!! The revenue stays the same! Although in reality the cost of sales on the $1 margin loaves will be higher if the two loaves are sold to different customers.

Even when they tend to overprice their product?

Sure it maybe a once a year outing to the races but it doesn't mean they only bet once a year. No doubt the have a bet Melbourne Cup Day and Cup week. So that's at least 3 times a year. The once a year outing to the races gives them and their families a chance to reconnect with what the game is all about - the horses!

Really? As low as 2%? So the extra margin comes from Tote and exotic betting?

@holy ravioli put it another way. If turnover is so important why do they put a limit on how much some punters can wager?

May do or does he just use the bonus bet? I.e. the TAB's voucher? Clearly but it isn't the key metric is it?

Top marks. But you said Turnover is the key metric. It isn't - you can have as much turnover as you want and still not revenue or profit.

Racing: Last call at Hastings track for one of NZ’s best commentators www.nzherald.co.nz Tony Lee, undoubtedly one of the best race commentators New Zealand has had, will make his last call on the Hastings track on Saturday (January 6) as he nears the end of an outstanding time behind the microphone in this country. After a career spanning almost 40 years, Lee’s contract with Trackside will end this month, with his last day of race calling being on Wellington Cup day at Trentham, on January 20. Over the years Lee has endeared himself to everyone involved in the New Zealand racing scene, reeling off thousands of clear and precise race calls with the addition of plenty of colour when required. Lee said this week he has been calling races at Hastings for more than 30 years, starting with Radio Pacific before taking over from the late Alan Bright in a more permanent role. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. He rates Hastings as one of the best tracks in the country to call races from, with the commentator’s box positioned high up and back from the track. “It gives you an outstanding view of the entire track and, having called so many races there now, you can usually judge which way the finish will go,” he said. “It’s always special to call races in the Bay, especially in the spring time when the Group 1 races are run.” Asked what has been some of his more memorable race calls on the Hastings track, Lee said the wins by Australian raider Starcraft in two of the Group 1 features at the 2004 spring carnival; Xcellent’s last-to-first win in the 2005 Mudgway Stakes; Princess Coup’s win in the 2007 Kelt Capital Stakes and Melody Belle’s six Group 1 wins from 2018 to 2020 were some that come to mind. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. “Starcraft was a special horse and his effort to get up and win the Mudgway Stakes that year was quite outstanding, coming from lengths off the pace at the 200 to produce giant strides for jockey Leith Innes,” he said. Starcraft also won the second leg of the Hawke’s Bay Group 1 “Triple Crown” that year, when ridden by Australian jockey Glen Boss, only to be beaten by Balmuse in the Kelt Capital Stakes on the last day. “I remember Dummy (Kevin) Myers, the trainer of Balmuse, was wearing a new suit that day so that should have been an omen,” he quipped. Always the ultimate professional, Lee has had to work under sufferance at times, never more so than when calling Xcellent home in his 2005 Mudgway Stakes win. “I remember I was crook with the flu that day and it had attacked my voice box. With the help of medication I was managing to get through the day and when I could see Xcellent coming I had to let go.” As the big horse powered down the outside to get up in the last few strides, Lee’s voice reached fever pitch, describing the performance as: “Amazing…. he is a superstar.” Princess Coup recorded back-to-back wins in the Kelt Capital Stakes, in 2007 and 2008, and it was the first one that Lee remembers best, when ridden by Noel Harris. “She was only going to run a good third or fourth with 200 to run that day but got up in the last stride, like only Harry (Harris) could do.” Melody Belle became the first horse to win the Hawke’s Bay Group 1 “Triple Crown” in 2019 and Lee said it was a privilege to call her home in those three victories. The champion mare also won the Tarzino Trophy and Windsor Park Plate in 2018 and the Livamol Classic in 2020. Another great memory Lee has of the Hastings track was when he called Sunline home to win the 2002 Mudgway Stakes, in what was her last New Zealand race appearance. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. “The crowd that day was huge. Everyone expected her to win and she did it in style, staving off a late challenge from Tit For Taat.” One of Lee’s most famous race calls was when Castletown recorded the third of his three Wellington Cup wins in 1994, his commentary coming to a crescendo in the final stages when he said: “But the dream burst into reality with Castletown winning the cup again, and his third.” “That one got me on my way. It wasn’t the best of calls to be fair but people picked up on it and it became a bit of folklore.” Lee said one of the most satisfying aspects of being a race commentator has been the enjoyment of meeting a lot of nice people involved in the New Zealand racing industry. “I am very sorry to be leaving but I’m happy with my career,” he added.

The same why QE increases money supply. No seriously if you print bonus bets and they are used they are accounted for in turnover. The cost is reduced yield.

Are they once a year punters? I believe that is another myth perpetrated by some administrators to serve their misconceived strategies. Serious punters will look for value anywhere. Often the best value is at those meetings.

Explain how a bonus bet increases turnover but not revenue. Does a bread maker sell all his different types of bread at less than cost?

Every heard of profit? Yield? Revenue? You can turnover all you want but I'd you are not making a profit then you go broke. A novel concept for you we know. Many commentators have the misconception that every dollar of turnover returns a profit. It doesn't. That's what they ban some punters like @Brodie In the past we have suffered from TAB Senior Managers who suffered from the same illusion but it served then well because they based the size of their salaries on turnover.

Where did Messara say that? Much that he wrote was Mythical.

At least in OZ you know you can easily eliminate one variable in a race. The best horse wins more often than beaten by a poor ride.

The facilities are fantastic!

The team at Te Aroha filling in the divets.

Well the irony of that comment is that many of the big trainers were at Te Aroha. Don't get me wrong the industry needs the big days as well appealing to a different group. The industry needs a balance. Focus on the tracks first - as the country race clubs show you don't need flash facilities to provide an enjoyable experience.

A very close friend of mine has recently bought into their first horse - on my persistent advice I must say. I've tagged along vicariously living the moments she is experiencing. So far along this journey I've seen things that have done nothing to change my opinions on what has gone wrong with the game. I'll share a couple of examples: 1. Ruakaka every race meeting has a free bus service that goes from pub to pub in Whangarei picking up enthusiasts (and newcomers) and drops them oncourse half an hour before the first race. It then takes them all home well drops them off at each pub. The club wins, the pub's win, the punter wins, the TAB wins, the industry wins. 2. Trentham - the Champagne Turf - one of NZTR'S favoured tracks. Raceday - on my recommendation turns up to catch the train from Wellington to Trentham. Trains replaced by Buses. Cost $16 return. Only one full bus (Ruakaka often have THREE full buses). They only decided at the last moment to put on a bus that went direct otherwise the bus would have take 90 minutes and stopped at every stop in the Hutt's. The return bus did just that. Luckily my friend made friends with some racing enthusiasts on the way out who upon realising what would happen going home quickly organised a mini-bus to go directly back to Wellington She gets oncourse at Wellington and finds that there is a pile of rubble and dirt obscuring the first 400m of the 1200m race. The only option being to look at the big screen or on a smart phone. 3. Te Aroha - my friend decides to go and watch her horse race there this week. A beautiful course whose committee has been battered black and blue over the last 3 years by abandonment and recalcitrant NZTR officials. The course was in fantastic condition improving from 140ml of rain in the previous 4 days to end up a G3 by race 2. Picnic atmosphere - kids and families everywhere having a ball. No big TV screen but you could see the 1200m start and one of the longest straights in the country. So in the space of less than a month my new to sport friend has seen the upper echelon and the country Christmas meet. She found both to be wonderful experiences but I'm sure Te Aroha has special memories because she could get really close to her horse, the Jockeys and Trainers. She enjoyed the best paua pattie "EVER" and a great chat with the sponsors of the race who sponsored it for two old mates, stalwarts of the club, who had passed away recently. Not a fascinator in sight but heaps of sandals shorts and jandals. Where would she rather watch her horse run? As another aside a friend of hers took a picture of her talking to a stranger in the birdcage. The photographer knew who the person was and said "do you know who this famous person is you are speaking to?" "No" was the reply. She was introduced - "...meet Frank Ritchie - a champion trainer". He replied - "champion horses make champion trainers". First time owner has a nice chat with the trainer of Bonecrusher before he goes to leg up the jockey in a maiden race at a little country meeting at New Years. Needless to say she is hooked!

Turnover is not the key measure. What is the yield on that turnover?