Chief Stipe

See! International punters should be grateful - every horse has a chance!

All good Reefton. ?

Back to the topic....will the closing of those tracks targeted affect harness racing? What if they change Section 16 and reduce the share of TAB revenue that currently goes to harness?

I wasn't attacking the remaining tracks just pointing out the hypocrisy. Hokitika has been OK since 1884. Whey does it need to be changed?

Well I remember looking at Christian Cullen and I'd swear he was sired by a thoroughbred!

One thing you have to remember Newmarket is that the West Coast is very territorial! Note how Reefton called Hokitika "Westland"? There are four or five "provinces" on the West Coast!!

What's your definition of "decent course" Reefton? Can't be Te Rapa or Ellerslie or Awapuni......

Oh the irony - do the people that attend these meetings look "old, stale and pale"?

No not at all. I'm just saying it stay however if it ends up as a souped up trials circuit then that is an option. The unfortunate gotcha hiding in the authorities cabinet of tricks is Health and Safety. They could force so many requirements on the clubs that they'll struggle to fund them.

As a West Coaster I firstly state my bias! Time for ALL WEST COAST RACING CLUBS to unite. They should get their heads together and work out innovative ways of continuing. I agree with Reefton that Kumara could still have raced if they had moved to another West Coast course. At the very least the circuit could remain as a summer holiday circuit. I'm sure many Canterbury trainers have taken their horses West for the education as opposed to chasing stakes. As someone who has worked with horses the travel, staying at different stables, the fresh air the increased noise (generally the horses are close to that action) can make a horse.

A bit disappointing this report and the recommendations. Only about three things they need to do. Slash costs at the NZRB; Outsource the TAB function to more than one provider - tote and bookies; Stop investing in IT projects at NZRB. There's $20-50m a year for a start. The rest is BS unless it truly is a "long term" plan and I'd suggest you leave the clubs as is. Forcing what races we have left to race on less tracks is lunacy. Handing over club ownership to bodies that have to date failed the industry is suicidal. Isn't Te Rapa a classic example - a favoured club - favoured with race days, favoured financially with stakes and funding, all the "experts" in the world, "professional" management and the support of the breeding and racing luminaries. Where is it now? Or is where Te Rapa now at a strategy? A new track to be built in Cambridge - Te Rapa and other racing club assets within 150km get sold and a $150m new race track gets built. Yes it will cost north of $150m to build a new track with modern training and stabling facilities plus amenities for spectators. Now a greenfields site (which is being suggested) in Cambridge is not a bad idea - let's face it Te Rapa is stuffed as are many racecourses that are near to it. So selling those assets is a no brainer particularly with the transport infrastructure that is now in place in the Waikato. However there are not caveats to supporting that option and they are: We need professional management of a new facility starting with the track upwards and outwards. I don't believe any of the incumbent management regime should be let near a new facility. They have had their day and failed; It should not be subsidised by any other region or club outside the Waikato in terms of capital investment nor ongoing operating cost. It needs to be self sustainable in it's own right otherwise all we have done is bought time at a great expense. I also believe there is a place for the likes of the West Coast circuit. Courses like Reefton are community assets and if the Government (NZ First) is to support the regions then why not invest in multi-purpose facilities on these courses that support regional growth.

The assets should go to the Community not pissed away by those who have shown their expertise at doing so. I remember playing rugby in the middle of the course in the winter and winning the West Coast 800m and 1500m secondary schools champs in the summer. Of course I will never forget my Dad's pacer winning easily either. There is still a place for these courses more so than a dirt track at Riccarton. As for the Mawhera Corporation there is a classic case study in property ownership, capitalism vs socialism. Compare the state of Greymouth to Hokitika. The latter is tidy, bright, clean and relatively modern. I'd suggest all by virtue of the fact it was built on the north side of the river unlike Greymouth. Not many New Zealanders know of the Maori being given many decades ago the land on the south side of most rivers and the fact that it is leasehold.

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Can of worms in that lot. What's inequitable about Section 16?

I see a new purpose built track in mainland China cost $650m to build. Track AND amenities.

NEWSROOM EXCLUSIVE Hold all tickets: Aussie takeover of TAB on the cards Giant Australian gambling companies are poised to take over the TAB’s role in New Zealand if a report into the racing industry is adopted by the Government. The report, commissioned by Racing Minister Winston Peters, and kept secret from racing industry leaders, is due to be released tonight at a public meeting in Hamilton. Sources familiar with the contents of the report says it recommends that race betting in New Zealand be outsourced to an Australian company, effectively meaning the end of the TAB. The TAB turns over more than a billion dollars in race bets and returns a total of about $150 million annually to the racing codes – gallops, harness racing and greyhounds. The racing industry has been struggling for years with inadequate stake money and NZ First leader, Winston Peters is its local champion. NZ First has received considerable backing from key figures in the racing industry and the Deputy Prime Minister has long promised to lift the industry out of the doldrums. Peters brought in wealthy Australian stud owner and racing guru John Messara to review the long-term sustainability of racing industry in this country. Sources have told Newsroom that the big gambling companies in Australia have proposed giving the industry an up-front cash payment and more money, said to be $100 million over 25 years, if they get the licence to control betting on NZ races. It is odds on that one of the Australian suitors will be Tabcorp. It is listed on the ASX and has a capitalisation of nearly $10 billion. The TAB is owned by the New Zealand Racing Board and has operated since 1951. NZRB’s John Allen described the TAB as an “exciting opportunity and an iconic brand,” when he took up the CEO role in 2015. The TAB also owns Trackside TV which broadcasts race meetings and race shows. Newsroom’s sources say the Australian deal would also involve them taking control of the broadcasting rights and the timetable of race meetings and races in New Zealand. When approached by Newsroom for comment on what might happen to Tracksideif the Australians took over, one prominent staffer said it was likely that “racing in New Zealand will end up getting covered like Tasmania or other Australian states. They won’t cross to our tracks five minutes before the race like happens now and the narrative of racing will be lost. “It might be a short-term win in terms of the money but in the long-term it will hurt racing in this country.” Other industry figures approached by Newsroom felt the proposal would reduce costs in the racing industry and boost stakes, but the outsourcing of betting and broadcasting to the Australians could cost up to 600 jobs. “It sounds very short-sighted, if we had sold Air New Zealand to Qantas when the share price was at 16.5 cents we would be kicking ourselves. The share price is now over $3. It is the same for racing, we risk selling out at a low point that we will regret.” It is understood that the report also recommends that the number of race tracks be rationalised, a touchy subject in provinces where race meetings and the facilities at race tracks draw the communities together. It is thought the number of tracks could be reduced from 57 to around 25. Racing industry sources point out that it is not uncommon for recommendations to be ignored or only a few taken up by Government but there are signs that Peters is not looking to cherry pick from Messara’s report. At the New Zealand Thoroughbred Awards on Sunday night, the Minister for Racing ended his speech by telling the audience that he wanted them to embrace the report “lock, stock and two smoking barrels". Peters will speak and release the full report at a public meeting at the Claudelands Arena in Hamilton tonight. The New Zealand Racing Board will also live-stream the event.

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No problemo. http://bitofayarn.com/yarn/index.php?/forum/38-jca/ http://bitofayarn.com/yarn/index.php?/forum/37-riu/

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