Doomed

I always find it a shame that no one from NZTR ever comes on here and interacts with people to clarify some of the simpler questions. I'm sure there is a really simple answer to this query that someone could answer in a sentence or two. And it may make total sense. There seems to be a total unwillingness to interact with real racing enthusiasts. It creates a them and us syndrome.

Where do you suggest this quality will come from?

Winning a Group 1 in NZ probably wrecked her value.

The problem with running at Addington is that it looks terrible with 2 people and 3 dogs sitting in the stands. At least Timaru should get a better crowd and a bit more atmosphere.

Good to see the big award go to a couple of battlers. An inspiration to us all.

Probably the best $25,000 open race we have seen for a while. Dare I say it, better than many of the $50,000 open races that go around.

I don't follow that logic at all. The Riverton race could easily have been split into two even fields, both at $40,000. Likewise the Puke race could have been split into a higher and lower division. The lower division would have started at rating 62 and been run for $25,000. My point is that someone decides to either split them into two even fields with the same stake, or split them into two races based on ratings with different stakes. I am fully aware that when they run with two different stakes the lower staked race has a lower rated top weight. I was asking how they decide which approach to take.

I don't really see any problem with the Pearl series. The races seem to be reasonably well spread and mostly at lower grade meetings so it gives an astute trainer an opportunity to pick up a few extra dollars for their owners. It all helps, and seems to be much better than having one race with a big stake.

I find some of the intricacies of racing rules etc quite fascinating. This one has always interested me. In the SI when there are heaps of noms at a feature meeting, which often happens as the programming is so bad, and they magnanimously decide to split a race into two the second race usually runs for a reduced stake. For instance Riverton last Saturday where one rating 65 1,600m raced for $40,000 and the other for $25,000. In the NI both of the split races seem to race for the same original higher stake. For instance this weekend at Pukekohe where both 65 1,600m races run for $55,000. Would the club be putting in the extra $30,000 so the second race isn't run for the usual $25,000?

I seem to recall HRNZ already fires $100,000 or so into the $1m race, so they are probably already putting some into the trot as well. I haven't seen the races mentioned anywhere, but I presume there is quite a lot of excitement in the harness world? When and where are the races on? I'm in Auckland next week, I could pop along to Alex Park to have a look, although I suppose tickets are all sold out.

It is appallingly badly written. You wonder how much the author is paid and how much their superior who proof-read it and approved it is paid. It may not seem important to some people, but surely a more professional image is expected from people charged with running a multi million dollar industry. It really is hard to have much confidence in their competence. Just one totally random example: "Un-retirement of horses We believe due to the increase in stake money have noted an increase in horses being unretired and are in need of a Return to Racing Policy." It is an incredibly sloppy look.

Still one of my great regrets. I was never even short listed. Looked like a lot of fun.

Legarto hasn't really come up this season, like many of our 3yos over recent years. Seems to have lost some of that brilliance. Still done ok though. Won that $500,000 bonus for placing in a couple of races, and won the Dyke. Probably a safer option than heading to Aussie earlier. Lets hope she bounces back next season.

Perhaps follow the harness racing approach, where maidens race for higher stakes than winners. Certainly an unusual approach, but must be working as harness racing is booming countrywide.

I was just thinking some of the races would be struggling if it wasn't for the Pitmans boosting the numbers. Some of these types of meetings are really missing the late Paul Harris.

With all the gimmick races going around it would be nice to see a race restricted to SI based jockeys. Possibly even a race for SI apprentices. Are there enough SI apprentices to do that?

I agree totally. And when they do get a meeting to ride at half the field is ridden by carpetbaggers.

Usually.

Yes, I was just about to say those are Peter McKenzie's colours. Possibly Mr Illusion.,

Not really my style TAB. I don't mind your posts. You often put forward an interesting viewpoint. It would be a pretty boring and pointless place if we all had identical opinions and weren't open to listening to others with divergent opinions.

So only those who have trained a Group 1 winner are entitled to an opinion? You will be quite happy with the way Racing is going at the moment then as it seems to be those Group 1 types that are calling the shots? Millions poured into stakes, but fields down in both quality and quantity. Turnovers down. Attendances down. Several major tracks closed for "maintenance". Racemeetings abandoned on a regular basis part way through the card. Not enough usable tracks left to conduct grass track trials meetings. $50m spent on three white elephants. NZTR so incompetent they are now bypassed by a betting agency when it comes to decision making. A couple of NZ Group 1 winners unable to keep up in an Aussie race that isn't even a Group 1 race. The Group 1 types don't seem to be going too well so far. Perhaps the grass roots types might have something to offer after-all.

I quoted Kelvin's comments on another thread and when I went to find his comments I thought they looked different to what I had read a few hours earlier.

I notice Kelvin Tyler complaining about Riccarton for the opposite reason. Hard to please everyone. Tyler hopes also to campaign talented galloper Lightning Jack over the autumn, however, indicated the Group One-performing seven-year-old has taken significant time to recover from Cup Week in November. “We decided to run Prince Alby yesterday instead of running over 1800m at Riccarton (this Saturday). The way the track has been up there is like concrete, Lightning Jack has taken almost six months to get over running there in the Coupland’s Mile (Gr.3, 1600m),” he said. “I love my horses, and it’s a long way for us to travel, and not cheap.”

I just looked at my original post. Of course it was The Twinkle and the Chalmers Stakes. I must have just had a boozy lunch when I typed it.

Ashburton seems to get a lot of use these days as it seems to be the only alternative to Riccarton. Canterbury would be in a spot of bother if Ashburton was out of action. We seem to operate with a bare minimum of racing resources these days and no margin for error.