Doomed

Anyone with an open stayer could just pop them over a few hurdles to see if they can jump and send them down to Riccarton; they will be pleased to see them.

To be fair Joe, none of those trainers accepted for an AWT, they accepted for a heavy grass track more than two hours further south. You are always going to get scratchings like that when a meeting is transferred to a totally different surface. What is does show is that AWTs don't help prevent or mitigate abandonments. The only advantage they have is that an already scheduled AWT meeting is less likely to be abandoned than a traditional meeting.

In Aussie they are obsessed with trying to rerun any abandoned meetings. In NZ they don't get a stuff, they just see it as a way to save a few dollars. If they are feeling really magnanimous they might throw in an extra maiden race at a meeting a wek later.

Probably the interesting thing in all this is that the AWT could only manage 7 races, even with $40,000 races and heavy tracks all round. 6 in one race, the 3yo race managed 9 acceptors after 5 noms, but only 8 acceptors including a first starter in a $40,000 race, so much for qualification criteria favouring those that had form on the AWT. And once again we still haven't seen an abandoned meeting saved by the AWT, despite Winston's promises. I wonder if they considered abandoning Rotorua yesterday and transferring to the AWT?

Could today be the day. $80,000 race, wet track only 4 opponents?

The TAB of course has always been a monopoly organisation in NZ, but it did used to be quite efficient, and innovative. The big change is that the TAB used to be a purely service organisation, and largely used to do what they were told. NZTR was also largely a service organisation. Interestingly, there used to be an organisation called something like racehorse owners and trainers assoc, with very good leadership, that used to have input to decisions, they seem to have disappeared. Things started to go badly wrong when the breeders gained control of the Racing Board (or one of its many names) and it was merged with the TAB. Suddenly you had the tail wagging the dog. You then had board members and CEOs with unprecedented power and underwhelming competence trying to run an industry that was way beyond their level of skill. Ever since the Racing Industry has been run by Boards and CEOs with no interest in Racing it has gone down hill rapidly. Which is hardly surprising really. These days the most important criteria to get on any Racing Board is to meet the gender ratio, be of the right political persuasion, and ideally have absolutely no knowledge of racing. I think the damage has largely been done and it is probably irreparable. How do you get rid of dozens of people who suddenly find themselves on the pigs back? If people think it is hard to get rid of Foster they should take a close look at the Racing Industry.

I hadn't noticed they don't race at Puke again until Nov. It seems strange having Ellerslie, Te Aroha and Puke all out of action at the same time. Thank god for all those "spare' tracks, we are lucky to have them. Good old Avondale. I'm not sure what would happen if they ever decided to upgrade Riccarton. Would they bring Motukarara and Orari out of mothballs?

The horse certainly didn't like being hit, and there was no obvious reason to hit it.

I too, noted that statement. "In front of the public grandstand". Really? It might have been useful to mention how many people where in the public grandstand. Two old folks from the retirement home down the road who popped in for somewhere to take a seat during their daily walk. The stipes should have dashed up and asked them if either of them spotted anything.

I suppose you have to give NZTR some credit, they are never wrong.

Yes, our racing industry exists in a quite surreal universe, probably different to anywhere else in the world, where actual turnover, interest and relevance bears no relationship at all to the money spent on stakes and other industry inputs. It would be fascinating to hear some academic attempt to explain how we can have have million dollar races which are only about 5% funded by betting on them, with a further 1% funded by a sponsor, given the level of public interest and awareness. If they could adequately explain that they could then start on explaining how the industry has made a conscious decision that actual public attendance at racemeetings is no longer encouraged or desirable. A fascinating industry. It would make a great PhD subject if someone had a few years to spare.

I saw that as well. The quote above is the one I really liked.

Yes, I can recall David Peake replacing him and didn't do well either.

Yes, they were probably his two most famous mounts, and also Magellan.

Yes, a great talent. My three fav SI jockeys over the years were Tito and Kevin Morton from all those years ago and CWJ for about the last 40 years.

I was there as well. The booing when the Irish took kicks at goal was pretty sad. The crowd around where I was were pretty good natured, lots of Irish about as well. And afterwards the crowd was pretty relaxed. The odds were crazy. People were deluded to think the ABs should be $1.27 favs. They obviously have no idea how to analyse form. At least the Blacks were so bad people couldn't blame the ref. The worst bit of the night was some half wit in a bright suit who did the so called pre match entertainment. What an embarrassment that was. At least people didn't have to watch that on TV.

Late 70s Diamond Pal won, paid about $98 dollars, longest priced winner ever I think. May have been ridden by Jim Collett. I did see all of Ronganui's wins, all very wet tracks, Magellan in contrast a very firm track, may have been a track record.This is all from memory so may not be totally correct.

They haven't shown a single bit of initative or leadership over the years. I don't know whether it is the secretary or committee at fault, but they have been very disappointing. They show no enthusiasm or imagination, no aim to try anything innovative. I'm not on the big money, but perhaps a bit of a list for the CJC might be something like a group race for 2yos in the SI, a 3yo group race further than 1,600m, geez just a 3yo race further than 1,600m, a decent 3yo race over 1,200m, a public grandstand at Riccarton, or just pull down the eyesore. I could name a dozen more, but what's the point.

I really wanted to "like" that twice, but one can't do that. I was there when Diamond Pal won the Winter Cup, and I'm sure those who were there that day remember it well. If you were to ask me now, and offer me big money, I wouldn't be able to name a single Winter Cup winner over the last ten years. It really has all gone so wrong. You do wonder where it went so wrong. You can't really say it was inevitable because racing in Australia is booming. Why are we so different?

They must listen to us. I see they have just added a maiden 1,200m to Oamaru. They do warn it won't be split though. That is despite 18 horses being split into two fields at Cambridge yesterday: different rules for the SI.

I think it's the arrogance that gets me. How hard would it be for someone to come on here and comment occasionally. It doesn't have to be the big boss, just someone with some basic knowledge would do. I'm sure there is a simple answer to many of our concerns. George fronts the media all the time trying to explain away the warriors lastest cock up, but he doesn't seem to think there is any need for NZTR to interact, other than the occasional PR piece.

I was wondering about that myself, surely some of the local trainers have input into programming. Do they not have any maidens in Canty? I wonder if they have figured out where rating 65 horses come from?

While on my pet subject of programming, does anyone find it strange that this week's Riccarton meeting doesn't have a single race restricted to maidens? Especially since the last SI meeting 8 days ago was a feature meeting with only one 1,400m maiden and the next meeting in the South 10 days after Riccarton is also a feature meeting, at Oamaru, with just the one 1,400m maiden programmed. It must be a hell of a job for a Canty trainer to set a logical programme for their horses. Compare that to the NI where they run endless maiden races.

That is the saddest aspect of all this. Especially in the SI, trainers are being forced to race on the AWTs. It is an incredibly cynical, and to my mind quite disgusting attitude. Just from a quick look at the programmes, between the Grand national meeting and Cup week there are two industry meetings on the grass in Canty. Timaru 7 Oct, and Ashburton 30 Oct. So Canty trainers basically have the option of a feature meeting or an AWT meeting. Is that their idea of tiered racing? Where do trainers go if they want to try their horse in easier company on a grass track before they raise their sights to a Feature meeting. It has reached the stage where a low key meeting on a grass track is considered something quite unusual.

Parts of that are no actually all that silly. In years gone by if the NI was having a very wet winter trainers could send their horses down to race at Timaru and Oamaru to race on decent tracks. The poor man's Sunshine Coast.