Doomed

I'm not a fan of the AWT for several reasons: it was funded by the PGF despite it being located in a major metropolitan centre, which I find quite disgusting; it cost at least $15m up front when it is basically a glorified training track; and the instigators of it primarily see it as a way to eliminate lots of provincial racetracks (quite bizzare when you consider it was funded by the PGF). Despite all that though I thought it provided pretty good racing from the few races I saw today. It will quite probably end up the best of the three AWTs. Whether the SI can afford basically the racing equivalent of ChCh's covered rugby stadium is the big question. I did note yet another South Canterbury winner today after a couple of winners from that region last Saturday, including the quinella in the open sprint. Bit ironic when the ChCh based administrators are trying to eliminate all racing in South Canty. Interestingly, that open sprint winner was a 3yo filly. Bit sad when they have to race that far out of their class to get a start. You wonder if any of those administrators spotted that and thought perhaps they should have run a 3yo sprint: somehow I doubt it. Far too revolutionary.

The country's top two jockeys were in the race and couldn't run in the first four in an eight horse field, so I find it a bit harsh criticising the Southern jocks. One of the northerners took the initiative in a slow run race, which would probably be considered the clever thing to do, and ended up running nowhere. The runner up zoomed home well, much like the CWJ winner later on the day who came from last to win. The race was won by probably the best currently active Southern jockey.

I think the Tylers are a massive asset for NZ racing, just like Myers in the NI. I wonder if they are appreciated as much as they should be by NZTR? I suspect not. I recall the previous CEO basically said they won't be missed. You do wonder if NZTR took any "learnings" at all from the fact that several significant trainers have voted with their feet and basically said " we don't have to put up with this shit." I'm sure it came as a bit of a surprise to them, but at the same time I suspect they are too stupid to realise it isn't a good thing for the industry.

He will learn that it is much harder to race a horse out of its class over there. Their racing is much better structured and horses tend to find their level. The art is to determine where a horse is well placed and a winning chance. What's the saying? Keep yourself in the best company and your horse in the worst. The secret to Aussie racing is that they cater for all classes of horse very effectively. I often think Winston would have done NZ racing a much bigger service if he had asked Messara to come over here and try to make our racing more exciting and relevant and better structured, rather than just asking him which 50% of our tracks should be eliminated without any desire to actually make our racing any better. If Messara had come out and said "your pattern is all wrong, your handicapping is all wrong, your stakes allocation is all wrong" and other insights like that he could well have gone down in history as a messiah of NZ racing rather than being considered a half wit. As it is, he got the 50% the wrong way around.

Surely trying to evict him from the stables and refusing to accept nominations for his horses are two separate things? And two quite major things. Sounds like there must be something behind it all. Now that everything has gone public surely the parties should reveal what this is all about.

Melody Belle, and even Avantage, tend to indicate there is still value in black type, even if it is weak black type.

No respect for tradition these days. The Parliamentary and NI Challenge Stakes recently were an embarrassment. Imagine if you had a photo on the wall of your horse winning those races 30 years ago. Visitors these days would think "what's the big deal?". Most of that Kiwifruit Cup field wouldn't have got a start 30 years ago and none would have been competitive. I remember very clearly the year Quasim beat Watch Officer. Lots of other good winners too. Ironically, many horses are doing quite well in the current enviroment. They are getting to race in quite weak fields for reasonable stakes. With only one or possibly two exceptions, none of that WFA field would be competitive in Aussie, even in a race of equivalent stake. Here they are racing for black type as well.

Interesting to note that while minimum stakes are going up a massive $2,000, to $14,000, open class stakes at industry days will stay at a princely $15,000. When you consider that the SI can often go three weeks with only industry days wouldn't you have thought they could have tossed a few grand into open class races at those meetings. The extra $50,000 being pissed away into the 2,000 Guineas could have boosted every open race on industry days in the SI by a couple of thousand for the whole season. It all seems like an incredibly cynical approach. Basically saying they can do whatever they like, and what they like is to pour all the money into group races and the "special" clubs.

Don't panic, the 3yo classics are all rocketing up in stakes. As soon as trainers realise that, the flow of horses to Aussie will stop. If only they could double the stakes for the two sweepstakes I doubt any horses will leave these shores again.

Riccarton may not have a paramedic, but it does have an AWT, which Flemington doesn't have.

I did realise it was open to all comers, but because they have such big gaps between races and because they don't run maiden 2yo races as lead ups these races tend to just attract maidens.

He did beat a couple of handy NI types in each of his wins.

I would never criticise any club that manages to get a sponsor for every race. Most city clubs should be embarrassed by Otaki's effort, so good on them.

It is certainly very unusual and appears to be very unfair on the SI. I can only assume that the rationale is that in the NI it is only second tier horses that race on the AWT and this is a special occasion for the battlers. Whereas in the SI there are virtually no opportunities away from the AWT so horses are forced to race on it anyhow and therefore there is no point providing any additional incentives.

Since you mention 2yos, interesting to see another 2yo race catering solely to maidens for $30,000 at Riccarton. Only one official maiden 2yo race in the SI all season, and that's the first race of the season when they are all maidens anyhow, but throughout the season they keep running $30,000 races that only attract maidens. I wonder if they have thought of doing what they do in the NI, you run endless maiden 2yo races and then they all come together in the better staked races. Its called a racing pattern in most other countries.

I just happened to be looking through some upcoming programmes. There hasn't been any real detail announced regarding the trumpetted stakes increases and I have been intrigued to see what they might do with the 3yo classics. I always thought the temptation must be overwhelming for them. I see the 2,000 Guineas is going up $50,000 to $550,000. What on earth is the point? $50,000 just pissed away into a race that doesn't need it. It won't keep a single extra horse in the country. It won't attract a single extra horse to the race. The 1,000 Guineas incidentally is going up $100,000 to $400,000. Will Te Akau sit back and think "Hmmm.. we were going to send all our 3yos to Oz for a change, but the 2,000 Guineas has just gone up $50,000 so big change of plans." NZ 3yos go to Riccarton because it's an easy go at Group 1 status for horses that could never win a Group 1 in Aussie. Will Pike come out next week and say " I was going to send this horse to Melbourne, but the 2,000 Guineas has just gone up $50,000 so we are staying here." I imagine the Oaks will probably go to $500,000, or more. God knows what they will do to the Derby. $1.2m, probably more. Where is it being run next season, Te Awamutu or something isn't it? The 3yo classics winners and placegetters have hardly excelled for many, many years. Hard to rememeber more than a very small handful that have gone on to win big races. NZTR's answer is to keep boosting the stakes. Do they not realise they would be better off fixing the programming and the pattern of racing to create more interesting and competitive racing. I see the Livamol at HB has gone to $330,000. Not the standard $300,000 for Group 1s, $330,000. What on earth impact will that extra $30,000 have on the field? We do waste money don't we. It is quite discouraging really. I wonder if they might be tempted to throw a few hundred thousand at the two big sweepstake races, it must be tempting Not sure where they are being held this coming season; probably Pirongia. In answer to my own original question, I go with incompetence, but it could easy be all of the other three options as well.

There is really very little difference between the horses that contest each grade of racing in the South, and even in the North most of the time. They are pretty much interchangeable. In this case the ones who wanted firm tracks went to Oamaru, as did the ones who wanted a local racemeeting. The most revealing thing about racing in the SI this week is the programming incompetence it exposes. At this time of year there are a lot of 3yos winning races. Would you not have thought a 3yo race at Riccarton might have been a good idea? Look at the Creswick Stakes at Flemington last Saturday, a top notch field with numerous winners getting a late season chance to test themselves against the best 3yo sprinters going around. A 3yo sprint at Riccarton would have thrown together a really competitive field. But its just all too hard really. Just stick to the safe basic programme.

They actually think it is great business practice to close down as many outlets and racetracks as possible. They think they are doing well. In a few years time when we are down to just Ellerslie racing a couple of times a week and one TAB outlet in each major city the great industry thinkers will consider they have saved the industry. They must look in total bewilderment at Countdown and Bunnings and McDonalds opening branches everywhere. I'm sure they think the people running those businesses have no idea.

Well done Diego today. Winning the last four races. I'm sure four wins on a day has been done before and possibly even four in a row, but how often would they all be at such good odds. Not a favourite between them.

Good 4 at Oamaru and heavy 10 at Riccarton, certainly shows why Riccarton needed an AWT but not why the SI needed one.

So you are arguing that the provincial growth fund was happy to fund a track in the middle of ChCh as that would enable NZTR to close down racing in Timaru, Banks Pen, Rangiora, Waimate and Marlborough? Those provincial areas would presumably be much better off not having to maintain a local racetrack and they would be delighted to be able to sell their tracks so the funds realised could be used to support Riccarton, Trentham and Ellerslie. That philanthropic gesture would do wonders for the mental wellbeing of all those provincial centres. The next logical step based on that precedent is to sell the main rugby grounds in Timaru, Ashburton, Rangiora, Blenheim and a few other assorted country towns and use those funds to fund Christchurch's new covered stadium. Once the PGF sees those smaller centres are totally in favour of that approach the PGF would almost certainly come to the party and throw money into the ChCh stadium as well.

Do you never read back over your posts and realise most don't make any sense at all? In an attempt to be helpful, you're means you are. If you are trying to say anything other than you are you should use your. If you want to interact with people you should make an effort to comply with normal grammatical conventions. I suggest you try posting in your main language and leave it up to people to translate it. I'm not even sure what your main language is. It doesn't sound like any European or even Asian language as you don't make the usual errors those speakers do when writing English.

Look, I have to be honest, Gospel's appalling grammar always makes me think he is a bit simple minded and I never take much notice at all of his postings. And yet in a recent post he claimed to have a university degree. I assume he has English as a second language, so full credit for that, most of us on here struggle with the one language. If he would only read over his posts before sending them to tidy up any errors he might find people take more notice of what he says.

Come on curious. It takes literally 10 seconds of googling to find numerous articles where abandoned meetings were used as the major justification for the spend on AWTs. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/101002951/allweather-racing-track-promised-by-winston-peters Meetings that were cancelled due to wet weather in and near those regions could be transferred to an all-weather track,

I watched some races at Te Rapa and Trentham yesterday. When the camera panned over the grandstands you would have thought we were racing in covid times, hardly a soul to be seen. It made me think Riccarton is propably right not wanting a public grandstand. Compare that to the massive crowds at Ipswich yesterday, a city with a similar population to Hamilton and Wgtn. We really have lost our way, and it is the big city tracks that have lost their way the most. As Reefton says, the very tracks that are getting all the money poured into them. Any other industry would consolidate outside of the loss leading white elephants.