Doomed

I think the old track was the Moonee Valley of the South with a very short home straight, but a decent enough circumference.

Interesting to note that two of the horses that couldn't get a start in the 65 sprint when heaps of horses were balloted and eliminated managed to win tighter class races on the card, including the Tapanui Cup. Just shows it is a very tough class in the south. Hard enough to get a start in a 65 let alone win one.

Here's a bit of info about them. The grandstand still looks in better nick than many about the place. https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/118235418/gore-to-host-tapanui-racing-clubs-150th-celebrations

Hard to follow what that's all about, but obviously not a particularly bright lawyer as he doesn't write very well.

I just noticed they have one $12,000 maiden at Addington tonight and only 7 starters. Rangiora on Sunday has numerous $10,000 maidens with capacity fields. Do trainers not like Addington or is there another reason for this strange anomaly? Not as if there is anything flash in the Addington field to scare the others off.

New Zealand has only staged two $2 million races – he trained the winner (Princess Coup) of both. I suppose technically correct, but I do seem to recall the Derby was worth $2.2m for three years or so.

Perhaps use the land for a race course and a golf club.

I have vague memories of Matai Dreamer as a young horse missing away and giving the field a big start but still winning. I think it was that race that made his reputation.

Just so much more depth in those days. One I recall as being a potential superstar was Matai Dreamer from the deep South. Don't think he did much as an older horse.

There weren't many all weather tracks in those days Gammalite. The likes of Ashburton. Timaru and others probably only went in in the early 80s, Nelson, Marlborough late 80s from memory. So most horses had to race on grass at some stage.

Why on earth was Ashburton not sent to the AWT? Likewise Pukekohe could have gone to Cambridge. Surely that was Winston's main justification for the AWTs? So now we all know that they are only expensive track work facilities. It's a strange old industry that has better training facilities than racing facilities. It's a bit like the All Blacks training at Eden Park and playing their tests at Mangere Reserve.

As predicted, no intention of splitting the rating 65 1,335 despite 27 noms. That's 13 horses missing a start. They have tried to force some into the open 1,335m and 72 1,200m. Someone really should explain to them that the shortage of horses in open and 72 races is because it is virtually impossible to get out of 65 grade.

They did said they "may" split the Ashburton race. They have only mentioned possibly splitting the maidens at Tapanui. No intention of splitting the 27 nom rating 65.

To be fair, our people were very decisive and moved Waverley to Awapuni just recently. Only problem was they forgot the AWT hadn't been finished.

I note Tapanui is likely to have a similar situation to Ashburton, 27 noms for the 65 1,335m race but no intention of splitting the field.

If it looks like being an absolute bog with heaps of scratching if should move to that flash new AWT. That's what its there for. I seen to recall they did exactly that at Caloundra just recently.

I might be wrong, but I don't think the AWT saved us a single abandoned meeting this year did it? That was one of the major reasons for their introduction.

Rather defeats the whole point that the longest twilights at this time of year are in the deep south. That Riverton New Years meeting could easily finish about 10pm.

The Coast tracks all have public grandstands, which is one of the advantages they have over Riccarton.

So on that basis can we assume Riccarton has a super enthusiastic committee?

Try and get a SI horse to the Karaka, or to the Derby or Oaks for that matter. Ironically running 10th in the Wakefield just about guarantees you a start in the Karaka this year and last year. And as to Ashburton, my bad maths. They start 14 so there are already 11 missing a start if they don't split it. And I did notice all the maidens that will miss a start as well, but thought I had better not push it. And I should probably be charging NZTR a decent consultancy fee for this, but what the hell, the reason you don't have many horses in rating 74s and open races is because they can't get out of maidens and 65s. We almost need tiered racing. Now there's an idea.

If anyone wants an example of the different treatment for NI and SI racing you need look no further than this statement today regarding this week's Ashburton meeting. The R65 1400 MAY be divided IF more nominations are received.. 25 noms already and they may divide it if they get more. No more noms and 9 will miss a start. One or two more noms.....yeah nah, still not worth splitting it. Contrast that with Pukekohe this week. 20 noms for a 2yo race, one already scratched. Sure no trouble, of course we can split it, no worry about running 12 races.

Could someone remind me why they stopped racing at Westport? It was probably the biggest galloping track on the Coast. Stopped some time in the 80s from memory. I think Nelson stopped at a similar time.

You must tell us more about this idea of moving the Kumara meeting to the Riccarton AWT. Might be seen as a bit controversial. Could also be highly embarrassing if Omoto and Reefton get good fields and the AWT struggles to get a quorum. Very brave of them too when you consider the Cambridge AWT has been up and going all year and the highest grade of race they have held on it is a 74, and here's Riccarton that has never been raced on holding open class feature races. That assumes they do race the Kumara Cup. It would also be embarrassing if they change from a Kumara meeting with genuine sponsors for every race to a metropolitan meeting with no real sponsors, just a recycling of some of the names they used during Cup Week.

I did think the discussion was drifting slightly Chief.