Doomed

I think that is the cause of the whole problem "they haven't got a clue". You do wonder how the whole industry has come to be controlled by people with no real idea, and no passion for Racing. There is hardly a single thing they have done that makes you think "now that was a really good idea". There are so many indicators of where things are going wrong, but nothing done to address it. I see the interprovincial thing has stuff all noms, and that is a $60,000 race for 82s. It really has done its dash. On the positive side I see they have realised we might have too many black type races and we might be a bit of a laughing stock. I have seen people comment along the lines - "how could she be worth so little as a brood mare, she won a NZ Group 1". Really! But can't you just see them cocking that up when they try to cull some group races. I can see major problems coming up with industry races for $12,000 and feature days at $40,000. $12,000 on the AWTs and $40,000 on the heavy 11s. It is hard to be optimistic.

Wait until all those based at the abandoned tracks start to pull the pins. At least we have $50m worth of AWTs for maidens and 65s, but I somehow doubt that will stem the tide.

Yes, a very strange situation. $120,000 of additional stakes added to this meeting. An incredible extravagance. Hard to see how it could be cost effective. They would need to sell a Dargaville racecourse just to fund one meeting like this. And all directed to maidens and recent maiden graduates. I would have thought that if they wanted to run a $40,000 race It might be an idea to make it an open sprint to give decent horses a warm up for the new season. Obviously in the north it is intended to keep AWT racing and turf track racing totally separate with separate pools of horses. Decent horses only get to use it for track work and trials. In the South it is a different approach, with AWT racing intended to replace grass track racing throughout the winter, other than the occasional bog meeting at Ricarton.. The more you think about it, $45m does seem to be a lot of money to cater exclusively to a lower tier of horses.

Just watching the Warriors getting thrashed again and it did occur to me, do we really want the man who manages them as his day job running thoroughbred racing in NZ as his part time job?

Yes Leo Oliffe in the days before Paul Hinsley.

Oliffe may have been associated with the Timaru Racing Club. Might be totally wrong of course.

So does that mean the well rested Timaru track is about to be allocated extra feature summer meetings?

I suppose the industry has come into money so they have to spend it somehow. Don't want to waste it on stakes. They are probably overwhelmed by the extra profits accruing from the shutdown of Hokitika, Blenheim, Banks Pen, Waikouaititi, Waimate etc. They have probably saved enough money from the closure of all those tracks to fund an AWT at Ascot Park. We are probably only about a month away from a fairly comprehensive report detailing the net benefits to the industry of all those tracks this season.

Correct. The whole aim of the AWT is so they can close down as many other tracks as possible. Ideally they would like even fewer meetings in the SI. Very good acceptances at Oamaru, and I would say easily the best meeting in NZ this weekend. At least they will have three dividends in every race, which can't be said for Te Rapa. And looks like the Pitman v Tyler clash could go down to the last race.

Hopefully the track will improve by Sunday Mikey. Oamaru and Timaru are traditionally good winter tracks, but there will always be wet spells. I'm sure most of the noms will front, usually very few scratching in the South because there are so few opportunities. Good article on the nzracing website about Kelvin Tyler where he said: “It’s actually bloody tough at this time of the year as there are just so few opportunities in the South. “There are only four South Island meetings in July which is really frustrating when you see all the racing they are getting in the North.

I have taken note of him every start since they turned down $3m. He hasn't fired a shot and has often been well backed. I haven't spent a cent on him, so have done quite well out the races he has run in. It is a good lesson for any connections of a horse that puts in one good run in pretty average company.

The connections of Kinane must be feeling sick. Turned down $3m it and it hasn't won a cent since. Change of trainer, change of state, and as a last ditch effort they put Jamie Kah up and it still runs last. They won't be a happy group of owners if some wanted to sell and some didn't.