Huey

Why shouldn't there be, these multiple race meeting clubs have full time staff no excuses!

LMAO, how people like you justify your opinions on a bunch of boozers turning up for race day 2 times a year, they wouldn't know a horse was running let give a toss about having a bet. If you think that's the magic cure for the future of nz racing then you're in for a helluva a surprise!

Contract has also been extended hasn't it?

Because they do not have a fundamental understanding of how the sport really operates, what they see at Ellerslie & Riccarton during carnivals is how they think it is.

I hear it is well underway.

So your solution is to kick everyone who doesn't train at Cambridge, Riccarton ,Awapuni or Pukekohe to the kerb? Reducing venues will not sustain or increase horse numbers, if that was the case why are country/picnic venues still a huge part of Aus racing? Please don't tell me you think like NZTR, in that the horses trained elsewhere will just magically turn up at these venues they are favouring, it won't happen. At any rate the demise has begun in haste and a once great industry will soon only be a shadow of its former self.

Let us know when you see one or if you do.

Agree with you JB, they don't care an iota about the industry , they happy pleasing a handful of participants, thats all that will be left once they are finished with it.

Why not let owners and trainers be the judge of whether or not they want to support those race meetings? Without the product they won't survive for long, the smaller meetings play a huge role in growing interest in the sport, giving the youth their first taste , continuing local interest , giving the game its character, providing future staff to the industry etc. Everything being done at the moment will destroy that, NZTR haven't got a clue and they don't really care about the future of the sport in NZ, but they can put a strategy on a PowerPoint Presentation and pretend its gonna save the industry. Many have said it before , but you can't keep selling the family jewels and keep going.

Exactly set them KPI's , but also hold the big clubs to account with more significant Performance Indicators given they operate on full time staff , the best dates available, unbridled support from NZTR the list goes on.

Youre implying the calendar is being turned upside for the better of the industry, it isn't . They tried to sell the same waffly propaganda when they messed around with the Derby, Auckland Cup (midweek race that stops 2 nations was it?) etc etc , hasn't improved it one bit. Worse still the personnel who have got the industry in the shape it is in now are in charge of that process. They are sucking the sport dry thinking based on a fabricated notion that they can replicate what the likes of Aus. has but in doing so they totally disregard whats made their racing so strong.

An NZTR report?

Further centralisation of racing & a fancy way of saying grab what they can.

Number 2. - Is interesting , all clubs should prepare themselves for attempted daylight robbery ,especially with BS involved .

I thought all these types of fools had disappeared, FFS get educated!

No I agree and I think thats prevalent across most of NZ racing Admin in general.

That's also one of the issues though isn't it, TA are so dominant even when the good horses are kept in NZ , let alone the good ones being sold to Aus. also ! Bland is a great description of the sport in NZ , unfortunately.

Great point, they do seem to struggle for stories that lot so they probably love one being sold & winning G1 in NZ is no longer the aspiration it once was, selling them to Aus is.

As you say many race meetings have been ruined , this being one of them. I find most meetings in NZ these days to be boring standardised dross, each one just a corporate kerfuffle to sell booze & have a party. The character has been removed from the sport, I blame the current regime at least Purcell and his crew understood the importance of different venues , dates and showed a degree of fairness , certainly not the case with the current lot! JB has rightly pointed out they are being (mis) guided by a number of individuals and clubs up North and that simply won't change and if youre not in the club youre probably wasting your time. Just to show how ineffective they are at promoting the sport , they had a gift of a horse win there (Otaki) today who has a lot of character and a bit of a story behind him, should be as well known in NZ as the local MP and people should have been bunking work to go watch him , is it any wonder TA choose to promote themselves even though they dominate local racing media.

It's also gone as are other venues because of attitudes like this prevailing across the industry, particularly amongst the bigger trainers. In some regards I think those attitudes have come about through desperation and fabricated promises of course only time will tell but imo those decisions will only make it worse!

What you have to factor in , is that many of the changes (including the AWTs) within the industry have been made for certain players (you don't need to be a genius to work it out) within the industry and not the industry overall(although thats how its sold and being communicated through racing media)therefore you are going to get a certain section of the the industry expressing concerns. Rest assured they do not care!

i'm intrigued to see how it goes being raced on every few weeks, next year should be interesting. Is there an unlimited supply of the sand/poly that makes up the track?

Awapuni & Otaki or have they already been mentioned? It goes without saying the tampering of dates and the deceitful Venue rort established by NZTR has played its part also.

Have to agree they do seem to get away with a lot more than other stables.

I'd venture to say 2 acres sold in the suburb of Ellerslie would be plenty enough to get ya started, surely? As you say , not sure of the specifics around it all, thats indeed why I asked.