Huey

so 30 on AWT at Riccarton, 40 at Awapuni , I guess 50 at Cambridge. NZ racing is really going to become a snorefest! Hello world look at our quality racing here on an AWT track from Riccarton on a Wednesday start punting on it, don't worry about that silly racing from Sandown or Warwick Farm Sydney on the grass , this AWT racing is seriously exciting!!!

Let it rip! Now is not the time to stand on precedence!

Agree , there has been too much focus on the Elite punter and not the $50-$500 a week punter, so they have gone MIA or new ones haven't been created .

I think a lot of the industry media made coverage around horse welfare just comes across as propaganda from the industry and is therefore ignored or swatted aside by those that wish to halt the sport. In my opinion the coverage we get for welfare issues doesn't go deep enough and needs to aim at people who are at the beginners level with regards to racehorses , the reason I say this is because the public even the keen punter and avid racegoer have absolutely no idea about racehorses in this country , in fact probably even less than those that work in Petone. Why on earth would an organisation like NZTR give the role of leading horse welfare to someone who probably hasn't got a clue about the day to day care of the animal etc, its just plain tokenism . I'd have thought its that important a role you would have someone who has had experience in the industry or at re homing horses etc. NZTR pay it lip service by putting up a story with Event Stars once a month when its much more important than that.

Unfortunately it wouldn't matter and iota to them, why do you think they protest outside of Melbourne Cup day as well as some other major meets and jumps racing, they wont all racing stopped , you should have a chat to them someday you'll see what I mean fairly quickly.

Unfortunately I think its only the first layer to be attacked, once that goes its 2yo racing etc etc. I don't mind people having a say , but these type of people just have no idea what they are talking about, they make out the horses are mistreated etc which is just plain wrong and its one of these cases where good intent can lead to even worse outcomes. I'd have no argument with anyone who has some complaints about the bail out, as I'm of the opinion its undeserved and will be wasted but making it about animal cruelty just diverts attention from the real problems in the industry.

Petone

I and many others share your pain, I would like to know if you are getting terse emails regarding your account, what are they sending out to those who owe the $1.7m outstanding? Visits from the mafia perhaps.

The current leadership has to have been bought into to cripple the industry, there can be no other explanation. The decisions made just defy belief!

I see, well if its not costing NZTR anything to operate , its an even more stupid decision than I thought.

I'll train you up SLB 2.0 ? Got some sand dunes close to home? I reckon you can take him if it goes the distance. But he looks like he'd be pretty classy on his feet with a decent jab on him. Get your skipping rope out today.

Isn't Waipa gone also? Where is the benefit in getting rid of Te Teko if it costs the industry nothing to operate or does it? Especially if they can't sell it up.

I could never afford a high priced one, but I'm not interested in racing on it put it that way.

If thats true thats a joke, 32 races probably saved the industry money. I don't get all this carry on over abandonments happens is Aus. particularly around the bushfires , but they don't panic and drop 3 AWT down that will supposedly stop it from happening.

They'll come back after having had some lunch there with some old mates saying how great it is and how good it will be for NZ racing etc. Why are they going to a track that is incomplete, what is the point? Shouldn't they be going somewhere or Zoom a delegation that currently has a track to really find out what users thoughts are?

You can be sure it will cost more in NZ also, which makes the entire situation even more of a joke considering what stakes will be. This is why the country/smaller clubs which are self sustainable and considerably cheaper to train at are such an important part of the industry. This AWT situation feels like the TAB website all over again. Is this another situation whereby the industry is attempting to implement changes that reflect the end result without obviously getting to the end result?

It reads like a disaster waiting to happen, but with the leadership we have in place in NZ racing you'd have to be very confident that things will go very ...oh no wait a minute.

I think you're well off the mark there Billy.

The more you hear about it ,the more it sounds like yet another well thought out(not!) decision in NZracing .

Must have just been a rumour then, someone told me Cambridge would be racing from May next year. Fibre or not I bet that doesn't bother them.

Ok thats new, not what I heard.

Exactly then some people are telling them they need a flash stand to cater for the shite dates they get given.

I have little sympathy for anyone who can't see the excuse about Grandstands is nothing more than a White Elephant excuse to justify closing tracks down, the tracks are what matters, good tracks providing good competitive racing surfaces. ARC have plenty of dining facilities etc, yet no one goes apart from 3 days a year. TV is the future and the grandstands do nothing improve the TV experience for a worldwide punting audience.

Engage in dialogue - Get shafted by the industry They obviously ain't stupid.

If Avondale agreed to a merger with the ARC within 3 years they would get shafted somewhere along the line by the industry or the ARC, do you honestly expect them to trust the people who have been doing their best to get rid of them for years?