Huey

That's exactly what it is, the clubs and governing body have no idea how to present the product as being the main reason to go to the races and thus have to make it a booze fest. It's not a good look and its not good for the future of racing in this country, but it is the easy way out for the aforementioned.

Don't they get put back into the winners distribution? The best thing they are currently doing at NZTR is paying out to 14th, probably the reason the field sizes have remained strong in volume.

As with everything horses for courses.

Looks like NZ racing is set for boom times indeed! One thing I don't get, wouldn't a horse feeling good be more likely to pull? This AWT must be magic! https://loveracing.nz/News/31567/CambridgePolytrackopenforbusiness.aspx

No idea, junk racing at the best of time, let alone prime time Saturday. Never can understand why they don't stick to their knitting ...less is more!

Kolding

I don't think so, I presume thats the price given its Ballot and all, but usually with scratchings the FF price is reduced.

and after scratchings comes into 6s lol

Is this kind of pointless? - Wouldn't the winner of an Open handicap be highly likely to walk into a Wellington Cup field in NZ given the status of the sport in NZ/dearth of stayers/demotion of race status at the moment? - Is there that many horses that miss out on a start in the Wellington Cup at any rate? - Not to mention that NZTR have done their darnedest to kill Country racing and thus cups thinning out the pool for such a promo. https://loveracing.nz/OnHorseFiles/NRB Meeting News/Wellington Cup Ballot Exempt Country Cups.pdf

More Amateur hour in NZ racing! NP Raceway Withdrawal Morning Weather: Cloudy Track: Slow 8 Rail: Out 7m| 1mm Rain Overnight Weather and track updated at 8:38am Wednesday 21 October Please note that the running rail has now been advised as Out 7m Nomination Morning Weather: Overcast Track: Slow 8 Rail: True | 11mm Rain Overnight Weather and track updated at 7.44am Tuesday 20 October

No way they would, they wouldn't match it with any of the top 8 teams in the RWC at Union no hope, different body shapes, technique etc . They'd certainly win the RL part though. Agree Rennie is a real loss to NZ rugby no doubt about that.

I though Cane had another good game, the Captaincy seems to be making him shine a bit, hopefully it continues. Still think we miss a Whitelock in the pack, but they all went quite well.

The league boys wd get destroyed in the scrums, lineouts and at the breakdown, they'd be down by 40 at HT, they'd also get done at their own scrums.

Yep and thats true & from his pov no one can argue that he isn't a knowledgeable guy , who is fairly well respected among the industry. I also find his commentating and commentary quite well balanced compared to others.

We will probably get a slowmo of KFE going off in the stands at HB as well.

It desperately needs new leadership and some innovative thinking, it won't happen.

Pun intended , its a lightweight show at any rate. Simply no reason to tune in. my prediction for tomorrow show = MB + TA love fest on tomorrow, with a dash of the chosen one, some misdirected outrage at the GN golf incident , a whole lot of review (which has already been done and better) on the Aus product to top it off, why would you bother?

With regards to the golfers, why isn't the racing club responsible for ensuring safety around this? Surely anyone with any horse sense would know activities like that don't mix with thoroughbreds at the best of times, let alone on race day! Probably lucky it was a jumps race and they could slow down or see them as they approached, heaven forbid a bunch of 2yos running around the place. Racing club CEO and leadership get lauded for selling, pies,beer, fashion shows & after party but don't get held to account for the most basic requirement of holding a race day i.e. Safety . I'm fed up with everything in NZ racing coming before the actual reason we are having races to race horses, that should be what the course is there for. There is too much focus on other activities occurring at the expense of good basic racing club management- George Simon and others can call them dickheads or whatever they like , but its time people were held accountable for putting measures in place to ensure this event had little chance of happening, I bet they don't call the leadership out though.

The maidener was less than a length behind a very smart one at its last start, so not a real surpise but perhaps price was.

I don't think the politics of elections needs to be involved in racing, I think it only needs to come from common sense decisions of the governing body. The future of NZ racing looks extremely boring and I'd have to say its only recently (last couple of years) I've really noticed that.

Humidor for mine.

All about the stud career, cracking field that race. I'm going Libertini.

Only used as a finishing post on race day aren't they?

Yet another reason why the centralisation of racing in the NZ won't work, outside of big carnival days is there really any point racing in Auckland? Must be a nightmare Auckland traffic etc getting your horses there?

One would expect the speed they are going over jumps would have an impact. A part of jumping imo is the surface and stamina qualities that requires, spectacle it creates , both a bit negated on AWT I'd have thought.