Delta Bro

https://www.bayleys.co.nz/listings/commercial/northland/kaipara/5331-state-highway-14-dargaville-1053969

A trial is worth a dozen gallops. Every time you gallop a horse you risk serious injury. I used to go around with a bucket the night before a gallop in summer and pick rocks off the plough. For every one I found there were probably ten just under the surface. In winter there were holes everywhere on the number one grass. It was a narrow strip of grass that everyone who wanted to gallop their horse had to use. I don't think my experiences are unique.

I went to the meeting tonight. The speaker was Eryn Shields, a Senior Town Planner at Auckland Council. Before the meeting, I read the "Update on Avondale Racecourse" from NZTR. After that, I thought I knew it all. Avondale Jockey Club is asking the "Hearing Panel to consider whether the better zoning for the land (Avondale Racecourse) is a residential zone." Just a simple little yes or no question. Now for the reality. Avondale is asking for the entire racecourse, which is at present zoned Special Purpose - Major Recreation Facility Zone (SPZ), to be changed to Terraced Housing and Apartment Buildings (THAB). They also want the standard height limit for THAB, which is 21m or 22m, increased to 32.5m. Land adjacent to the racecourse is zoned THAB with a 32.5m height limit. NZTR says in its statement that what is happening, "is not directly related to NZTR or the Racing Act." I am not buying that. Avondale Jockey Club is selling the racecourse because NZTR has revoked all their licences and said they won't get any more after 2024/2025. There are provisions in the Racing Act, such as clause 24 (2) that say, "... the assets of the racing club ... vest in the racing code ... . " NZTR can sell Avondale Racecourse if Avondale Jockey Club doesn't play ball and sell the racecourse themselves. You can watch the presentation by Eryn Shields here https://www.facebook.com/avondalenz/videos/456374603385043/ The submission from the Avondale Jockey Club is attached. How upfront is NZTR about what's happening? AvondaleJockeyClubSubmissionPlanChange78.pdf

If you have nothing else to do https://www.facebook.com/events/266107089883622

Michael Guerin says that Boys Get Paid started with $1.2m and lost $600,000. Then he says most who played along lost $30. I suspect that calculation is done by taking $600,000 and dividing it by the 17,000 BGP membership number ($35/member). I doubt all the members took part in their punters club. I think the loss per member in the punters club was therefore considerably more than $30. Guerin also says no punters were significantly harmed in the making of this noisy circus at Ellerslie. I take issue with that claim as well. Many of the BGP members are betting big and talking big. The frienzied atmosphere encourages others to do the same (bet to excess). These people are betting on every race. Their punters club ticket money is not the only money they are putting through the chaff cutter. Guerin needs to keep his fingers crossed that no one involved in the regulatory oversight of responsible gambling ever ventures into their BGP room. If such a person were to walk over to where money is being withdrawn with EFT-POS cards, they will see the same people coming back time and time again for more money. I hazard a guess that more than a few of them are losing their shirts. I remember a trainer's wife, one who didn't like horse racing, telling me that those involved in racing start out in love with horses. Then if becomes all about the money and they couldn't care about the horses. I think BGP short circuits this process and its all about money and betting right from the start.

NZTROF is the owners organisation here. The last set of accounts filed at Incorportated Societies (2022) shows membership subscriptions $29,577, NZTR Grant $30,000, advertising income $1,010, total income $60,587. They are a bought and paid for cheer squad and rah-rha group for NZTR.

It will be a boutique industry. It will be the preserve of the wealthy. The TAB customer base will become immaterial. Funding will come from investment returns. The investment money will come from asset sales such as the Ellerslie Hill. In the distant future, there will no longer be any city racecourses. Those who sell them up will say the land is now so valuable, you can't justify retaining it for a few days of racing during the year. That's not my idea. It was something told to me by a former Auckland Trotting Club President. I didn't believe him at the time. What's happening now points to him being correct.

What gets me is that these self service kiosks are counted as retail outlets when the TAB is boasting about the size of their retail network. Large salaries depend on that misrepresentation and on betting turnover being viewed as retail sales.

Ellerslie sold their land and invested the proceeds with a fund manager except for the chunk of money that was used to build new raceday stalls, swab boxes etc. I think the plan going forward is to cash in some of their capital gains each year and use that as income to increase stakes. Provided what is left exceeds their original investment, this scheme provides an endless flow of money for stakes. The problem with the ATR money gusher is that markets are tanking all round the world. ATR cannot cash in capital gains if their investment portfolio is going south (Jamie Dimon says ‘brace yourself’ for an economic hurricane).

When I was in Japan, I talked to an owner who raced a string of horses and was enormously wealthy. He said he kept meticulous records and had only made a profit from racing in one of the last eight years. He said those setting stake levels needed to look at the earnings of the horses who, when you looked at all the horses racing from the best through to the worst, were in the middle. If those horses earned more in stakes, then racing horses would be a better financial proposition. He said champion horses would always win lots of money and the chances of owning such a horse were remote. Personally I think that there are not enough wealthy people in New Zealand to sustain a racing industry that resembles the JRA model (ten racecourses & 2 training centres). The current obsession with reducing racecourses and creating large training centres is taking us in that direction.

My best memories in racing come from taking my horse to Australia. I think everyone who has had this experience will say the same regardless of whether they won or lost over there. Years ago I was talking to Alan Fenwick (some might remember him) and I said that good horses should be able to win a race which pays for the trip. He agreed and said we needed more races with a stake of around $70k. Once the stake gets to the stage where it attracts all the best horses then putting more money in doesn't make much sense. I have always thought the people who are in racing for the money should go find something else to do.

So racing at Dargaville is going to be immortalised with a race called the Dargaville Cup to be run each year at Ruakaka. Much the Same thing happened with racing at Takapuna. The Takapuna Jockey Club made arrangements with Auckland Racing Club for races called the Takapuna Cup, Alison Stakes and Ralph Handicap to be run at Ellerslie in perpetuity. Races with those names vanished decades ago.

I have been rung up and asked to work. Next time they ring I will have say that I'm not vaccinated. Don't think there are many like me however. This might be of interest: The Story of Ivermectin and Covid-19

Being advertised as, "Once in a lifetime opportunity provides buyers a chance to secure over 1.4ha of greenfield development land located beside the southern motorway, 10 minutes to the CBD, on the border of Ellerslie Racecourse." Of course it is part of the Ellerslie Racecourse - a part that has now been subdivided off.

From the Amalgamation Date (ARC & CRC) to the conclusion of the 3rd Annual Meeting ... the Board will be ... two persons who are members of the Club (ARC?) and Board members immediately before Amalgamation ... two persons who are CRC members and members of the CRC Committee immediately before Amalgamation .. up to three persons who need not be Members and who are appointed by the Board members ... above. $280k divides nicely by seven = $40k each p.a.