the galah

Mr allen says re-energise nz's relationship with china. United states no longer a reliable leader. The only thing missing is sell our souls. Obviously looking to stand for national.

I'm not au fait with the details relating to the personnel who have lead the decision making of the tab/rita. Clearly they have in recent times had a different leader. But what i do know is that decisions made in the last 7 to 8 years show they have been driven by the need to save costs while at the same time trying to improve turnover. Thats fine. But the problem is the decisions they have made,have shown a total lack of knowledge of what their customers want,and what the customer needs so as to continue as punters. And the sad thing is they continue to make decisions which will ultimately reduce customer participation to the point where dollars saved will be less than the dollars coming in as a result of the changes. They may well be clever businessmen in the areas they specialize in who have lead the industry,but past and some present decisions made show that lack of understanding of what funds racing,the punting. From free to air tv going to pay tv,,from the website that turned countless punters away from participation and focused on driving sports betting instead of the needs of the customers of its main earner, the future decisions to phase out operators,the radio decision(why couldn't they have a simulcast off the tv),even basic things like the betslips or reducing the % the tab agencies got to the the point where they no longer cared whether anyone bets, etc ,etc. Everything has been cost cutting resulting in less customer participation ,resulting in less turnover, which then leads to further cost cutting,further reductions in turnover...and so on. And all along the industry licenceholders/owners have demanded that they maintain stakes levels,knowing that their product does not justify the level of the stakes they are paid. It also happens at club level. Just look at the auckland trotting club. Some of those people that were on the board that made the original decision would have had no ideas of the possible pitfalls. Whats in a leading harness trainers background to think he could understand the pitfalls of building of a huge apartment complex. Clearly the same applied to the other board members. I know it all sounded good at the start. But i remember not long after they started that complex i just happened to speak to a fella from auckland for 10 minutes who was visiting locally and it turned out he was an expert in the field of advising on such projects and who also gave advice to councils. When i mentioned the Auckland complex,he said,there could be a lot of money to be made in such projects,but the construction companies operated on small margins so as to get the projects,and because of the volatility of product costs,labor costs, quality of product(chinese) etc he said there had been a few disastrous examples for those involved. Listening to him at the time made me wonder about aucklands decision, because the atc had seemed so confident in what they were doing in the media comments..

Personally i think the decision to phase out being able to walk up to the tote and get a operator to place a bet for you, as being incredibly stupid. So they want everyone to use one of those machines or their phone.This decision is a clear illustration that they have no understanding of punters. In my job i often spend hours sitting outside the local tab,looking in through the window watching. Its a well run pub/tab who interact well with their customers and always prioritise their tab customers close to a race start. They have different types of customers. Youv'e got the seamen who came in groups of 6 or 7 on weeknights. They may only be there a couple of nights during the week,and they are not the same ones depending on what boat is in, but those groups of a half dozen who chose to bet on the aussie harness/dogs can put a bit through the tote as they often bet on most races. You have to remember these are people who can hardly speak english let alone read it as it is not their language. They go up to the bar tote just before the race starts,look up at the trackside screen and say a number... Now there is no way these blokes are going to know how to download the tab app let alone navigate the website,and they won't muck around with a tab machine,they will simply go and play the pokies. They are not allowed of their boats at the moment because of the virus but one day they will be. Then you have the handful of blokes who go to the pub for companionship who like a chat with the bloke serving them Different people come and go depending at the time of night but they are the ones who are there at the quiet times. Once again they just seems to follow the tv screens placed next to the bar tote and have their bets just prior to start. They never fill in forms,. They may not be successful,but they are customers. Then the half dozen who come in midweek after work. Again they don't fill in forms and bet just prior to race start. Then you have the weekends. You look at those who bet on sport. One bet,then watch the game. All the while the ones betting on the horses have 10-20 bets in the same time. There is no way you can get a bet on anywhere near as fast on one of those machines,compared to an operator. And when i was out of town recently i used the app on the phone and found it took me 10 minutes to put on all the bets i wanted on a couple of races when i could have done the same thing in 2 minutes if i was at home or at a tab. And thats someone who knows how to use the website,how cis anyone who is a casual racegoer going to cope. Just like the website,the decision to phase out operators will cost way more than it will save. It reminds me of the businessman i knew who was solely responsible for one tab's big turnover about 15 years ago. He had a great food/hospitality business and plenty of cash. He used to wander across the road from where he lived to a tab which was in a tavern. Didn't bet all the time,just in big amounts. Well,one day i was talking to him about the tavern which was struggling as a business. We were talking about that taverns tab not having a turf digest anymore to look at. He told me he had said to them that he needed the turf digest so as to know what he was betting on as he really didn't know the form. Well 2 months later,the tavern still had no turf,but also no longer had the big punter who simply gave up out of principle. He only bet as a release from the business and instead just went and played more golf.

A bloke was telling me a story the other day involving Mr Molloy. About 40 years ago the bloke was working at farmers and they had a division that sold stock feed. Often they would get trainers coming in buying bags of oats or chaff. This day Mr Lalor from ashburton came in and like they often did,the blokes in the grain store threw in a couple of extra bags for free and they would get a tip from the trainer for the races. Well Lalor told them he had a horse running at oamaru in a couple of days who he thought would win. They all backed it and tipped it to thier friends. And sure enough it won paying $8. What they didn't know at the time, was when Lalor saw the price pre race,he told the jockey.Leo Molloy the horse wasn't paying enough so he wanted him to give it a quiet run. Mr Molly replied that he can't do that as he had his own money on. Lalor apparently never used Molloy again because he wasn't happy he won.

Thanks for that,but it still seems ridiculous that the club,greyhound nz,or the trainer of the ballot were not aware a dog stood down from racing 3 days earlier, would not be starting. All rather amateurish.

Again Race 2 manukau 17 may. Atilas Arrow -Stood down from racing on 14 may for 5 days after a fall. Yet only comes up as a scratching on raceday,3 days later.. 2 ballots don't get a start. Is it just me,but isn't this just incompetence. Is anyone awake at grnz.

So there we go. The decision makers at the TAB had no idea what a punter wants, we all knew it,and given a couple of recent announcements which are sure to discourage betting,they still don't. What was that Bob dylan song ....where have all the punters gone.......

I was reading the other week about the discount Ohio licenceholders get on feed. And it got me thinking again about why is it nz racing does not have something similar. Well if there is, i'm not aware of it. So what about starting something for the licenceholders/owners/punters/clubs/supporters . Why don't we get 15-20c a litre of petrol like the small business i am a part of. Why don't i get 10 to 15% off animal feed products i buy from the likes of crt or pyne gould. They used to do that for me when i bought in bulk so why not when you buy in smaller amounts if your a cardholder.What about accommodation and travel,food and beverages. The list is endless. Why don't we have a card that licenceholders get issued with each year when they renew their licence and that anyone associated with racing can get for a small fee to cover the cost of issuing it and a small fee to go to racing groups. People would be happy to pay a basic fee if they knew they would quickly recoup it with future savings. Then you would have a data base for the people to target with racing promotions. It might be all wishful thinking but i can't see why someone like HRNZ couldn't organise it and make a bit of money on the side. Why can't it happen.

Australian turf club .different but some similarities?

Bathurst is in nsw so they would get more bet on the NSW tab. They aren't commingled with our tab. Thought i would check to tell you how much in their pool but its been so long since racing was on i have forgotten my password. It's normally not that much,but can get up around $5000 in the win pool for a meeting like that in nsw.. I have a few bets with the NSW tab on nz harness because of the different pool. Their pool size on our trots can vary a lot depending i guess on the level of pre race coverage over there, but its surprising how similar the dividends end up. Would rather bet with them than a bookie so NZ racing gets their cut . I was finding you can cut your dividend too much if you bet solely on the nz tab on the trots here. Actually its amazing how the NSW tab always put the videos of NZ races up before hrnz. The results are quicker too on their website than the nz tab. They also show the amount in the pools after the results as well.

not the ones shown on the tab site. It was only about 5 years ago oamaru had xmas at the races and the car park was full as well. Those clubs that have only a small population base to attract seem to have the xmas at the races go well at the start,but drop away after a couple of years.Workplaces like to do something different each year.

You've lost me a bit. I said timaru had an on course turnover of $153,000 from 7 meetings. I said big crowds don't always equate to big turnover.,and that geraldine on course turnover would be down if we saw the figures for the last couple of years. Personally I always look at money in the pools when placing a bet and i have always been interested in turnovers. I'm not sure,but you seem to be suggesting the synthetic tracks are a poor investment. Perhaps you should read what the president of the nz trainers association,tony pike said about them. His comments were very positive towards them. Is it just another example of the galloping code not being able to agree on anything? And tell me,why the fixation on synthetic tracks?

Why not? I pointed out crowd size does not necessarily point to turnover. Geraldine an example of that. Turnover is a major factor for income and no doubt is a factor when looking at closures for some clubs.

What strikes me is the 2017 on course turnover for 2 meetings was only $155,000. Those meetings were run in good weather. In 2017 one of the meetings had huge crowd which filled up the carpark,and some. Obviously people were there more for the occasion than to have a bet.I always think there needs to be a mobile tote, take the betting facilities to the crowd and if they don't come to you. When clubs like geraldine fold they will no doubt sell the plant and equipment to the locals in the know for next to nothing. In 2017 they had about $240,000 in the bank so a bit better off than waimate, but when you look at them in comparison to the other clubs mentioned earlier on here, you can understand why they were chosen for closure. The only surprising thing was South Canterbury had all 3 tracks closed and are only left with a galloping track,who will now struggle to maintain their course and facilities now they have lost the $66,000 which the trotting club contributed.

That is why i have continued to say Avondale need to be proactive and make the best of the situation they find themselves in. Tell me why can't they say"we will voluntary transfer our assets to the other club on..........these conditions. Just because rangiora might have negotiated a poor deal doesn't mean other clubs have to. But you are supporting the comments from the avondale jockey club that they would rather give their assets to plunket instead of racing. Thats what their representative said.You said you have no argument with her sentiments. Rugby clubs do merge.At least they have where i live. Not that common but there may be a couple more looking to do so soon. No argument about some of the past decisions by those running racing.. Idiotic some of them,and so obviously so, yet they couldn't see it.Beyond comprehension really. But its created an environment where licenceholders demand more stakemoney yet the clubs can't afford it because that would be spending more that they earn,. To me,clubs like yours need to look beyond those making the current calls around club assets. Its not only the previous mug decisions from the likes of those who ran the tab in the last 2-5 years,its also current trainers/owners demands that racing clubs continue to live beyond their means that has helped create this situation. I have sympathy for the clubs as to the situation they find themselves in,but get a bit tired of there being no acceptance from so many racing sectors that they can't turn back the clock and just have to move forward.

Why would you divest your assets when you could take them with you and use them to increase your influence at the club you have now merged/joined. Why would you not want to help the profitability of the club you now are a significant member of.

So the alternative is give up bowls and sit at home or go to the pub all day? Thats not what a true bowling enthusiast does. Its just a sport,like many,with similar participation issues to racing. Actually a lot of bowlers like a bet. Bowls obviously is not only about bowls,but also a place to meet people with similar interests in the club bar after. A sport with similarities to racing,except they are more accepting of the need for change.

Reefton, I was also thinking of your example of a bowling club. Where i live there used to be about a dozen. Over the last 10 or so years the 7 or so that have closed have sold their assets and combined with the remaining 5 or so that are left. Thats what bowlers do.

I fully understand the sentiment and passion behind such comments, ,but if i was a current member of a rugby club i wouldn't want our clubs assets going to the plunket society,womens refuge or whatever other organisation you can think of.I just can't see a rugby club behaving like that. Babies or battered woman may be good causes,but rugby is their passion,thats who they would support. Like i said,why can't they be an integral part of the club 25 minutes down the road and help direct that club. Its not a them and us thing at all.Its just been made to be that way. I don't know why some country clubs who are viable can't continue if they want without industry funding if they feel they can,but i can't work out why Auckland needs two racing clubs.

I remember clubs like timaru always used to have on course turnovers between $120,000 to $150,000 at each meeting 30 years ago. Now that takes 7 meetings to get.Shows you how things have deteriorated. I was talking to a bloke who went to the last timaru meeting and he said he couldn't believe that not one person was in the bar area when he went in. It was only 10 or so years ago they had some meetings where the bar area was a hive of activity. . Orari did get a good crowd,but the numbers were shrinking from what they were 6 or so years ago when they started the xmas at the races theme. I think the novelty aspect was wearing off with those looking to use it as a xmas work function, along with the unfortunate wet weather,the stopping of byo alcohol and the doubling of the cost for those doing the xmas function thing. .Thats the feedback i heard from the many that i spoke to who went. Although everyone always said they had a good day. Having the xmas at the races theme every second year may be a better way to keep its popularity relevant,thats my theory when using the same track with a smaller population base as your customers. Maybe methven may struggle to get as good a crowd,but then again if they target christchurch workplaces with the xmas at the races on a grass track event, then they may get more.They certainly have a much greater population to sell it too.

It says they review it in May of each year but if it is discontinued will honour the scheme until the end of the racing season on 31 july . It still currently has a list of horses close to achieving the bonus on their website.. But certainly would not seem prudent to continue it . You may have the inside word hunter,but i haven't read where they have announced that.

As far as Waimate goes. The article says they only have one or two trainers there. Orari is the same. The reason for that is because those that run those tracks won't rent out their facilities to harness trainers. I feel sorry for a track like Gore as they went out of their way to encourage trainers to train from their track. Also,Waimate supposedly spent $400,000 about 3 years ago to get their facilities up to raceday standard at a time when it was being suggested they would eventually close..

This club seems well run,but.......and it is a very big but.......... You can't help but see their income is going to be severely impacted by the fallout from the virus. 2019 books won't look too bad,but wait till next years result........................ $7,205,000 income from the Events Centre. The worst business you would want to have at this current time. $3,886,000 income from investment and developed property. $610,000 from rental revenue. The catering and hospitality side of their business. Pokie revenue down. Here's my guess. The met multiplier will go. They should cut stakes,but probably won't this year as they will be pressured into saving face for those who have made the decision to transfer all the extra meetings to addington. Stakes cuts will happen next year and be blamed on the virus. I'm not being a pessimist,just realistic. Lets hope cup week can have all their spectators,i'm optimistic about that.Otherwise it will get even worse.

Reading the above reports the opinion i come to is why do they need to stop racing at these tracks? Forbury certainly needs some sorting out given the losses they continue to have, but if they sold it what chance have they got of recouping the significant value of their buildings which are shown as assets. Why not just give them some decent dates at a better time of year to help them out,or change the way of funding them to reflect the poor dates they have had. Before reading the above financial accounts i thought it would show that most were eating away at their asset base,but quite the contrary. Given that,and if you accept that some of their funding needed to be redirected to the bigger clubs designated as being essential,then why not just do that, but throw the clubs mentioned above the lifeline of being given the opportunity to operate and see if they could continue to show reasonable balance sheets. Or why not reduce the number of race meetings and see how they go. Looking at a club like timaru. They pay $66,000 to hold those meetings to the trustees of that track to maintain and provide it for racing. Given the galloping club is still going in timaru,how are the trustees of the track going to be able to maintain the facilities without the trotting clubs contribution? Doesn't make much sense. I did note that the total on course turnover at the 7 timaru meeting was a pitiful $153,000. If you invited the contributors on here to all of their meetings we could probably turnover the same ourselves.

Mr Molloy blaming the south korea cluster on people frequenting "Gay dungeon bars". How did he know what those nightclubs clientle were. Something he's not been telling us? P.s. i value my own safety too much to make that joke to his face.