the galah

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.

I thought the Messara report had recommended specified club closures. If the avondale club hadn't seen this coming and not made some contingency strategies then you would have to say they are at fault,no one else. Maybe they have,maybe they have the wrong person making comments to the media.

You would assume a club like avondale would want to negotiate some sort of representation on any future auckland racing club, so as to ensure decisions made can have their input/influence. That is what i would expect from the effected clubs. I haven't read anything like that in the media. Just the spiteful comments. Why is that

That may well be the case. They have gone beyond saying just that though haven't they. Why say what she did?. Well the reason is, that is what they are thinking. Its goes beyond being parochial, it is spiteful. No doubt there is more to the story then meets the eye, but surely its better to put the assets of that club in the hands of people who actually support thoroughbred racing.

It doesn't matter where they are running. Punters don't like races where there are dominant favorites like we used to get when they had all those penalty free races. Those penalty free races so often had about 25 nominate and then end up with 7 acceptors with a hot favorite. Waimate's pre lockdown meeting turnover was huge and clearly illustrated betting is more about exposure and having even fields with a bit of form. It was a low grade meeting but that will never put punters off if the fields are attractive. Had an auckland premier meeting been run under the same circumstances people would not have bet on it anywhere near to the same extent. NZ cup day has all the ingredients that waimate had,except higher quality. Run waimate fields at addington on cup day with the same pre race coverage, and the turnover would not be too dissimilar. Its only the media that tell us otherwise. In your answer happy you said as much as well.