the galah

So you've swapped one junior concession driver for another concession driver. That is a new drive for m hill,but i could argue that if thats why you put him on,then thats an example of the new half points system costing another junior with under 50 wins(yourself) a drive.You have after all driven it in its last 3 starts. Good luck on sunday.

Just looking at the 4 south island race meetings this week. Going through the fields it appears no trainers are using the junior drivers with half penalties any more than they would have before. The small number of juniors who fall into the category that its supposed to help,don't appear to have picked up any extra drives. When they are driving,its on horses they have driven previously before the half penalties. In the future the likes of carter dalgety may get extra drives until he reaches 50 wins,but he doesn't need any extra help.

the answer is they should have put a cap on the number of half penalties any horse can receive. As simple as that.Why didn't they do that? There are so many race conditions they could apply to any race which would give incentive for any trainer to put a junior on without compromising the integrity of their stated objective of the handicapping system. But the point is when you give excessive preferential treatment to one group you do so at the expense of another.By providing an incentive to continue for one group ,you create a disincentive for another.Its just common sense. As you have stated earlier,there is already many races where 1 win low lifetime start horses races against horses with double digit wins.Many people are already asking why do they bother. Now the powers to be have caused even more frustration to many.

They have always said they are trying to provide a handicapping system which treats all horses as fairly as possible and provide races where horses can compete against those of reasonably similar ability and form.. So thats what they have said is their objective.Its in writing on their website. Well allowing unlimited half penalties for any horse that wins,as long as they are driven by a junior with 50 or under lifetime wins,is clearly making a mockery of their own stated objectives. Case in point-lizzie richter.

race 4 at oamaru showed even a non win r4O can be an exciting watch. It was a race where they went hammer and tongs throughout and in the end it was the tomolinson sisters who quinellaed the race. Commentator matt cross noting that the trainers son was cheering his horse home loudly all the way down the home straight. The close up of the last 100m showed both tomlinson sisters with a big smile on their faces as they fought out the finish,and matthew williamson and gary shand who ran 3rd and 4th also smiling just after the finish. None of the horses in that race are champs,but they all have a place in the hearts of their connections. Thats why harness racing is so appealing to many..

When you look at how the new half points thing works for junior driven winners,the only conclusion you can come to is that they will encourage and help the junior drivers have increased participation,but they will also provide an opportunity for some trainers to take advantage of a rule which makes a joke of the handicapping system being fair and will encourage others to become disillusioned. Its just like the old penalty free 2 and 3yo wins system,but this time its the juniors getting the preferential treatment. Take the horse lizzie richter for example. Hypothetically If it were to win its next 3 starts,that would make it 6 wins in a row if driven by the same junior driver. And that would take it to R50.And then compare that to a horse winning its first start at the races. It would also be given an identical R50 for just the one win. Now i know that lizzie richter ran a lot of unplaced runs to get to its lower rating before it started its winning streak,but how is it fair having a system which gives so much favoritism based solely on the thinking that you need to give juniors the incentive to stay in the industry. Whenever you give preferential treatment to one group it comes at the expense of another.Thats how these things work. To me,people who are making decisions like this one either aren't too bright or simply don't care whether others look at what they have done and say whats the point.

Didn't see the fella on the roof. Did see in the main race on the 2nd day at nelson, a seagull try and get out of the way of the mobile,didn't make it and flew into the mobile arm,then lay dead on the track just past the winning post. If you were going to a place like omakau from christchurch it would have to cost close to $500 for a return trip if you had a petrol vehicle and were towing a double horse float.Then add to that the cost of accommodation and it must be an expensive trip if you didn't get anywhere.How much money the owners have to spare would have to be a factor with horses that travel that far.

In the previous race,after i posted that,i backed the horse 3 back the fence. Never got a run and may have won had it done so. However tomlinson from 4 back the fence did get an inside run ,inside the 3 back fence horse,and ran 2nd.Ottley has driven the next 2 winners. Maybe a bit late to get on the bandwagon i suppose.

One constant through all the races over the two days is sheree tomlinson is driving in great form as is sam ottley.

So why is that. I would guess that some are trying harder today than the 1st day. As a couple of posters have pointed out,these 1850 races are like the 1980 races at addington,if they run them at a consistent speed without overdoing it,horses up front nearly always dominate.Its only when they run over a further distance that horses up front tend to have to take a breather at some stage,and its at that point that those at the back have an opportunity t make a move,. Just as if they the leaders maintain the fast speed over the longer distances then they can get tired near the finish ,again giving the back runners a chance. If you want people watching and betting to consider they have had a run for their money or have understood drivers tactics,then races run over a further distance are clearly the better option. Why is it ,if sprint racing is so good,then why don't they run the cup races over a mobile 1850 pbd sprint?

Watching todays racing the pattern is you have to be in front. But the race just run was the 3rd in a row where the leader dictated the pace,and yet not one driver made a move until after they turned for home.It was about the 5th race so far today thats been like that.Not one horse pulled 3 wide prior to the final straight each time. Sam ottley is an exception,driving well,but really anyone who j has been watching would wonder how hard some are trying,or are they happy to go all that way to drop rating points. Seems a long way to go for that.

Looks a nice horse for sure,but really that race today was just a sprint from the 800m. With style looked like they had decided it couldn't win before the race started,and was driven accordingly . With style is a nice horse,but has only had 2 wins in 13 starts so far. Brad williamson has always been the stables no 1 driver,so i guess he must have had one of his own in the race for nathan to drive previously. Isn't the hole in the murphy blind there so the horse can see the other horses and therefore concentrates better?

i think what robalans comments show is some people see how people dress as a reflection of how seriously they take their job and an indication of leadership. Its all about creating that perception,but i guess the CEO doesn't place the same importance on that perception. i hold similar views to yours ludwig,but can see why robalan thinks it could be considered relevant.

I can see your point because how someone dresses gives the perception of how competent they may be,but in reality how someone dresses is unrelated to how competent they may actually be. Also his dress code i guess changes based on who he is meeting and where. I think this type of thing people will judge him based on their own standards,some will consider it relevant, but what % will consider what you have said as important?

What must you think about all the christmas racing?If you are to apply your logic, you will be calling for a reduction in racing over the christmas period,where trainers and drivers participate all over the south island in consecutive days. Seems quite a few trainers and drivers never got the memo about it being expected they had to travel from nelson to ashburton a couple of days latter. Contrary to what you seem to believe,it seems some decided they had a choice and stayed in marlborough and are having a working holiday up there.

They did,but that ended not long after i was legally able to bet. I remember when there was a couple of roughies win the first 2 legs,those with the remaining handful of tickets sometimes used to get together and if they could agree,they took the same horse in the last leg,that way they all got a nice collect whether it won or not.

oh golly gosh yes.

I was actually when i was younger.I guess you were too?They used to have those thicker tickets that could stand a bit of the weather back then. Seemed every meeting i could come across one or two.Dad also used to drop us off at the local racetrack the day after the races and we would wander around picking them up. The key was you had to know the results of the races,and back then my memory was very good.We would either be picking up tickets or playing soccer or rugby or cricket in the car park with the cousins on race day. I remember my biggest find was after a galloping meeting. I found $10 win and $10 place on a horse called jane again. Dad later collected it for me,and i got $65 . Five years later i could fill up my mini for $5,so $65 was a good score. I also remember throwing away some tickets at addington one night. I had 5 $1 units of the on course treble worth a couple of months wages. I spent a couple of races finding them,and luckily i came across them. Good, times.

Was that in the stand they pulled down because of the earthquake? There used to be so many great viewing points of that stand.You could be at one end close to the 2600 start where you would watch them pre start ,then wander along the top of the stand as they completed the final round and you would end up closer to the finish line. Before the horses went on the track they would come from the wrights road end stabling block and you could wonder down and get close enough to touch them and view their trainers/drivers and often stable employees or helpers who were responsible for taking the horses down the laneway,past the grandstand and into the birdcage. Or you could sit in the front of the stand,about 40m away as they passed on their way there. There was a connection between the public and the horses and those in charge of them back then. It was a concrete jungle,as it is now,but the difference was back then the horse/driver had a connection.. Also back then,if you wanted you could wander down into the stabling area and get up close enough to hear conversations of trainers/drivers who had no idea who you were,but mostly just carried on as if you weren't there as they accepted that was part of what attracted people to the races and future participation/ownership. Also there was so many regulars who used to go to the races that that grandstand was the place to catch up with people you used to know well,people like mums best friends husband,his wife had died and he had since moved to another city,but we still saw him 3 or 4 times a year at addington.Actually quite a few people like that.Generally the cobveration would end with"great to se you,i better go if i want to get my bet on". Then there were the people who you knew through them running busnisses,like the man from the chung wah restaurant,or the little fella who walked so fast you could never keep up with him,or the owner that occasionally you would see on track,and on the odd occasion you would also see him being chased by the racecourse inspector because he wasn't allowed on track for some reason. So many things to observe and occupy your time. I remember my auntie ,who was one of the few in the family who didn't have much interest in the racing,used to enjoy going and observing all the people.One thing she always seemed to comment on was what great heads of hair the le leivre men had and how she thought they were good looking.They tended to sit not far from where she used .Then there was all the sons and daughters of the licence holders who used to sit in the same spots in the grandstand. The likes of all the butts.Then there were all the mothers who used to hog the public phones in the back part of the grandstand while they rung home and talked to the baby sitter to check everything was ok while they were out, or checked with what i think was some sort of creche or something that was in part of the grandstand. Anyway,the point is there was a connection between the public that the grandstand provided. I used to travel to addington maybe 25 times a year to watch the races,and while numbers were dwindling,that grandstand and what it provided was why i went. Then one day the club decided to close the main part of the grandstand where you bet and chated and redirect people to a downstairs bar. From that day on,the faces you saw regularly,you no longer did,and it wasn't long before i gave up going to addington. I don't go at all now,as personally i found the current main grandstand is too far away from the action and has no atmosphere or characters within.

i think the turnover is so good on the grass tracks partly because the fields are bigger. part of the reason for that is because there are far more horses in work in the warmer months than winter..Also attendance is always better on fine days that you get in summer. But i do agree addington is more mundane than the grass track venues and personally i lament so many of the racecourses no longer having public stands prior to the winning post.I would gop more if they did,but at many tracks they seem to have pulled them down and not replaced them.Better to watch them on tv.

I sure what you say are important factors and you know your stuff,but also some trainers are known to have a lot of horses with the same gear on and other trainers are known not to. You can get that with trainers who train on the same track.I'm not talking spreaders or the like,im talking gear like boring poles and prickers. There must be a reason for that,and i think what the chief has said can be a factor. I haven't had many broken in by other trainers,but what i have found on the whole is those who broke in the horses in a short period of time,didn't do as good a job as those who took their time. I may have been cheaper to get it done quicker,but you are better to pay someone who does a good job,because bad habits picked up when a horse is broken in can be a factor in what gear,if any they use later on.

Its the same rating and type of horse that goes to a sunday addington meeting that goes to a sunday grass track meeting. So it must be the grass tracks you prefer over the all weather,but of course they can't race on grass during winter. Yours must be the same type of thinking. On one hand you always say you want more race meetings at the provincial tracks,then on the other you are always saying you don't like the meetings at addington that cater to the low grade horses. But they are the very same type of horses. Maybe the venue is what you mean,but thats not what you say.What you say always seems a contradiction to me.

I liked evangalist in that race and i thought it ran up to its form. Miss o'reilly went back early and as a result the zac butcher driven jazelle,who drew outside her and who hadn't gone forward either,but hadn't gone back to the same extent,ended up getting in front of her.As a result of that,Evangalist never looked close enough to win.In hindsight,the difference between winning and running 4th was what happened in the first 100m.

I think trainers often put gear on to solve an issue that could be solved with more time and patience.In the short term may be better,but long term maybe not.I suppose trainers that do that are mindful of how much an owner is paying them,and want quick results. Ken barron is a trainer who has little gear on his horses most of the time and they are very well behaved.

But the numbers from nelson and ashburton don't support your comments. nelson had 11 races with good size fields and ashburton has the same. And as i have said before,turnovers are high at this time of year,especially on the average meetings you refer to.Its also the meetings which mostly have the lower class horses at this time of year that get the big crowds.