nomates

I,m not suggesting there would be super clubs everywhere , but yes they have to strengthen their positions , either in conjunction with NZTR or on their own . But i can tell you this , there will be no choices if the ARC are offering 100k and the rest of the country keeps languishing around where we are at present . No owner of sound mind pours their money anywhere but in the north if the leadership can't get the rest of NZ racing on a stronger footing financially . Whilst i'm sure there will be people who will continue to race in the CD and the SI it wont be with deep pockets and i believe the racing will be but a shadow of what we even have now . As for the other clubs getting off their arses and fight for their clubs , well many are as they are in the position of having to fight to retain their assets which are trying to be stripped from them , and many of these clubs don't have to improve , they are already where they need to be and accept what their position in NZ racing is and are fulfilling their brief , but those in power don't see them as a racing asset to NZ racing just an asset to be sold . I'm not against the closure of tracks as such , but i have seen no structure or cohesive plan as who gets the chop and those that don't , or a believable reason for such closures . I would also add that if anybody has to get off their arses and start fighting for their future then i would suggests it starts at the top of the tree in NZTR , because if any part of the NZ racing structure is failing the rest it is the head body , they are the biggest under achievers of NZ racing , hence the situation we find ourselves in .

Exactly , here's my issue , you've got ARC looking at putting in a Strathyr , you've got NZTR putting in 3 A/W's , are these guys living in different countries , where was the consultation/plan , why not have a plan to have 4 Strathyr's around the country , NZ racing administration is a shambles , how can you have confidence . It looks to me like the ARC can see how far off the pace NZTR are and have decided to position themselves for the future as the Hong Kong of NZ . I can see this in the next 30 years , where the only serious racing is north of the Waikato and the rest basically running picnics purely for the diehards . FFS NZTR get a cohesive plan to future proof NZ racing , in consultation with the wider racing community , so that the whole country can have financially solid racing with strong participation .

This amalgamation is exactly where NZ racing has to head , but it needs to be done in conjunction with the rest of NZ racing . Being done in isolation isn't going to fix anything , it just shows how fractured NZ racing is . Is it being done in conjunction with NZTR as part of a larger plan , if it is i have yet to see or hear of it . This amalgamation whilst being great for northern racing will be the death knell for CD racing which is already in fast decline . All the big stables are gone from the Horowhenua , only J Benner has a large competitive racing stable and how much longer he stays is in question . The Latta stable which was always large is much reduced as well . Unless there is a plan to create something similar in the CD which brings stakes up as massively as is happening up north then the CD will become another place to send the 2nd rate northern horses that can't compete there . Why as an owner would you have a horse in the CD racing for so much less when your horse can be competing for 100k , it's a no brainer . I hope that CD clubs are watching and taking notes because this is how NZ racing is future proofed , i'm hoping that the management at NZTR are doing the same , because they are being left behind by this if they are not part of this process , and if not have a plan to keep the rest of the country strong enough to compete with what is happening in the northern region so as to keep owners racing in those regions .

Hey JJ , maybe you can answer a question for once instead of just coming on to bag people , i asked you this other day , still waiting for an answer . Perhaps you can tell me with all your positivity how the 2k increase to the majority of races in NZ is going to ease the angst of the majority of racing participants , this is a serious question .

I was in Matamata early 80s when Matamata became the first club in NZ to go 5k minimum for races , back when clubs decided what stakes to pay . I feel old when i think that far back .

Positivity please Freda .

I know we'll ask JJ , he'll know , come in JJ , have they just said , " you know what we are " PROBABLY " gona get more money this season so lets just go for it , like every thing else we do " .

It's all good because we are " PROBABLY " going to an increase next season as well , ye hah .

But if they haven't divvied up the pie yet how did they know to increase stakes ?

Until NZTR get themselves sorted out and get racing stronger so that it makes it a better betting proposition then the TAB's hands are tied , i know my betting is nothing compared to what it used to be , simply because the product i.e. horses and riders and tracks are so poor the majority of the time .

Yet another question that you appear to have not answered , if my analogy wasn't good succinct enough for you , how about " A SHITFEST " .

Why not they are flush , haven't you heard .

As ever passing on life skills and knowledge in your own eloquent way .

As always you don't directly answer the question , so i'll go again , the large MAJORITY of races run in NZ are getting a 2k increase , so how is that going to ease the pressure and give confidence to an industry that is under huge strain . The rest of your post is still relying on the " PROBABILTY " theory , working on the might happen , could happen , or the maybe it will work plan doesn't instill confidence with the majority of industry participants , i don't know which coalface participants you have discussions with but i can assure the ones i have talked just since yesterday are still no clearer as to what the short or long term future holds for them , and the ones i know are the ones that get wet , cold and mucky in the dark mornings at the track .

And this is what they simply don't get , consultation and communication , if they did both of those with industry participants they would get so much more wiggle room from us , but they simply don't believe we are part of the equation . So when they treat the great unwashed with such contempt they have to expect that contempt returned with bells on .

It all seems a bit bitsy , doesn't instill me with a great deal of confidence . But i'm trying , saying to self religiously , stay positive , stay positive , stay positive , stay positive . Bloody hard work this blind positivity shit .

Why only 28th Aug till 2nd April , is it dependent on the size of donations . An odd one .

So how would you describe where we find ourselfs in relation to where we were . There you go again with that word " PROBABLY " , if everything in my life that i thought was probably going to happen had happened well , i can't imagine how good it would be , PROBABLY pretty much how your life has ended up , i can but dream of such a life . But alas i live in the world of reality , where so called professionals have made many " PROBABLE " promises that haven't never come to " reality " . I have been let down too many times by these so called promises , so if you don't mind i'll wait the fish is in the net before i start wetting my pants at a brighter future . Perhaps you can tell with all your positivity how the 2k increase to the majority of races in NZ is going to ease the angst of the majority of racing participants , this is a serious question , perhaps you will answer this one .

Positivity maybe , but they knew they had to come up with something , and countered with a large dose of realism , i'm not confident this is enough to stop the leakage of owners and other industry participants . This isn't enough for anybody to call it a win for the industry , we're on the first step up after falling down an extremely long staircase .

i will add , those are the horses that are usually raced just for fun and people understand that .

I will say whilst i agree that we aren't big enough for a tiered system , a lot of those horses that race midweek are not up to competing on a Sat when the level can go up just a notch , so they have to have a level that they can compete at , otherwise they get lost to the industry .

The 10% increase for the G1 and G2 races is a waste of industry funds , the quality and number of runners for these races wont improve for this increase , this money is better spent at the lower end . This again shows the disconnect they have with industry participants , any sort of communication with a large percentage of the industry would have given a clear indication where money needed to be directed to . So yet again we have a positive offset with a negative , simply for a lack of communication . I'm just hoping my horses can make it to the better levels because i wont be persevering with them in the midweekers , too uneconomic , i've done my time doing it just for fun .

It's a start , better than the status quo , i do believe that the higher end stakes could have just increased 10% so that more was directed to where the majority of horses and owners compete , mid weekers . But this is hopefully the beginning , i will give them credit where it's due . Now if this can be done year on year for 5-10 years then we might start to see a slowing in sale of promising young tried horses . Well done to them for giving participants some small glimmer of hope that the tunnel has an end , still lots to do .

I think he means management salaries .

The ones up north with the big stables and a large financial investment aren't .