nomates

What resources ? I get it you don't want to travel your horses , but many are happy to , that's owners money not industry money . So again no harm , no foul . These meeting serve a purpose , no , many purposes . These meetings in many ways garner more money on a cost / return basis for the industry than a large portion of the big days , but that's fine that is their job , they're not complaining . The only ones complaining are the ones that want to get their hands on the cash . I have had this debate with many with your argument and i always ask the same question , but i'm still waiting , no one can give me any idea of the figures that it is costing the industry , not even the head office who are promoting the argument , so at the moment the argument for closure is redundant . I ask again , what resources , what is the cost to the industry to prop up these lame ducks . I wait in anticipation .

Think perhaps you need to invest in Singapore or HK , or wait long enough will be the same here . I never hear owners complaining about travelling to get a race , they complain about travelling to race for crap stakes . Now that argument is about they way we are managed . You can and they will close all the tracks they want , wont make a jot of difference to stake levels , it might save you some travelling bills . If your gona get hyped up about something then get stuck into the people who are pissing money against the wall with their grandiose ideas , but in the current case a complete and utter lack of ideas . Clubs going into debt to build A/W's that wont increase revenue , certainly nor enough to change the wind against us , we are far from bottomed out .

I think you are out of touch , my 3 local clubs still have many volunteers doing all of the above , i would suggest all of the 1, 2, 3 , 4day clubs rely on this effort . So if you don't subscribe to the sucking the industry dry monologue , what's the problem , if they are not costing the industry and are making revenue what's the problem , no harm , no foul . I would suggest for the local communities these meetings would be a great loss , especially the 1 day clubs . Set them KPI's , meet them or your gone , simple equation . As i said this more about getting cash than anything else .

None of what you suggest the small clubs do , embrace change , position themselves , put their thinking caps on , will matter a jot . If The powers that be say you are gone , you are gone , for what appears to be a cash grab . Hence the reason this debate started , you thinking Reefton were selfish . Other clubs are in the same position . Reefton decided they didn't give up what they considered a community asset , their prerogative , don't just knock them , put yourself in their shoes , think about the wider community that are being completely disregarded . There is much more to this than clubs just being selfish .

You just don't get it , they all need each other , the strength of the industry and the big players are underpinned by the strength of the small players . This industry was great once , because of the strength of all the parts of it . Read what i said earlier , there are no All Blacks without all the clubs , no matter how small , playing their part . It's the same for racing . We are now in the shape we are in because for too long now they have been taking more and more or giving less and less to the lower and middle tier clubs and given more and more to the larger clubs , who for the large part are still financially struggling for all that aid . This model can only survive for so long . You go on and on about owners , and i am on your side there , but why do you think the industry is struggling to retain the owners they have , far less increase the numbers . The strength of the industry was underpinned by the multitude of owners with small club affiliations . No one on here is going to change your mind , clearly you are another supporter of the theory that smaller clubs have been " sucking the industry dry " . The biggest fallacy in the industry . Good luck to you , your going to need .

Well Chief , i thought i would say nothing and leave it to Reefton , but no , you couldn't wait , in you went boots and all . Well said .

He's got a face you just want to smack .

You need to go back and catch up with some of the discussion on this site , plenty of discussion about the requirement for change , major change . The leaders of the industry that your are supporting are the ones lacking forward vision , same old same old , season after season . Would love for you to tell me one major initiative that has made a dramatic change within the galloping code to come out of NZTR HQ in the last god knows how many years . I wont hold my breath waiting for you come back with one , i know the answer . As for owners no one has championed the plight and complete disregard that the powers that be have for them than myself , they have shown no initiative on how to grow the ownership pool or even retain the ones they have . I agree with your comment about them being the forgotten ones , but they are not at NZTR , no they are the first point of contact when they up costs as seen in the latest jockey fee increase . I to have 40 years in the industry and there are many on here with more , the one common thread between us is our love and passion for the horse and the industry . We all want solutions .

And by paying for the club to host the meeting the TAB garners revenue which they then redistribute back to the codes to host more meetings . The wheel that keeps the industry afloat , barely at the moment . There have been plenty of studies done showing return for cost and they all show that the small meetings return more to the industry for each dollar invested than any of the big clubs . The smaller clubs aren't moaning at that equation , they are just happy to have their day in the sun . Every big sport is underpinned by the lower grades , the All Blacks a classic example , the are the best because of all the lesser grades of rugby that produce revenues as well as giving the players a pathway , that go back to HQ that funds the ABs . English football is the same . None of racings small players begrudge their lesser position but don't get pissed if they fight back when unfairly treated .

I'll leave you to Reefton , i'm sure he has plenty of coast history to update you with regarding who supports who in the industry .

Your not wrong , i have sworn off betting on SI racing except where Allpress or such are riding , every race questions should be asked about some of the mysterious riding tactics or complete lack of understanding that it is a race and not a trial or jumpout they are in . Obviously the stipes don't watch the races because they figure they could never get through all the issues from a race before the next was due to run .

Boy , i watched a couple of the races from Korea today , now that is bland , a picture of things to come . The riders tho , wow , made most of ours look like Lester Piggott , feck they make John Wayne look like an equestrian rider .

That is exactly why our racing is soooo bland , anything with any real ability is pounced on , fillies to Aus and colts to HK . I'll give Te Akau their due , they race their horses , best will go to Aussie for the carnivals , which is fine , but the rest race and are sold after they have finished racing . So we end up with a very second rate product . is it any wonder TA win 25% of feature races , makes it easy to punt , TA with Opie up , the only safe way to have a punt in NZ .

The best and most ironic part is that " loveracing " are advertising these sales on their website . Here guys get a racehorse and see how much you could sell it off shore for , don't keep it here and race for peanuts . Brain numbing .

Emperor's clothes .

LRC are complicit in the demise of this day , they should have had the balls to tell NZTR where to go when they were threatened with losing the classics G1 status if they didn't allow it to be run at Trentham , they should have said fine we will go to G2 , it's true status if not G3 , but at least we keep the race at Otaki . Now both days are non events , the Levin Classic at Trentham has no real identity there , and today as we can see is not even a shadow of it's former self , it's a skeleton with the bones picked clean . You ever go to a race day where you just don't want it to get to the last race , you just want it to go on and on because everyone is having such a great time , this was one of those . A massive loss , but unfortunately there are now so many others . But it is OK they have the solve , A/W's along with a lot of bluster about how great the figures are for the new season . I hope the numbers hold , but it's not enough , it's a holding pattern , but eventually you have to come down to earth and realize that just staying in the same place is a decreasing circle . It needs so much more to go forward .

There has been absolutely no local advertising in the Horowhenua around todays meeting . This meeting used to be choka , members full , tents along the rail in front of public stand with no spare room on the rest of the lawn , out the back was wall to wall tents and marques , the best day of the year without question . As i said it is a slice of the precarious position that NZ racing is in , all the A/W tracks and bullshit hype in the world will solve the malaise we are in .

This was an ICONIC day , as they now call them , been run down to nothing more than an expensive industry day .

Always have to stay awake , they are smart animals , they knew mostly what they could get away with and they knew when they had overstepped the mark . Only really had one that was a prick , never gave him an inch , didn't matter with him , always looking to be king , which i understand , but there was rules which he didn't think applied to him . Unfortunately he had been poorly managed prior to me working with him so he had got used to getting away with most shit . Wont mention his name but could tell some interesting stories regarding him .

Anything bit me i bit it back if i thought it was an attempt at being nasty , either the ear or the muzzle , they didn't like it being done back to them . I will add that was just the younger horses that hadn't worked out the rules , i never attempted it with any of the stallions i worked with , just had to take those on the chin if they had a nibble .

Have just read that yesterdays impressive maiden winner at Te Rapa , Explosively , has had a 50% sold to Aus interests and will be heading over there , and the 2000 gns runner up Boubonaire has been sold up to HK and heads straight up there . There was a time when they waited till the Autumn to raid our stocks but not anymore .

If ever we needed a screen shot of how bad NZ racing is travelling just have a look at camera shot of the Otaki stands and public areas 15 mins out from the first race . What has happened to this day , used to be shoulder to shoulder , real carnival day . I think i seen 3/4 people in the members . It's a disgrace what NZTR and the LRC have done to this day . It's a crying shame , this used to be a highlight for the people of the Horowhenua .

Well then McGovern needs to go into the jockey's room at the start of the day and tell them that's what he expects .

I see they opened an enquiry into the ride but can't find the follow up . T Pike has told them he was happy with the horses recovery and is proceeding with his program . Big weight up so maybe looking to lose some rating points . I was happy got great odds on the winner , but not a good look .

The starters are yelling to warn the jocks that the race is about to start as half of them aren't really concentrating , i'm always amazed at the number of jocks looking around , talking or generally anything but focusing on getting their mounts outa the gates .