Bid

Just out of interest, could they run on both the poly and turf on the same day/meeting? I remember at Golden Gate Fields trying to watch a race only to realize I was looking at the wrong track, the previous race was on the grass and this race was on the dirt/poly(can't remember what it was).

Run 4th in an open 3yo race two starts ago.

Just dumb imo, people are going to play the online casinos, why not clip the ticket and the money stay in NZ. I occasionly play a bit of online poker, I would much rather it was through a NZ owned site and money going back here.

Is that courses run under rules or also include p2p courses?

Make a real big few days of it. Leading rider prize for both flat and jumpers, trainers prize, punters comp over the 3 days with daily winners and a grand prize at the end. Don't ask me who's funding it, I'm just thinking ideas 🤔

Keep it at Riccarton in the shortened format otherwise there won't be a winter carnival as we know it. The winter cup wouldn't get too many people excited and want to travel to it and bring along a team of other horses as well. It'll just die a slow death the carnival.

I wonder if the south island jump carnival would be better run over a shorten time frame. Like Wednesday the lead up day and then the nationals on the Saturday, with maybe a synthetic day on Thursday or Friday. Might bring back more of a carnival feel about it, when I first started bringing horses down about 15 years ago everyone stayed down(or up from deep south) for the whole time and it was great fun, that seems to have changed in recent times. I wonder if it's only 4 or 5 days you might get people back and staying down the whole time, fly down Wednesday and home Sunday. Also for those with horses it'll shorten up the time away from stables so more are also likely to stay down instead of heading back in between Saturdays.

What a great filly she is proving to be, good on CW he appears to invest a lot of money in the industry so deserves a good one.

Why? That's the point of futures, take big odds but take the risk of the horse not even making it to that race.

I was pretty pissed off they didn't split the Maiden chase, was 16 noms so could have run two 8 horse races. Nothing in the CD now for jumpers until the 25th of August or a week earlier at Rotorua. I would have gone south with my one but no low grade chase for whatever reason, and I do love a trip to the Chch winter carnival but nothing to go unfortunately.

There are plenty of horses about but yep the rider shortage is the issue. Another lad rode at the trials on Monday and is riding on Sunday so that is one more. The biggest problem is the lack of opportunities for the over seas riders, it's not worth them traveling half way across the world for 4 rides a fortnight. We need to put on at least two highweights every week through early Autumn and winter to make it worth their while. I think most trainers wouldn't be too worried for their Maiden 2000 horses to have to run I highweights and then probably the 65s as well.

So sad alright, I am hearing rumours that this could be our last season. The rider shortage being the big issue and unlikely to change any time soon. I wonder why the powers that be haven't looked to the option of a scholarship type thing with some young UK/Irish/french riders, it'll give those young lads/lasses starting out some overseas experience and get them out and race riding in the off season over there. We could take the the money from the 1% rehoming/retraining pool of money, jumps racing in this country has been giving horses a second chance in life for generations and will continue to do so as long as we have jump racing. I know I'm holding off buying a tried horse until I know what is happening, I have people who are wanting to race a share in a jumper but with a doubt of it continuing I'm reluctant to do so.

Because it is an even split , still a rating 65 horse in both divisions. The smaller stake races are when their are a higher rated field and the second division might start at rating 61 for example. Also of note in these races, where a horse/s are scratched from the top division the balloted horse/s who would be in the bottom division have to start in the higher rated race or scratch from both.

Will only get worse as racing becomes more centralized, it's the rural kids that go to their local race meeting that see it and want to be involved in the game. Whether that be jockey,stablehand or even just a future owner. City races you don't see kids there, mum and dad might be there having a day out on the booze at the cup meeting but the kids are at home not getting exposed to the sport unfortunately. It's the hotdog and leaning over the birdcage rail and patting the clerk of the course horse that kids start to think this going to the races is a pretty cool thing to do. Sitting at Grandads watching horses running on TV I'd imagine is pretty boring to 99% of kids and very unlikely want them to get in to the game. That's my experience anyway, from me going to the races as a kid with causal followers as parents and I got hooked and now train a few slow horses. To watching my kids friends who would come around and show no interest in the races on TV, but a few times the ones who come along with me to the races loved it and now one friend of the daughter is riding a bit of work.