mikeynz

NZ Trackside 1 and 2 are broadcast through the NZ Harness website in N Z, maybe you can't see that in OZ, as for the Albion Park race taking out Nelson, that can happen, many times they just have a delayed coverage but sometimes they can't be bothered perhaps, never easy though when they don't stick to time.

Can you not access nz racing on Harness Racing site, they screen trackside, it's not a betting site or is it blocked.

I must have missed something , R4 Packing Rockstar has already had 3 starts for 3 wins according to TAB website.

Team C plz.

$20000 plus 7 carried over for the late quaddie at the Mot, nothing like last week but still not too bad. Quaddie at Cambridge just over 4500, that's poor, don't matter when Cambridge run, not much interest, won't be long and Northern Harness will be passed by some of the Greyhound meetings.

If you look at the calander for next year, West Coast could have 2 Saturdays next year. Can't see Kumara racing on the 4th, probably the 11th, who knows what the experts will be thinking.

And remember those who wanted Omakau to stay where it was, it would have raced today, but as no one went there latterly they canned it, if you go back many years Vincent raced same time as West Coast circuit, not all the changes made have been bad, Riverton on Jan 1 seems a good date, Kurow has no southern horses, Riverton basically none North of the Waitaki, the way the days fall sometime don't help with some dates.

One wonders if Pitmans had those 15 runners at Waikouiti if they had of raced on Jan 1 , if they would have turned up at Greymouth, they didn't go to Riverton, sure no Meyers horses this year but fields are fine, no four horse races as yet.

Just a correction, one trainer from Timaru at Riverton.

There actually hasn't been a open class race as such for a long time, looking over this seasons results the closest there has been to one was on Nov 3 at Addington, rating 80 to 120 and that was a handicap, the Hannon, Kaikouras Cup, Ashburton Stakes, the Canterbury Classic early on, NZ Cup, NZ FFA are all races under the race conditions are for all pacers, anyone can nominate but the field is selected from the highest down or you would think it would be. Invercargill may have been a stuff up being programmed as a rating 70 plus, it ended up being a rating 60 plus but where are some of those higher rated horses that raced in the Cup, there are a few more but they seem to have vanished, I see He's A Sport raced in a discretionary race at Rangiora on Dec 17 a rating 55 plus, technically there was nothing stopping Beach Ball or Self Assured or He's a Sport racing today at Westport, as it's a rating 51 and faster especially as it seems you only get penalized no more than 30m these days and you don't even get handicapped in the N Z Cup anymore, I remember Joy Boy racing at Westport off 80m, probably today 40m would be the maximum, tomorrow's Gore Cup has cut off of rating 100, don't see that often either. Getting back to Auckland sad as it the only time they will get the best pacers converging there is for the Cup in May, the days of the Xmas, new year circuit as it was is over, at least by racing in May the focus is on their race, just as it was last Friday as Ascot Park, outside that they will have to accept that rating 60 plus like the Franklin Cup is as good as its going to get or Free For All pacers races now and then and the South Island will support the Invercargill race with a few other races now and then, bearing in mind that after Xmas there is plenty of racing for the best in Aussie and that's not uncommon either. It aint ideal but it is what is.

There is another opportunity for the top rated pacers in the South, 17th January, Northern Southland Cup, rating 65 and faster, they can create opportunities, top horses though probably have to accept a handicap, many of the so called open FFA races attract so few entries, as they they get chased off by a couple who dominate. Invercargill last week, Omakau, Jan 2, Ascot Park Jan 17th, its not all doom and gloom.

8 noms for rating 60 Frankljn Cup 5 for the feature trot 4 for the mares race

Not one horse trained from Otago and Southland nominated for Kurow, not one from Canterbury nominated for Riverton, only 2 from Wingatui and one from Winton at Timaru (Cup), seems enough horses to go around, mostly.

It probably doesn't tell us anything we don't know already. Melbourne Cup is the day many people have their only bet for the year,. Trotting Cup at Addington the same. Interesting though is Flemington race 10 on Cup Day. Would be nice to have the turnovers for all meetings.

Another strange anomaly in the calender, two days, industry days at Taranaki next week, day 1 Wednesday, mostly small fields, what makes one believe day two will be any different, just a observation.

I think the biggest problem with only four nominations was through shortsighted programming, a rating 70+, the time honored Franklin Cup on New Years eve is programmed a rating 60+ and after doing a little research it seems they too might get 3 place dividends, Invercargill should have been a rating 60 + as it kind of is now. I do believe Invercargill should have its day in the sun, today's the day, the fields are generally good, it don't hide the fact that a lot of the Southern racedays have become below average affairs just as Auckland has become. Just a side issue it seems Gore ain't racing on Grass on Wednesday, yet grass meetings seem to attract better turnovers, it is true there are gallops on Sunday but one wonders when the next meeting for Gore in February if it's grass or AW.

The reality remains that the open class races if any need to be where the majority of the horses are and that is in the South, maybe the Invercargill stake might be over inflated but with Omakau and Nelson running free for all as they are now races for all horses this is where the focus should be, bearing in mind both Omakau and Nelson have big turnovers so it's putting the money where it's being earned, throw in Westport boxing day too, why should they be subsidizing Auckland ? We will watch with interest to see how the Northern races over the next week or two pans out. The Franklin Cup is rating 60 plus, will they be able to scratch a field of nine as Invercargill, I'd say they will be struggling.

Self Assured don't have to go to Nelson , there is a 20000 free for all on day two, but if it aint interested then he can stay at home, where else can he go ?

The Franklin Cup is the only race for higher rated 60+ horses in the North it seems for weeks, be better to boost a race or two in the South to follow on from Ascot Park if they race at all, the Northern region is stuffed. No problem having the idea of having a big race in Southland, simple reality is that it got no numbers either, but still better than nothing, or is it ?

And the other races ? There are free for all races at Omakau and also Nelson, in early January the Franklin Cup is a rating 60 +, I think, might just have half a dozen if they are lucky, Akuta might just get one start, guess it will pay the trip and back.

Looking at all the programmes in the South when they only have one open handicap how do they determine whether it's 1200 1400 1600 or 2000m , it's a just a wild guess or something and just hope for the best ?

Which cup races are you referring too ?

Any race in Southland that's rating 55 or more is struggling these days, the yo yo that the rating system is the main culprit.

4 nominations for $110000, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, not just Auckland struggling for numbers in big races.

Maybe Winston might donate some cash for a couple more StrathAyrs around the country, maybe one south , maybe 1 central.