mikeynz

Speaking of the Cricket match in Melbourne might go into day 3, test Cricket is becoming a sad state of affairs, our bunch are in Oz next year, would doubt our lot will be any better than the poms, it's the paying public who are being shortchanged.

what a fucking shambles, just as well they refunded ya money on the red hot favorite, good way to keeptin the people's good books.

IMaybe the reporter for the ODT might be from the new generation and might consider 600 a good crowd just the same as the crowd for a main NPC match at Dunedin at 6000 is considered a big crowd, us oldies know better, television has stuffed crowds, but yesterday you could stay home watch the races or the Cricket, plus the sales if you wanted, it's a different world. Riverton on Jan 1, I notice the same day Tuatapere sports day is finished after the next, one wonders if the races have been the final nail in the coffin of this event.

Is 600 as they say a good crowd ? I actually thought some of the racing presented on trackside yesterday rather average, Otaki was a damp squib,with poor fields Wingatui was okish, Westport is being hampered a little with small fields, Ellerslie was ok. Or maybe getting older it' just don't spin my wheels these days lol. It seems aussie meetings are mostly run of the mill meetings, guess they work on the theory that being holidays the public turnout would be good, and probably is, but the big dates are better away from holiday time when people are more focused, this is the silly season.

Does the punters promise 5k limit apply to today's racing or harness racing?

Those Telfer horses at Westport have gone like shit.

Have said it before New Years eve is not the right date for the Auckland Cup, only 2 southerners nominated, Omakau on Jan 2 is better for southerners, me thinks Auckland Cup should be in March leading up to the slots meeting, Auckland stuffed things up moving in the first place.

21mm of rain yesterday in Westport according to met service....always pisses me off in current conditions it's only by the hour I think, be nice if it was from midnight, TAB says good track....but for how long?

Are their any horses trained on the coast these days ?

I read recently that Aussie and NZ are hoping to work together better in regards to setting the calendar with the main races............I believe the Auckland Cup should be in March, in the lead up to the slots, that allows aussie to run their circuit of features in January culminating in the Hunter Cup, and maybe dragging in the odd kiwi runner too the New years eve races at Auckland should just be a regional meeting, that allows Omakau to bump their meeting up stakes and then the numbers, for both the trotters and the pacers, it's a feature meeting and should be treated as one, better co operation can go a long way.

Guess Xmas, Boxing day and the holidays is a busy time for some in Auckland, Burglers raiding the orchid while owners are away.

Very common for lots of rain through the festive season, fouls up all the beaches in Auckland, only a few days ago I note a lot of no go zones, me old mate TAB always tried to talk the place up but I wasn't convinced lol.

This meeting is being demoted in some ways and more than likely it does affect the turnover, better fields better betting.

My issue with Westport is they produce one of the biggest turnover of any Harness day yet the money they generate gets squandered elsewhere, bumping stakes for their main pacers race and readjusting Motukararas main race might help, just demoting their main races seems a simple cop out. Interestingly Cambridge this week, the only meeting in the North are good fields numbers wise, I wonder if the penny will drop with the hierarchy, Cambridge are heading the same way as Forbury, more and more poor meetings with poor fields, running half the days with better fields would make more sense.......Forbury once had the best racing there, when they stopped and started running below average meetings it just died a slow death, see how the interest returned in Rugby in Dunedin when they won the Shield and most of the NPC games as well, lesson is sell the public a good product, they will get on board.

I'm not alone in thinking that it seems, also Westport are slowly being squeezed out by some weird programming, Nelson ain't helped by Timaru 2 days earlier but also ain't helped by day 2 being mile racing, still no good complaining, the people in charge know what their doing, so they think.

Ashburton, 2 days before Wingatui, Wingatui 2 days before Washdyke, Washdyke 2 days before Kurow, now I know it's Xmas holiday time but some of the scheduling is a fuck up, clearly Ashburton has impacted on Timaru, not the smartest.

Meanwhile England still battling to stay in the series in Adelaide, be funny if the batted all day only to be bowled out with 2 balls left in the last over 🤠

Many races should be penalty free, or reduced rating increases, mare and fillies races should have less rating lift for the winner,(if they don't now) races with 6 or less starters the same, the ratings capped at 120 could easily be reduced to 90. In some ways the old system was simpler C1 C2 or whatever, could easily have changed it a ratings variance instead of 10 classes to 20, what's really weird is a horse who's won 14 races can be rated lower than those who have won none.

Do you think the whale was on to it?

Will these races be penalty free, all races that have restrictions as in who's eligible should be.

Gore fields for next Saturday are out already, why so early, what's the rush, half them might be retired by raceday🙂

Reading HRNZ site 28 Southland horses in Ashburton tomorrow, tell me it had no effect on yesterday cup day and I won't believe ya.

Any update on Ulrika Holmquist.?

I note the win pools down on last year at Ascot Park, a mare race last year reached 17000, this year best is 12 for the Cup, but remember the up to 5 grand on fixed would be impacting, but I do think this meeting supposedly southlands best has been demoted a bit by Ashburton on Sunday a big percentage of the money in stakes left Southland, and as usual it's the well run larger establishments doing it, a smaller number taking the vast majority of the spoils.

Not finished yet, what are they missing around at?