mikeynz

Sad news, was lying in bed 3 o clock this morning and the guy on talkback was talking about Warne few minutes later they said he'd died, gee couldn't believe it but life is life and one never knows what today may bring, exceptional player in a exceptional side, one of those you would stop what you are doing to watch, Gilchrist was the player I admired the most, as for Rod Marsh another great player, seeing these players expiring makes us all realize time is catching up on us all.

Lots of people, young and old buy lotto tickets, reason, a chance to become rich, but the large percentage of those same people probably don't give a shit about racing and the fact that racing don't have a big prize pool for something to attract them probably means you won't attract new people i started a thread about jackpots, on course maybe but maybe in today's world that might not work but I reckon something like this. Saturday only, you take the last 4 races the quad races from NZ, you then take the four main Eastern State meetings and their last four races,, that's 20 races, if we have a harness meet in NZ you throw that in as well20 or 24 races, only thing you need to fine tune is what to do with small fields. To win you need to pick15 winners, or if their is 24 races 18 or something, if it's not struck it jackpots, but you get a collect for those who pick the most winners in any given day. As you only have to pick 15 winners you only need to pick 15 races but if you pick in all races you are increasing your chances of winning, something that's Saturday only, maybe properly promoted by the TAB, sure it might start slowly but as it builds so does interest, gee if it only reached dizzy heights once or twice a year it must be better than Melbourne Cup day being the only day many take notice of horse racing. Maybe get rid of percentage bets and maybe 50 cents a line adjusted based on the number of picks per line.

Nobody has any answer as yet, I'm pretty sure I know the driver, not so sure about the horse, but just quietly I think the horse was from Otago, I may be wrong though.

Such as, I cant really be bothered with him.

Ascot Park always seemed to have issues, these days it actually looks a good surface,they race about 8 times a season unlike Riccarton as one example where they beat the shit out of it late winter/spring, that's where one needs to share the load by racing at other venues, if New Plymouth was to be the only track in Taranaki then regardless of how much you spend on the track it's always going to come under pressure if the weather is crap, you simply cant put all your eggs in one basket, as in venues, N Zs climate is pretty fickle.

Been reading comments here, the reality is their are only so many jobs commentating, when trackside radio was going it wasn't uncommon to hear the same guy most days of the week in oz, trackside in NZ has gone the same way, less callers doing more days, some days though they just seem to be going through the motions, it still doesn't change the fact though that one or two callers got or are getting a shit deal and as in all things in life if its family, clubs, church groups or whatever skulduggery, secret agendas da da da, it goes on, even the setup I'm in is very frustrating at present, basically where human beings are involved, problems, trouble go hand in hand.

Who owns Hawera ?

1.4 million in the quaddie pool, and you win 1100 hundred bucks, nice to win anything and yes upsets do happen but the big pools like lotto attract people who might only get interested if the pools get larger,racing I reckon needs something that is reserved for saturdays only that keeps growing until struck Interesting looking at the lotto prize pool, and that's not the powerball pool wednesdays usually around 2.5 million Saturdays around 3.3 million, simple fact the weekend is the time more people spend, racing would be the same, dangling a big carrot would engage more

You maybe right but look at it this way, when lotto powerball starts getting up in the big prize how many more people get involved, ? What does racing do to attract more interest or does it just sit back and say everything's hunky dory. I know lots that buy lotto, but racing, nagh not interested. Competition is healthy, see it's happening in the sports rights for tv, sky have premier league back,

Once in the days the on course jackpots used to create massive interest as the pools got bigger, would they attract people on course today ? Maybe run on Saturdays only, maybe pick 6 winners or maybe with smaller races and fields maybe the first two, only run on the meetings being run on saturday so maybe 5 or 6 races from each meeting, as the pools grow the motivation to be on course grows, one only has to see how winning and then defending the Ranfurly shield can do for the holder, it's a cash cow,. Maybe to engage people off course maybe a 10 dollar restriction on a bet on your account, if you ain't got one , tough luck, you have to be on course, lotto grows in interest as the pools grow, why cant racing do the same ? Two things that attract people to create interest, piss and money.

You might read about that one day as well.

I wonder if it were to piss down and I know it ain't going too but if the same thing happens for Ascot Park this saturday if the same number of scratchings would occur, less choice further south so they just get on with it, good fields for saturday in reality. Maybe if they fine trainers, not the owners if they scratch without a vet certificate they would not put them in the race to start with.

These mini meetings may be more common as time goes by. NOTE, looks like the weather is gunna be wet, Auckland just ain't having a great trot in anything at the moment, 3 horse fields, well there is a dollar in it for the owners, even if your horse breaks hopelessly just carry it over the line to get ya stakemoney, easy peasy.

Do these protesters have jobs ? Or has the law been changed to force them off their jobs, temporarily.

Sad as it is Wyndham fields are below average, becoming more and more the norm now.

One wonders if the Westport races would go on in the same scenario, bearing in mind there are no gallops there these days.

If the track is rough, that's not good and if people dont bet because, then isn't that one of the reasons harness is where it has got to be?

It's funny you say that about mile racing yet in the good old USA that's all they have, it don't make it right but it is what it is. In some ways mile races should be a bit like 20/ 20 cricket, a novelty but like any other novelty we hammer it do death till the novelty wears off.

Wyndham, Forbury 10 days ago, Ascot Park last Saturday, Winton, yesty, Wyndham Sunday and some pretty average fields as a rule, Southland in its own way is starting to become as boring as Alexandra Park, more racing don't seem to produce more top liners and Southland has produced more than it's fair share of them, seems today it's just a few drivers winning most races, spouse they are doing ok as in making a living, if some of the old timers came back today they would be green with envy with the number of days of racing the present lot have, yet would probably be dissapointed with the lack of good ones coming out of Southland. In some ways it's going a wee bit like the rugby in Southland, a shadow of itself, sign of the times I guess.

Most of Forbury Park Thursday meetings were non events laterly I remember when they shifted their Easter meeting to a Thursday, but that Thursday is kind of a Friday so it went well, then they all went Thursday, now that Forbury gone plenty of room for Alexandra Park to takeover, some of the schedule does make you wonder though, Manawatu always getting a Tuesday, I don't know seems everything is fucked, I've always questioned why Southland always gets mostly Thursdays before Xmas then for some reason once club rugby starts it's mostly Saturdays. Im not taking the piss about Alexandra Park but it is a hard watch, yet the inter dominions held a year or two ago was a great series, simple fact is quantity has taken over from quality,. seems the rugby union are no different, I see they have just revamped the NPC again, will it make any real difference for the lesser unions, probably not.

Wellington, Manawatu and Wanganui, on holiday.

Wonder what happens to racing if this virus starts becoming a pest.

Sam Wynne, what's happened to her, injured perhaps,? Do they have racing in Argentina.

How is me old mate doing,?😂 So okay its Wellington anniversary day, what areas actually get the holiday, what would you do, ?

I think it was about 71 that Timaru went all weather, they will have raced on grass before.