curious

"Hung up on one matter"? Seriously, can they not read, analyse or understand? How desperate are they?

Haven't heard of a soul that doesn't support racefield's legislation but a game changer? They have to be joking. The DIA already knows that and has clearly stated it. Are they in a dreamworld? You'd buy the report's recommendation based on one good idea that will have minimal impact along with 10 shockers? Yeahh right.

I'm sure it's there somewhere but maybe in invisible ink ?

Anyone else get one of these? Subject: STAKEHOLDER MESSAGE: Messara Report - please show your support No Images? Click here Dear Stakeholders, The Messara Report is a very important once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure thoroughbred racing’s future. Changes to industry governance, potential outsourcing, and racefields legislation are game-changers offering real improvements in our financial returns. We are working through Mr Messara’s proposals about venue location and ownership to find a solution that is fair for all, but we cannot afford to get hung up on one matter when we need to show the Government we are a united industry. NZTR, together with our Recognised Industry Organisations, strongly support and endorse the need for a circuit breaker. This is our only chance for change. We must show the Government that it’s time for change, and we seek you support to make it happen. Click here to show your support for the Messara Report's goals & principles Minister's media release (13.09.2018) We also encourage you to put forward your own submissions. These can be emailed to racingreview@dia.govt.nz. Yours sincerely, Dr Alan Jackson Chairman New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Inc. Bernard Saundry Chief Executive New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Inc. New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Unsubscribe

I don't have the data that Mardi has, but I do have a few years of 21st century data and as far as I can see, generally speaking, horses at Riccarton on Saturday ran times consistent with their expected times on a Good 3 as I previously suggested. If you have contrary data Reefton, please post it.

According to a subsequent safety report the Pro-ride at Geelong only came into use in the 09-10 season. "Since the change to the Pro-Ride racing surface during the 2009-10 racing season, the risk of fatality at Geelong Synthetic has decreased by 57% and is now comparable to our turf tracks." So yes, they need full replacement every 7 or 8 years depending on useage. From memory, that is about thirty meetings a year there, so maybe 250 racemeetings. On the other hand, I'd say regular turf tracks have about a similar life without being at least ploughed up and resown. Strathayr tracks would double or triple that lifetime I'd say for about $2m extra initial installation cost.

Didn't see any races but the mdns ran 1.10 in the first and the R65 and open sprinters 1.09.5? Is that not consistent with a G3? Mardi may be able to assist with a relative performance indicator of the track condition that the times were consistent with? If you ever walked up the straight at Riccarton prior to the so called renovation, you could hardly miss the undulations that were there and DID need fixing. And yes, they removed mountains of topsoil in the process and laid a clay base. My memory's a bit hazy but I'm sure Freda can confirm or otherwise.

Good initiative. As already noted here, probably should send a few jockeys and track work riders to this. http://loveracing.nz/Events/Featured-Events/Ride-to-Time.aspx

Chautauqua leaves the barriers in Flemington jump out 21 September 2018 by ThoroughbredNEWS News Desk The Hawkes' trained sprinter Chautauqua has overcome the first hurdle on his way to being reinstated to race, leaving the gates with the field in a jump-out at Flemington. After Chautauqua successfully left the barriers, Tommy Berry, who flew from Sydney for the jump out, did not extend the champion sprinter over the 800m. Chautauqua still needs to pass two official barrier trials before being allowed to race again. Racing NSW stewards placed a ban Chautauqua after he failed to jump in six trials and was slowly away in a special race day trial at Rosehill on August 25th. Link - Racing NSW stewards' allow Chautauqua a further chance to jump from the barriers

Which is most of them. Thought about this. 5 or 6 years ago I had the energy to have some input which went unlistened to. Frankly, I think they should be left to the outcomes of there own devices at this stage which are pretty obvious but they still can't see. If they want to further fuck the industry and accelerate the decline as proposed, then I'm now inclined to leave them to it. I will consider responding to anything that suggests a benefit to racing at the expense of the taxpayer though. I am one of the latter.

Met service... https://screenshots.firefox.com/x8o4jxD0Mu9yCWTQ/www.metservice.com

Completely agree that the undulations needed sorting at the time and that they had a significant impact, particularly on some imperfect horses. I also agree that the simple solution would have been to grade it level and resow it, not remove all the topsoil and replace it mostly with clay which not only would not grow carrots but can't really grow grass with any decent secure root structure. They rooted an otherwise perfectly good track that could have been fully ploughed up, the straight graded level and resown. A huge waste of money and there's been no inclination to fix it.

Freda might confirm, but from memory, the main reason for the 'renovation' was to get rid of the undulations in the straight. The issue with the track at the junction, actually from about the 500, has been there ever since and is due to the shallow topsoil layer, especially in that part of the track, over the clay base that they decided to lay. We all saw it happening. A plough and discs indeed may not be flash enough but I think that with the mission to centralise and the movement to overuse crap tracks like Riccarton, means that they are not prepared to put them out of service for the required 12-24 months every 5-7 years in order to do the necessary restoration, which I agree with you Reefton could be done exactly as you suggest. Maybe not Riccarton because there's probably not enough topsoil to work with in places.

I think the problem is tracks like Riccarton that have not been relaid in a quarter of a century, and it was a crap job then, are severely compacted and overused. Wasn't like that in the Grey Way, Showgate days etc. So when very dry, they are too unforgiving and irrigation to avoid that is not the right solution.

You mean the no usage bit wally?

Yeahh had a look around Awapuni a couple of weeks ago. It's a total disaster. Turf half dead and a complete swamp as of then.

OK, I'll hopefully have a closer look tomorrow.

What does that mean? Well developed root structure? Drainage working? Or just pretty on top with no usage?

I'm just a golf course away from there tomorrow. Anyone had a look around lately? Might go for a wander?

Gallops - News Ellerslie track passes first test Sat, 15 Sep 2018 Richard Edmunds Six weeks out from its scheduled return to racing, the renovated Ellerslie track passed its first test yesterday morning. Four horses from Nigel Tiley’s stable galloped on the newly laid surface, going around in pairs with Sam Spratt and Rowena Smyth in the saddle. Ellerslie tweeted that Spratt described the track as “great”, and that the lateral drains laid every five metres around the track were not noticeable at any stage. “It was like carpet,” she said. Further testing will take place within the next two weeks. Racing is set to resume with the Soliloquy Stakes meeting on October 27.

I'd be keen to find a market where a win dividend was routinely paid on more than one horse. Let me know!

OK. Apologies. My error. Just looked at the betting rules again and it clearly says: The Payout Rounding is down to the amount stated in the table. So, the price was correct.

I won't bother to say what the FO market was Turny, but this is tote, so you can't blame a human pricing error or FO pricing rort. It appears that someone has instructed the tote system to round down from $1.69 instead of to the nearest 10c. I hope I'm wrong and am missing something. We have enough integrity issues in the industry without the TAB getting into the action.

I was looking at an American race this morning on the NZTAB site. There was $2 in the win pool! Two horses were displayed with dividends of $1.60. As far as I know, the win pool deduction is supposed to be 15.5% and the payout rounding is supposed to be to the nearest 10c. So, how does that work? Should they not have been paying $1.70?

Same thing ....hang on Hughie, I can't see the post yet, when I do we'll put them away then .....no worries. Best I've seen. No doubt.