curious

I'm trying to find out.

You been drinking again billy?

Did a quick survey of a few friends last night. All non-racing people though some have pleasure horse riding experience and/or kids having riding lessons etc. Showed them the finish of the Northern and asked if anything struck them. Here are the responses: I don’t know anything about it. Or what to look for. Is the whipping standard? yes that stands out for me as well Is the white horse at the back ok? The whipping by the front person seems more than necessary. I can’t bear to watch it …it does seem archaic 😢 Ä couple of those would take a share in a horse with me if it were not for this. Yet the response I got to my roadshow question on the matter said: We have not seen a considerable negative impact from the current Rules.

I don't agree. Do you think video refs/umpires are a bad thing for rugby and cricket?

And sorting penalties which would probably need to allow for post race video review as elsewhere.

I'm pleased to say that the new whip rules about to be released for consultation include prohibition of whip use on the flank and overhand use down the shoulder.

What result? A racing media interview that asks the hard logical questions?

I'd just add that if it were a decently informed interviewer talking to Wilcox, they would have asked that very question when Wilcox mentioned it. It was the first thing that popped into my head. How did it happen that grass was used in the first place?

I believe that I read/heard that the grass mix choice was made in consultation with local experts, remembering that they chose to seed it themselves from scratch, not lay pre-grown turf as is more usual for Strathayr tracks, so I think they managed that themselves, rather than it being done by Strathayr.

Surely not if the grass is properly rooted. It seems the problem stemmed primarily from one of the 5 rye varieties chosen for the mix. It evidently tends to spread roots laterally just below the surface. Whether or not they can manage that with continuous mechanical intervention, or whether it will have to be sprayed and reseeded remains to be seen. Until it's tested under racing conditions in similar weather conditions to those when the problems occurred, I don't think we will know. It seems to me that fully reseeding without that rye grass variety might have been a safer option.

I can see why Matt Cartwright said it could do with a bit more grass covering.

Looks like a sand track with a few sprigs of grass here and there?

??????

Might be the case for Strathayrs. If you look at the MV data you post above a G4 was 22.5%

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Same but only on gallops, pretty much every day. 25 bets today.

Nope. Only an open industry 1300 there. Where did you hear that or are you being facetious?

I've NEVER had a deposit offer from NZTAB and aside from the initial account opening offer and the account balance languishing @ $1 for a while, none from Betcha either.

Not sure what we disagree on. Safe tracks and racing for horses and riders surely include the jumps and safety and integrity of racing on them.

I agree. Exactly the same issues, though the public perception is stronger and the infrastructure non-investment includes not just the tracks but the jumps themselves. While they have made some strides wefare wise on rehoming, there seem to be no initiatives on other key matters like whip-use rules and the safety of jumps racing.

Yes. The proposal essentially gave 3 options. Do nothing which 90% don't want. Come up with a plan to wind it down, or a plan to re-energise it.

Lucky they are not subject to FBT.

What about it?

Important but this was Entain, not NZTR.