curious

At least the polys haven't yet had a meeting abandoned have they? Meeting News Otago Races Abandoned Due to a horse slipping in Race 5 the remainder of the card at Wingatui has been abandoned. Further information will follow in coming days.

I'd like to think that they finally figured it out themselves based on 2 week old information. Not much help to the owners who were told sorry, you have to spend another couple of grand in training fees until we can maybe find a suitable race for your horse. The poor open class horses from the canned race at the said meeting are still going around waiting for a racing opportunity. I've said this on occasion before, but in the US, every club has someone charged with canvassing trainers every 2 to 4 weeks to ascertain what horses will be ready to race in different classes and the next month's programming is based on that (Pattern and other key races aside). I fail to see why NZTR can't appoint someone specifically to do that and make programming recommendations on that basis. Average starter numbers is a KPI and strongly driven by Entain as well. Something like the above seems a simple way of doing that and I'd bet would immediately increase field sizes by at least 1-2, thereby creating more attractive betting races and increasing wagering on those events as well as retaining owners. You can't simply programme 6 months ahead based on what was happening a year ago and add or delete the odd race later. It doesn't work.

Now, that would be fun to watch!

Maybe some programming common sense is emerging? Good afternoon A R65 1600m race ($17,000) has been added to the Canterbury JC meeting at Riccarton Synthetic on Friday 31 May.

Which one?

I see they have again managed to conflate breeding industry activity with racing industry activity, while still calling the report "Size and Scope of NZ Racing".

Answering my own question. https://nztr.co.nz/sites/nztrindustry/files/2024-05/Size and Scope of NZ Racing 22-23_Draft Report 2024 (HR)_0.pdf

Would you point us to that report please TAB?

It's interesting that they programmed a race with 5 acceptors when a week ago the CJC deleted one with 7 nominations. All seems a bit arbitrary to me.

Possibly. Come a lot closer than covering the extra stakes for innovation races certainly. Are they any better for feature level stakes?

You don't seem to have provided any evidence of that nor a link to where you suggest it has been discussed.

Where on FB and what pony are you talking about and what was it's racing name??

What ex-racehorses?

Must have been on the way then at least. Rode like a girl.

Where they also had 32 acceptances for a 1600 R65, which they did split. 4 horses still eliminated. I wonder if there is an issue with the programming here?

Good question. I'm hoping to see yet another Imperatriz thread here going into the Everest.

Ellis is adamant there was nothing structurally wrong with Imperatriz barring the general wear and tear most top-level horses show but their veterinary advice was a broodmare career was her best path. Ellis says while Imperatriz is being offered as a broodmare and they would not race her, there is no horse welfare or health issues that would stop her racing again. “The decision to retire her was made because of wear and tear but we also realise that whoever is lucky enough to buy her has the option to put her back in training,” Ellis told the Herald. “Whoever buys her is buying a very special horse and a very valuable one, so I’m sure they will be surrounded by good people. “I realise if a racing career was considered, it would be with a leading trainer and you’d trust that person to make the right decisions based on how she was. “There’s nothing that would stop her racing on, so if that’s what happens I’m sure she’ll be in good hands.”

Will we get to see her back on the track come spring?

Read the stipes' reports. Spell checker works there but not the grammar checker. Some sentences unintelligible.

But we have the polys now to spice up the winter programme with reliable good footing?

Yep. Just tried it. Yay! They do listen. Thanks for the heads up.