curious

There's more horses go round at Foxton every fortnight and the track is used for gallops in between.

Stewards did not report questioning the ride. https://loveracing.nz/SystemTemplates/RaceInfo/StewardsReport.ashx?DayID=53345&FileName=Report 2025-03-29 Te Aroha -.pdf

Looked a bit unbalanced and lay in slightly on the turn and probably took longer to get going than she hoped. Ground? If it were mine, I'd be rapt, except that it didn't quite win of course. JMO.

Gave it a beautiful smooth trip and all but won? What was wrong with the ride?

It's been like that for decades. How the hell do we change it?

Not sure about every cast-off but what you say is generally true though you left off the important bit about having a superb horse-woman at his side through out. Did something get up your nose on the weekend BC in order for you to launch this unprovoked vitriolic attack?

Probably be better to get rid of whip use in racing altogether then Snow, and we won't have to debate it any more, and you can concentrate on your bowls.

The hole aside, no wonder horses were slipping. I thought they were supposed to mow to 100mm or something. That's nearly as bad as the CJC Cup day debacle.

Taupo trials_2025 03 26_05 50 58_1_504.mp4

Not unless your rabbit has a post driver! With respect to your second question, I've no idea. Maybe that was not the only problem? Another question though. How could that not be spotted when the track was walked? Though watching the stipes doing the track inspection at Riccarton on Saturday, it appeared they only walked between the 50m and 150m mark.

Probably correct.

He shouldn't be getting the blame, not that I agree with everything he recommended. But the crux of his recommendations was close some tracks, but make significant investment in the remaining ones over a 6 year period. One thing has happened, not the other. Any tweaking to those recommendations aside, the implementation has been woeful

Five? Maybe 20?

Not sure if that's tongue in cheek Doomed but if the TA have only just realised that "we are starting to get to a point where we have got a bit of a crisis with our infrastructure" then seriously ...

Yep, it's bloody ridiculous Mustang. Even their track conditions are always late even if you can't believe them anyway. We are trying to support you CJC. Please give us a hand along with the punters who also do.

Taupo Trials 25 03 2025 Heat 2_2025 03 25_16 06 56_1_374.mp4

Foxton? But then where would you run the trials? That track has more horses going around annually than any in the CD and still available for training gallops.

Photo: Race Images Infrastructure blues continue following Taupo abandonment Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk 25 March 2025 There’s growing frustration within the thoroughbred racing industry surrounding the sport’s infrastructure, with the abandonment of Taupo’s trials on Tuesday the latest in a long series of raceday and trial cancellations. It comes just two days after the abandonment of Tauherenikau’s Sunday race meeting following a slip in the opening race of the card, adding to the growing track woes in the Central Districts, with both Hastings and Awapuni currently out of commission due to track renovations. “I think we are starting to get to a point where we have got a bit of a crisis with our infrastructure,” New Zealand Trainers’ Association President Shaun Clotworthy said. “The Central Districts have been under pressure for quite a while now, so we feel for them. In the northern area, with Ellerslie and Te Aroha coming back on board it has been a big relief to trainers up this way, but we still need to address these problems properly. “We probably need to look at a complete review of our processes and get someone in to have a different look at it from a different angle because it’s not working at the moment. “The cost is huge to the industry and especially to the owners, who are getting really sick of it, and trainers, who have to reorganise staff and pay different people and juggle things around, so it comes at a personal cost to them as well. “Owners are frustrated. It is not cheap to race horses and they aren’t looking to have any extra costs added on. “On the bright side, I think Ellerslie are going to take two trial dates next week on Tuesday and Thursday, so that is some relief, but that doesn’t alter the fact that horses have been carted to Taupo today for no result.” New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s chief operating officer Darin Balcombe said the latest string of abandonments is frustrating for the industry, with a number of provincial tracks feeling the pressure of extra racedays, with a number of metropolitan tracks currently out of commission while renovations are taking place. “We completely feel for the industry stakeholders that have been to these meetings that have been called off,” Balcombe said. “It is a terrible situation, and it is a big drain on the industry. “The tracks are struggling with the weight of racing on them at the moment and that is causing issues. “It is putting pressure on a number of our provincial tracks that generally are set-up to run three to four racedays a season and are being asked now to run seven or eight, and the stress is showing on those tracks. “We need to ensure that we are getting these tracks up to speed as early as possible to make sure it doesn’t carry on. “It makes it very difficult to be an owner when these things are happening, so we have got to get it right and we are working hard to get it right.” Awapuni Racecourse in Palmerston North is currently one of those metropolitan tracks undergoing renovations but is set to resume racing on their turf track next month. “It is very important that we get Awapuni back on speed, which is scheduled for the 25th of April, so I am looking forward to that,” Balcombe said. “We won’t be pushing Awapuni, so it will probably only run two or three meetings before we put it aside for winter and get it back because it is going to be an important venue next spring.” With Hastings racecourse also out of commission, and Trentham set to undergo renovations in the near future, Balcombe said New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing have partnered with several provincial clubs to ensure they have the means to handle additional race meetings year-round. “We are making sure every track undergoes a full renovation period,” Balcombe said. “Knowing that Hastings and Trentham were going to be out in the short-term, we did put irrigation in at Waverley and Hawera to ensure those tracks can be used because previously without the irrigation they were only available through the winter months. “We are also looking at the possibility of having an irrigation system at Woodville just to allow that track to cover off as well because we are going to have Hastings out for a little period and on the back of that a decision has got to be made on Trentham and what needs to be done there with the track and facilities.” Balcombe said meeting abandonments will always be a part of racing due to severe weather, particularly over the winter months, but acknowledged the number of abandonments of late is unacceptable. “We are always going to have weather abandonments, there is no way you can get around the extreme weather, but we need to stop these track abandonments when the weather has been like it has been. The tracks need to be in a fit state,” he said.

Yeahh right. Gave them 3 that to date have proved anything but reliable, safe and consistent. If you are right, then why did NZTR instigate a review of their safety after initial data brought that into question? And why have NZTR not yet released that report by international experts? I have been a big supporter of the poly tracks because they have proven safe and reliable elsewhere and indeed, won a few races on them, but for one won't be racing on them again until I'm convinced they are as safe and properly maintained as possible. Currently, there is no sign of that reassurance. There are plenty of grass tracks available (some largely idle) that could be conducting grass trials on safer surfaces, to prepare horses for grass racing.

Rubbish. Most horses trialing on turf are there to educate and condition them for racing on turf which is the majority of our racing.

No idea. But it's pretty much irrelevant for those horses isn't it? They are not handicappers at this stage.

No chance unless the placed horses do something amazing in the remainder of the season. The NZPC somehow seem to think that prizemoney increases will fix race quality when there has never been an iota of evidence to support that and they don't provide any in their reports. Wellington RC, NZ Oaks (G1) – after years of solid ratings, we have now had two weak editions in a row, with this season rating 102.75 versus the 107 tolerance threshold. There was no improvement from considering the top 4 starters. Unlike in some past editions, the NZPC had no concerns with the assessed ratings. There appears to be an increasing trend for staying fillies to target the NZ Derby and/or Australian carnivals rather than travel to Wellington. The NZPC hopes that a significant prizemoney increase that is planned for the upcoming season will see the race return to its former level. A Warning was imposed.

Those are 3yo races. The rating system is independent of age. I don't think the rating system itself is so bad. Just that the resulting weight spread is ineffective.

Yep. Handy run the first day too from memory. Knew her a bit then.

Trentham’s reputation for longshots cemented in 1987 Cup Mary Burgess - LOVERACING.NZ 24 January 2022 Trentham’s reputation as a Punters Graveyard goes back nearly 100 years - Trentham once again proved a graveyard for the Punter – screamed the headline from Truth on Thursday, 27 October 1927.