Freda

George has been suspended from his job on the starting gates for the gallops. As far as anything else, no idea.

Yes, we all knew that....big ups to them!

Any significant alterations?

If you can find a copy of the Messara report, there is a list of all clubs and the ownership status of the tracks they race on.

In all this shambolic restructuring it has struck me ( okay, maybe I'm slower than most here ) that the original aims have been lost sight of. Alan Jackson has had the track reduction fixation in mind for many a year. Forcible cessation was not on Purcell's agenda but appears to be on Saundry's. But from NZTR's position the line was always justified by the position that maintenance of all the tracks were are huge drag on industry funds. Many agree that there are too many tracks, but definitive costings to show us all the wastage has never been displayed. The Chief has shown that the fibre capability is really just a red herring and convenient excuse...and our close neighbour over the ditch recognizes the importance of fostering regional racing, not squashing it. Roll forward to the Messara report and the recommendation that endorses that closure stance....but for the specific purpose of renovating the selected tracks using funds received from the asset grab to provide a slick and modern medium to attract offcourse betting. So...where are we? A shitfest of frustration and disagreement over track retention, no financial light at the end of the tunnel for track upgrades because so far nothing has been cashed in and may not be for some time - if ever. No slick product to attract the offshore dollar. But the penny seems to have dropped ( somewhere) that concentrating racing on the few selected courses is going to produce tracks that are absolutely shagged with no money to upgrade, short or medium term. So now we have a grudging acknowledgment that we are going to have to use some of the previously unwanted courses. The funding/race stake issue is a separate drama to all this IMO... contributing to all the angst and uncertainty but running alongside the mismanagement at code level. I don't think anyone could have scripted such a complete and utter cock up of something that used to work quite well.

I'm probably speaking out of turn here, not being a 'dog racing' insider....but, wrt horses and other large livestock, the SPCA are effing useless.

Passed, done and dusted.

We'll not know until we see some figures.

The money providing the $15k races in July was found by shaving the RIU budget....which is funded by pokies. Looks promising, no?

A more likely reason [ I'm being kind here ] is that there simply isn't the funding to run any more racemeetings.

more money to be sucked out of the pot...

I think I already knew all that..but it looks worse in print.

Yeah to all the above.....mostly....but I've had more response from Saundry ( very little ) than I ever got from Purcell ( nothing). You'd think even a moderate P.A. could flick a standard ' thank you for your email ' response, or answer the occasional phonecall. And the disgraceful waste of industry funds trying to justify b/s when pursuing Kevin .Morton was astounding behaviour. My big concern all along while the RB/Rita has been in the headlights, has been the likely lack of change at code level. Harness has it's own problems but I've always felt that they manage their share of the pie in a more equitable manner than we do.

Yeah. I mentioned that a while ago somewhere. Another layer of administration...wtf.?

Can you imagine what these [reduced] courses are going to look like after several racedays in the wet?

Thanks, KiK.....I'll take a raincheck on the chocolate tho and substitute a few rums. ?

It's a 'projection' which doesn't mean that it has happened....and it may not.

Yep. it's been out of kilter for years, and, as said, those pandering to that model will squeal if their 'superiority' is threatened. The forbears of one of my very good owners [ H.C Greenwood ] took the famous Gloaming from Christchurch to Sydney to have his first start in the AJC Chelmsford Stakes. That would have entailed a boat trip, no mean assignment for a novice galloper - but he duly obliged. No doubt granddad had a punt too...but does anyone seriously think that such a herculean task would have been undertaken if the money and prestige had been here? NZ-ers accepted, then, that the bigger population/economy enabled better money, and also the chance of a decent bet. You have to question the intelligence - or veracity - of those who hollered recently about 'rising stakes'....however, no doubt they were able to purchase nice new yearlings on the basis of that......

If that is the case - and I'm not saying it isn't - then the removal of form information and reducing the ease of betting for older enthusiasts isn't the best way of doing this. Fumbling around in the dark.

Which funding level was expressly directed by Winston as I understand. Doesn't show a lot of comprehension on his part.

Wow, that's clear.....not.

For the track staff. If training facilities aren't supplied, there wouldn't need to be so many groundsmen.

Hastings does have incumbent trainers, although not sure of the scale.

Yes, it has happened before, once a circuit is split up it eventually flounders to non existence. What I cant comprehend wrt Rita is why it hasn't addressed the pivotal point in all the restructuring which was the outsourcing. All the rest is pointless without that.

Special horse all right. Has there been any info. from the autopsy as to why he had the odd paralysis?