Freda

No idea, K....but it's a very good observation.

yes, it would seem it will be raced upon, looking at the calendar. A northern trainer was talking to me yesterday, he was adamant there WON'T be racing on it. Too small, he said, not suitable. Ok, just his opinion..but... As for Riccarton, it will take in the plough track, but also I imagine the big trial grass as well. It will have to, the plough comes into a bottleneck at the winning post, you're flat getting two horses upsides there. But with drainage issues and resource consents to deal with, not a simple matter at all.

Exactly. Good move I thought. But they haven't got a date this time round.

Interesting post. I've tried to point out the obvious replacement costs - and the folly of leaving too long before so doing to save money [ which would UNDOUBTEDLY happen here ] but the waste disposal I hadn't considered. That may well be an issue going forward with resource consents, etc.

Not sure, but I have a feeling that the suits would find a way to make sure it can't work....like banning all runners from future racing under NZTR rules, or something like that that would guarantee no runners. Other than non-registered horses of course.

oh. that's 45 mill then. Not much change. Maybe not immediately urgent, but won't go away.

Yeah...but there is still the rest of the loan sitting there.

and...getting off topic, but still TAB related...I was locked out of my TAB account when the platform changed. With the help of a very nice lady on the staff, I finally got it sorted. In the meantime, out of frustration, I opened a Bet365 acount. Very satisfactory, and so easy to navigate even for a simpleton like me. So..my phone died and I got a new one. Found myself needing to re-log in on both sites and re-introduce myself. Typically, I had saved my passwords on my old phone which, with a charger broken off inside, was unable to be accessed to retrieve them. Guessed, but got them wrong. No problem, said the Bet365 website, re-set password. Click. Fine. Re-enter new password. Click. Done. Welcome. And away I went. Tab said, wrong password. I know that. Click reset. We will email you a replacement password. Still waiting.

You are pretty vocal yourself. Is your opinion worth more than mine, or those of others? Dont forget, those of us who choose to exercise our right to have an opinion are not getting paid to get this business right, nor are we responsible for the livelihoods and/or wellbeing of thousands. I respectfully suggest that if more opinions had been taken note of over a good few years we may not be in this situation. JMO. Of course.

Oh, yeah....plenty of that on those circuits...plenty of down-to-earth drinking too, in the Railway Hotel....Jimmy Melton and Garth Jackson after a few Long Island Iced Teas....but that's telling tales so I'd better stop.

Can't recall seeing that. The old photos of the sailing ships lined up down Gibson Quay are amazing, the sailors of those times must have been pretty damned good to get the old girls across the bar.

Hokitika looks fine, wide clean streets and [generally ] attractive homes. Interesting little stores, glass-blowing and greenstone/gold operations. Very different to the dilapidated Greymouth. If the track area is what you are referring to, the club gave the council cash as well to help with the costs of removing old buildings, etc. However, the West Coast Riding for the Disabled has a good complex down the hill, the barn used to be borrowed from them for racetime stabling. The arena is well set up and the place also holds riding lessons, dressage days, etc. with some keen local participation. Boys' Brigade has an excellent building up the hill, overlooking the track. So a valued and still valuable community asset.

The Hokitika Museum is a fascinating window on history of the place. I go in for a wander whenever I'm over there....sadly, won't be often now.

Probably.

Well, yeah...but can't see that happening!

That was just stupid bloody greed from that iwi. Trots would still be there if not for unreasonable demands....now it's just rusting tin and weeds. The prize would be Avondale, surely....has to be worth more than some plots of rural land , you'd think.

Don't agree, sorry. Clubs' assets have been property donated by early citizens, or developed by councils and/or local sporting bodies for community use. They should be returned to the community if not to be used for racing purposes. I can't think of one example where NZTR - or its predecessor, the NZRC, gifted land to a racing club. But, if you think that grandstands etc. have been funded by the industry, I'm sure any club would willingly give them back.

Of course I agree. That should be obvious from my posts over period of time. Clearly now, travel won't be a valid reason for the Guineas moving. Horses can travel again and by November, staff should be ok to travel with them. It will remain to be seen how much the CJC will fight, or whether they just assume that the northerners will drop their pressure, and allow the Guineas to return. As for shutting tracks, again, that argument has been going on for years. I think discussion here and elsewhere has highlighted how flawed that thinking is, and that with consultation, many clubs could manage to bring their facilities up to safety levels using their own resources. NSW Racing recognises how vital many country clubs are to the overall tourist experience of rural Australia, and provides significant support to that end. You have missed my point, though. Because appalling mismanagement, we have now been brought to this point, where there is no choice. THERE IS NO MONEY left.

Just another example of how badly wrong executives across the board have got all this. But, in the end, irrelevant now. Regardless of who did or didn't do this or that, or what could have been, should have been, or wasn't done...the result is the same. Bankruptcy. The days we fondly remember of how it was, are gone. We either accept that there will be racing [ if at all ] on two or three tracks, and we have to look forward and make the best of things. The biggest kick of all, will be if there are no structural changes, and, once [ if ] things start to tick along again, the staff numbers creep up again because of the 'increased business ' . We might as well pull the sign down then.

Even the socks tone in with the outfit, Chief! Colour co-ordinated.

Stakes are bulk funded by NZTR. The club doesn't [ these days ] have to find the money. If a club chooses - or is forced - to give away racing at its own track and use another deemed more suitable, the stakes funding and meeting payment also goes with it to the alternative track. So no savings there. Anyway, under current straitened circumstances, the existence or otherwise of clubs other than the few designated under the 'new' calendar, will be an historical fact. Consign it all to fond memories. Without radical restructuring, there will not be funding for anything much at all.

My views are probably a bit simplistic...but, I've always thought, we reduce exposure to racing in the regions at our peril. HK , Singapore totally different, there are no regions to consider. No point looking at them as a model. The experience at a country club for many young people is what has sparked interest and the love of the racehorse, without doubt. The city experience can't compare for kids. I'm not sure , now, what percentage of turnover is received by clubs, on or off course, but there was a time when smaller clubs ( Chittick's graded A, B,C,D clubs) got significantly less, and those clubs deemed 'strategic' received more. Reefton reminded me of that fact in an earlier post, about the facilities at Greymouth compared to the rest of the Coast which didn't get preferential treatment. Obviously, many of those country clubs have battled on for years with few resources , hardly surprising their structures are rustic, to say the least. Dead flies aside, nothing wrong with getting a beer from the tractor shed though, as long as it is cold! Mardi's model has retention of ( say) 30% of funds for upgrades of facilities and tracks on a rotational basis. If we accept that there can't be enough funding to upgrade 56 tracks ( which is reasonable IMO ) then, give tracks the choice. No forced closures, but these are the standards you must comply with for H & S reasons. If you can, from your own resources, fine. If not, then become a tenant club at a suitable venue . But in the interests of fairness, all clubs must receive the same percentage of turnover funding. As it stands now many clubs have been starved of rightful share for years. Bulk funding of stakes has ameliorated that but leaves nothing for amenity upgrades that have been neglected for years. I know off the top of my head of two clubs who have - or had - the resources to significantly do upgrades. Riverton, a very wealthy club, earns 200k per annually from sale of grass seed alone, not to mention other income from hay baleage, and grazing/ sale of cattle. Insane not to retain Riverton. Also, Hokitika, with land assets and half a mill in the bank, could also have done significant improvements but probably left that option too late. With enlightened management from both ends ( club and Nztr) that venue could also still be with us. There will be others without doubt. The big stick approach just isn't right. A bit of discussion and thought and solutions can be found, if there's a will.

Keith Haub was the only contribution I could come up with!

It has occurred to me, that by replacing Rita/Nzrb by Racing NZ and Wagering NZ ( as planned ) we actually get an extra layer of management....that'll be an efficient move.

Beats me. However, they are not as profligate as the other outfit. Their policies and practices need sorting, but I think they are trying - although most of us would think, try harder..!