Freda

Good post...that's how I see it too, but typically you put it much more succinctly .

My understanding is that no consultation has occurred.

I obviously missed the part where I could say I had no faith in the chairman and his board to take us forward given the mismanagement to date.

Yeah, got one as well, no doubt everyone is getting the message.....

A Strathayr would be just great, to follow on from all this palaver.

Yep, they sure did. A good friend worked for Fulton Hogan at the time of the reconstruction, and asked me why Laing's Contractors were using clay from their stockpile for the track. He couldn't understand why clay would go on a racetrack....neither could we. As I stated earlier, Duncan Laing told me they worked from the specs given them by the RIB.

Thanks, Chief...and in response to Mardigras' observations about leaders' biases, I could add that the choices of riders and their ability - or lack of - to judge pace has a bloody lot to do with that. Take Bridget Grylls' ride yesterday, the only rider in opposition to her setting very soft sectionals was The oft-maligned T Moseley who took the initiative to park himself on her girth and attempt to push her horse along a bit. Unfortunately his mount lacked the ability to go on with things, but at least he tried.

One thing to remember, Brian - horses run fastest times when they are comfortable to really stretch out.

Chief has repeatedly commented about soil strucure, etc, not just wrt Riccarton, but many other tracks. The top frequently chips out at Riccarton - whatever the rating - and while class horses definitely can find a 'kick' on the firmer conditions, the compacted nature of the ground means that some with joint and other issues, feel the jar badly. I don't profess to be an expert, far from it, but I can remember back to times when firm/fast tracks were the order of the day during spring and summer racing, that's just what you got and the racing was super. Back then it was the turf that provided the resilience and cushion, not the soil underneath. Nowadays, the brand of lush, soft green grass [ which looks admirable from the corporate boxes when mown in pretty strips ] has far less ability to cushion, a team of 500 kg animals at speed just cuts through the sappy, soft material to the dirt underneath, which must needs be dampened to provide the easing. I recall, prior to one Easter meeting, back in the day of course manager Rob Lory [ mentioned in a post earlier ] I had walked around the track and happened to come across Rob doing much the same thing. I commented upon the great sole of grass, and quipped ' leave the sprinklers on a bit more, Rob, my crew likes the softer stuff' to which he frowned at me and said ' I water for growth, NOT to affect the track conditions' . Poor Rob copped a lot of flak for his efforts, probably his reserved and taciturn nature didn't help in that regards, but it wasn't until I spoke at length with Duncan Laing much later that I realised that he would have been following the 'best practice' manual left for him by Duncan. Anyways, my boys coped very well with the prevailing conditions, finishing first, third and fourth in the Easter Classic [ then 2000m ]. And as for commented upon 'leader's bias ' yesterday, such a pattern is common when the rail is out.

All clear....nice and dry

Some suspicious looking dark clouds this morning, a FREEZING cold southerly that did it's best to cut you in half, but clouds gone, sun shining, and the wind, although still brisk, not anyhere near as cold. Midday.

Towards the end, the undulations were, indeed, quite bad. I had one particular horse who used to belt the shit out of his hocks whenever he raced there, you could see his action go to pieces when in the straight. OK, only one horse from a small team...but he never touched any other time, whether in work or on another racetrack, and he had quite a few starts. There were quite a lot of conflicting opinions on how to remedy said problem, one from one of the senior course workers - a very experienced guy - he reckoned the best and most cost effective option would have been to have removed the grass layer, graded the thing level, and replaced with new turf.

He also said he wrote a manual on the upkeep of the track, which first manager( Rob Lory) followed to the best of his ability, but that subsequent managers didn't - or that possibly the manual was misplaced . Anyway, the use of discs and vertidrainers ( he said) had allowed the clay base to mix with the upper layers, leading to gluey, heavy muck when wet and very hard ground when dry. And don't shoot the messenger!

Yep, the undulations were ( from memory) the main reason for restoration of the track, and they were significant. I had occasion to speak with Duncan Laing of the company which did the work , he confirmed that the specifications were provided by the RIB( as it was then) and followed to the letter. It seemed to me that the topsoil allowed wouldn't have grown decent carrots...but what I know about building racetracks is very insignificant.

One's weather did too...but it still has to materialize.

Pitty's mate has no doubt been on the blower to make sure the sprinklers are used

Sure. One is heading for the paddock but we were hoping for maybe one more run beforehand. The other not a Riccarton horse I dont think so not really bothered. If I had a smart firm tracker I think I'd be quite happy.

I'm not disagreeing with you in a general sense _ but I know how quickly it has dried and the two I planned to run would not have been happy, rain or irrigation or not. If you have firm trackers they should be fine.

Yep.

It's dry all right, and yes, nor'westers too. I pulled two out because they wouldn't have coped.

Well, it would be a bloody speedway if they didn't water and it didn't rain...

'Cos if they don't it will be a F1 by Friday...and it was supposed to rain Monday and didn't....

I can't agree with the first part of your first sentence...but absolutely, to the rest of your post.

You'll have to spell it out bit by bit....they still don't get it.

Not unexpected I wouldn't have thought. He will be well looked after, cherished in fact...which is more than can be said for so many others, less high-profile but no less deserving.