Freda

Well, I think Reefton - for one - provides its own maintenance and has a positive balance sheet. I can't imagine Mr Molloy tolerating debt. Hokitika was another that had plenty in kitty, enough to undertake any works determined to be necessary. Not given the chance. Gone.

A few more small shares taken.

Field sizes ( all tied up with programming and dates) is something that you and a couple of other enlightened sorts have been trying to get attention on, with little interest from management. As has been pointed out many times, the exodus to Aus isn't totally stakes driven. The Chief has made reference himself about the lack of opportunity for sprinting fillies, for one, hence the need to send those types over the ditch. There are heaps of other examples. The revitalizing of racedays from the viewpoint of young people is important fot sure, as well as stable open days and other initiatives to get a different demographic involved. But the industry as a whole has to be sustainable and it hasnt been without top- ups from other than betting revenue. I've held stable open days ( in a modest way) as have Kezia Murphy and Anna Furlong more recently, and all very well received. But getting tracks renovated properly and in a timely fashion is vital to getting back some punter confidence. No good taking pot shots at me, Chief, smarter people than me have been trying for years - decades- to get some traction, to no avail.

Yeah. One trainer recently discovered an Asian couple, complete with pram and infant, pottering around taking photos of the horses.

The original idea was free accommodation for the appropriate person. The job of managing the visiting trainers placement was also mooted.....meeting trucks arriving and pointing out the allocated stabling.

A bit off the thread topic, but a few years ago, before tiny homes became topical, a former owner was trying to interest admin in that very concept for security in an area with little, the training facilities here and most particularly, the visitors area. Individual stable blocks can be locked, and a couple have cameras, but the overall complex can be accessed easily and at any time. A cottage or similar for a nightwatchman would have been a very good idea.

If i was on a salary such as those referred to, above, I'm sure I could find some ideas. And, as pointed out in another thread, if funds hadn't been wasted on stakes for the last two decades instead of attending to track maintenance, we may not be quite so badly off.

What he said.

I think everyone did. But the overseers of said renovation fell well short of the required standard. Hence where we are now. At what cost? Add Hastings, more cost. And not just counted in dollars, but in loss of confidence, reduced participation, owners voting with their feet...and now we have a new shiny CEO of our industry regulator. Three new imports from Oz for that same body...and now a consultant team - quoted elsewhere as costing north of seven figures - can these new incumbents not find some ideas between them all?

Spot on. Nice bloke.

Poor Hunter. He does a fine job, but would rather not be doing that.

Think so, yes.

Bonecrusher, Rough Habit...Pivotal Ten..

Gold fines, Bill Kennedy told me, were used to ' improve' the track, along with the sowing of the right sort of grass. Didn't improve anything, the pakihi is taking back the ground bit by bit, the boggy bit in the dummy straight is there, as it always used to be.

Yeah, the Reefton turn out of the straight certainly caught a rider out in the case you mention. Had been negotiated safely for decades. Definitely rider error, with disastrous consequences. Similar with Hokitika, when a few ran off at tbe turn out of the straight....always a possibility with new riders but not an issue with a bit of nous. Unfortunately the combination of very, very heavy ground on one particular day, along with so many riders now not up to standard, led NZTR to decide that the circuit was not needed, not 'the look' that was required going forward.

And - as you said - the renovations weren't done properly. That's my point. Also, correct wrt the 30 year time frame, needs attention any old time but I dont think that's likely.

Nope. Clover on a gallop tracks is just a disaster. But, agree 100% with the rotational renovation concept. Should have been the modus operandi all along.

Clover in the sward is not ideal!

Im no expert so I can't comment about that. But the Coast examples were simply bad practice. There was nothing wrong with either track from a safety perspective. They just looked rough with the rushes and native weed through the surface. But always safe.

Yes, that's right, I recall a helicopter brought in to try and dry the track! No problems, as you say, before being 'upgraded'. But, I was referring to Greymouth, which, with the sowing of grass from out of the area, ended up with clover all through it, with predictable results.

This goes back several decades, Chief. Its not recent. Look back at renovation of Greymouth. Canterbury grass sown under advice from the CJC track manager, Max Skelton ( for one) sustained severe injuries when his horse slipped over. Gore redone, horses fell over, Terry Moseley slipped twice at the same place on the same day! Rangiora renovated. That disaster has been discussed at great length, hasn't raced since. Riccarton itself, remodelled, although it is still operational the surface has been criticized ever since. It gets away with less than perfect because it is a large circuit with sweeping turns. You'll sneer and say I'm dredging up ancient history. But the facts are there, NZ racing has a history of botching renovation. The only saviour has been the variety of tracks still left to take up dates. Now that the brains trust has seen fit to mothball so many, the flaws inherent in the 'preferred ' tracks are there for all to see. Liam O'Keefe seems to be a very valuable adviser. We are lucky to be able to call on his expertise. But whether he has the time - or inclination - to continue in that capacity may be dubious.

Dont be a prat. Im nowhere near as critical as I could be, generally, and I do try not to be nasty or abusive. Poor form IMO.

Dont wish to be rude on a public forum. ( Not a reflection on the people concerned, either in a personal or professional way, I want to be clear on that.)