Freda

Oh, you do spout some bollocks at times. When intelligent, passionate and involved stakeholders [ like Reefton ] get ignored or treated as fools there is zip that they can do in the greater scheme of things. And there is nothing imaginary about the 'northern cartel'. I can vividly recall a northern high-profile trainer announcing that 'they are costing us money, get rid of them' [ referring to small clubs]. And the number of other northern folk nodding in agreement.

Yes, Mikey, it was a very enjoyable day. I haven't been down there for a good while and it struck me that I had forgotten how pleasant it was, and the track was a credit to the management also. Ashburton has been as far as I've travelled [personally] and although that club is trying hard to upgrade its facilities [ which are awful for horses and basic for people] they are cash-strapped,and as the designated '2nd' option behind the CJC for both racing and training, there should have been some financial support from that direction. Clearly that hasn't happened. They have, however, acquired a bloody good track manager, so that's one plus for Ashburton.

I don't need to be convinced, I just look at the whole set-up and think, yeah, more b/s we will all live with because the likelihood of an insurrection from the ranks is zero. We'll just go along like sheep and live with the implosion.

Easier to attract and retain staff.

And now that the outfit is going to be based in Waikato, anywhere south of Wellington is going to be considered a foreign country.

Pitty was going to send Petone a map once.

It seems so, sadly.

I was lucky to get two out of maidens by heading south...but those with reasonable horses which need soft turf have been thrown to the wolves. And no. You're not the only one who sees the problems. But management doesn't seem to consider the situation to be a problem at all. Don't forget, though, that the S.I is now considered to be 'one region' . So the prospect of travelling all over the Mainland is the option we have.

I didn't take any notice of the jumps, but the track itself was in superb condition. Good racing on a beautiful autumn day.

I think his weight is proving too big a hurdle. We may have seen the last of him, for a while at least.

I spoke to Paul Nelson recently, he is as much in the dark as anyone. I asked him to keep me posted once the jumping assn. have had a meeting or two and someone actually knows what is happening. The programme came out recently but then disappeared just as quickly. As he pointed out, preparing a jumper is not a five minute undertaking, you need some certainty as to what events may or may not be held. Kevin Hughes was the last jumping supporter of note here [ at Riccarton] and once wife Pam became unable to school and educate, they had little option left. The last jumper they had, Speedy Jax, was sent to Australia and although he didn't achieve great success, still managed to triple his earnings in a very short time. The Parsons' team, also once jumping supporters, have chronic staffing issues and Tina C, who used to do a bit of schooling, is hardly likely to do any now, she's far too injury prone. Andertons, Tylers, the only others who have sufficient numbers to matter, have obviously seen the writing on the wall and don't worry any more, and Jo Gordon and a few others with lesser numbers have sent their charges north. My bloke was the last horse to be ticketed here, and go on to race, but he had to head north as well. One can blame trainers for not doing more, but beating one's head against a brick wall is just soul destroying. Lack of riders, a programme which is unhelpful, the cost of preparing a long-term product with no certainty whatsoever, makes the end result inevitable. Like many, I will be sad to see no Nationals - although I think the Club isn't considering that likelihood - but I cannot, for the life of me, see the point of having them here.

Age and injury dims even the brightest star. He may - or may not - return, time will tell, but even now he's as good as most and better than quite a few.

Sshhh....the roses will need watering soon, that'll fix it.....

?? I think we are talking at cross-purposes here. Where are the 'right' questions to which you refer? As Curious alluded, demanding higher stakes as a must-have is something we could all wish for; however the lack of stakemoney is not the only reason for the steady decline of NZ racing, merely a symptom. I'm not going to assassinate the bloke online, there is no doubt he wants a better future for all racings' participants, but what he has pushed for both recently and back in 2003 are pretty much along the same lines and have done SFA.

Quite so. The thing is, the time for everyone [ the codes ] to 'get off their asses' was back in 2003. Instead, they - we - collectively did nothing and so that Act went through unchallenged. The 2020 Act, although submissions were invited before that legislation became embedded, also faced little opposition. Although a few made some very good presentations the overriding impression I got from watching the televised 'show' was that the majority were in agreement with most of what was proposed, even to the point where the taking of a club's assets became enshrined in law. The big players of course right in favour of this. And I suspect, although I can't recall exact details, that our 'Gazza' was one of them.

Chris has certainly had his 'Chris' days, but you can guarantee that whatever he rides will be ok to go next time. I recall someone asking Peter Williams, back in the day, why he bothered with Chris, when he failed to turn up at the races. I'd have him booked any time, he said, whether he's here or not, because at least he won't be riding against me.

He does.

I agree. However the material I recently read did give me food for thought. There is no doubt [ and I'm not particularly adept at figures ] that the modern economies - not just here - are not performing particularly well, and Covid is only one drama we have put up with recently. If you can be bothered, try reading Davos Man, penned by Peter Goodman, twice winner of the Gerald Loeb award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism.

Interesting. Interesting also. I never got any info going forward about any Turf Club business.

Yes, the Turf Club definitely had a raceday, on-course only I think, as indicated by Doomed. As a member of the Turf Club I was granted 'Associate' membership to the CJC after the takeover, as were members of Amberley/North Canterbury. They may still have that membership but I haven't seen any reference to Turf Club members for years. I guess my 'association' got rubbed out. As trials are no longer at either Rangiora or Motukarara, any 'volunteers' have long been extinguished. Ashburton may have its own version of 'volunteers' but certainly, the Riccarton AWT trials won't.

With Marlborough now closed to gallops, Rangiora gone and Reefton hanging on by the skin of its teeth, there will be no galloping presence in the South Island north of Christchurch. And with the development in North Canterbury post-earthquake, a huge catchment there for the taking...but, no. The decline in TAB turnover from the area following eliminating Nelson/Westport gallops, clearly meant nothing to the bean-counters, and that decline will have increased exponentially since, I think.

Yes, of course it does. I first heard the concept aired by Chloe Swarbrick, and immediately the right-wing part of me jumped to the front, and filled my head with ' taking money off the hard-working to prop up the useless who won't work, stupid idea, silly bitch' ...etc, etc. But recently I read some interesting stuff from an economics buff and after consideration, decided that overall, there was some merit. There was a trial undertaken in Finland, which was, overall, inconclusive, but if you think of the raft of bureaucrats and bookkeepers employed to dish out benefits now- as well as the cost of those benefits which are then taxed- so MORE bureaucrats, and it does actually make some sense. Only, of course, if there is nearly full employment, so there is a taxation base to afford it, as well as ensuring that the likes of Bezos, Musk, Gates, Dimon, et al, actually pay their fair share which at present they sure as hell don't.

Unfortunately the millions invested in the Stathayr make that highly unlikely, ever.

None of these tracks you mentioned have been 'cashed up' as far as I am aware. So, no financial benefit whatsoever. Just more of the line being pushed that to retain these tracks 'costs us money'. How, given the voluntary input in them all, I have yet to understand. The 'I raced ninety' fella was in favour of rationalising, but let it be known that there would be no forced closures, rather that NZTR would work with those clubs that wished to race elsewhere on a supportive basis. The next incumbent just went ahead and did it anyway, without any specific financial evidence either for or against such a practice. And the Hokitika situation was a case in point. They didn't want the outfit to continue, but the reason ? if there was infrastructure upgrading required, or track re-alignment, the club had the money and the volunteer base to get it sorted. They didn't need to call on industry funds at all. As Reefton has alluded on several occasions, when folk don't go to your meeting, bother to bet, or turn up with their horses, that is the time to put up the white flag. But no. No raceday licence issued, and then started the rubbing of hands with glee with the prospect of dosh to be realised from the handing over of the asset. Nah, go the Hoki crew, and gave it back to the community. The club was allowed ONE raceday at Greymouth, and from then, no. Sour grapes as punishment the most likely reason, and very poor behaviour from [ supposedly ] professional administrators.

That's very true. And I don't have the technological know-how to even imagine how to operate such a system. But some dialogue is never a bad thing. I see it as being a modest, local, on-course offering., at least for starters. Entain - if it happens, which is by no means a certainty - can do the flash stuff.