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Everything posted by Freda
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And - as an afterthought - that same stipe who put Reefton off because of an imaginary slip didn't consider strong winds and driving horizontal rain any problem at all.
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And I should add that a senior jockey also gave his approval to that stipe...which I couldn't comprehend. Im sure his fellow riders wouldn't have thought much of his opinion either..but the remedy was ultimately in their hands, and those of the barrier staff.
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That would have penalized my owners financially and the call for jockeys safety is not mine to make. Finally they and barrier staff made a decision. To defer the races to another day would have been the logical choice but not considered an issue by the chief stipe.
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Wasn't concerned about the track at all.
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Was bloody awful. I never thought that the races would be held, in the absence of an announcement I rang Mr Oatham expecting to be told they had been called off. It's on the polytrack, he informed me. I know, I have two in. The track is perfect, but what about jockey/horse safety with wind, chilling conditions, rain coming horizontally at times....? He was unconcerned. Haven't heard anything. So I tried again. State of emergency in the Selwyn district, orange warnings in Nth Canterbury...no, not bothered. Luckily no one was hurt, and finally jockeys and starting crew made the point. To be fair, I was told that the CJC had requested that the meeting be deferred but was refused.
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Trainers' Association getting off the stick finally?
Freda replied to curious's topic in Galloping Chat
Good on them. Long overdue though. -
Unfortunately, despite the undoubted efforts of the above-mentioned, nothing is exactly what seems to be done. Wendy Cooper has always been very helpful whenever I have had reason to contact her and has done much to help trainers with staff/ immigration matters but as far as anything else...apart from a recent release indicating concern about abandonments nothing much else springs to mind. Maybe I'm ill- informed.
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Ffs...our committee approved a fireworks display right across the track from the stabling area. Needless to say it was abandoned when the organizer realized the ramifications.
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Flipping refers to the practice of a deep groom where the sand [ which tends to settle and separate from the other material ] is evenly worked back through. It is different from a power harrow [ as I understand it ] and different again from the daily work done with the gallop-master after trackwork. I had a pic of the compacted sand, which made it look as if the horses were getting through to the tarmac base. That wasn't the case, but after 'flipping', reports were that the track rode well. I think maintenance was pretty average for starters but has improved greatly. The Aus contractor was pretty happy with what he saw at Riccarton. I'm pretty sure that a limited maintenance requirement may have been one of the attractive points of poly vs tapeta...however, we know that that is not the case and regular work is vital. What happens when the top-up of poly material needs doing is another matter....won't be cheap and can't be far away from being deemed necessary.
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I know, many share your opinion. I can't find too much to get offended by in this piece all the same.
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It's not flash down here either, Jess...if you own a transport company it would be ok...
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They're out of their depth.
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Can't answer re. the Massey report, but the work done on the Riccarton AWT was the normal, 4 monthly visit from the Australian guys, which as I understand, was part of the original contract with Martin Collins.
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I think the Minister has shown repeatedly that he doesn't have knowledgeable people advising him.
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Ashburton did push back. Refused to hold the latest set of grass trials because the track wasn't up to it.
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That was going to be my next query. Ellerslie has a lake in the middle. How is Awapuni going to maintain/manage the amount of water seemingly needed for this sandpit?
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So, of the 51 racetracks used in 2006, how many are still in use now? Again, I can only refer to local conditions not NZ wide, but in Canterbury/Marlborough alone, there are races formerly held at Riccarton, Motukarara, Rangiora, Ashburton, Timaru, Geraldine, Waimate and Blenheim; now nearly all being held at Riccarton and Ashburton - with a nod to Timaru. Ashburton has to hold trials too, whereas earlier, Rangiora, Motukarara and Geraldine chipped in and did their bit. So I think it is fair to say yes, tracks are getting hammered.
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We'd all like to find a scapegoat. It's easier, and much more satisfying than dealing with nameless, faceless organisations or committees. But it is right, in a manner of speaking, that we all stand accountable for the current state of affairs to some degree. I can only refer to local events, but probably they have been replicated country-wide to some degree. Years ago, Riccarton raced at National time, Cup time, midsummer-meeting [ late Jan/early Feb], Hororata, Easter, then May meeting, then Hunt Club and National again. May meeting held the first steeplechase over a modified course, minus Cutt's Brush. 3 days at each of National, Cup and Easter. In and around all that as supporting acts there was Motukarara, Geraldine, Timaru, West Coast [ twice ] with their four clubs, Westport, Nelson, Blenheim, Amberley [ which moved voluntarily to Rangiora ] and Rangiora itself. So, as mentioned in another post, there was not really any need - and certainly no recognition of that - to renovate tracks. There were plenty to keep everything going and not really any track getting the hammering that happens now. When Rangiora was canned as a racing venue there was a group of stakeholders who did an enormous amount of work fundraising, and even retaining a lawyer to fight the CJC with its takeover design. Zero support from the majority of trainers outside the immediate North Canterbury area though. Trials were retained however and were well run for several years until the push to centralise gained yet more headway with the arrival of the polytracks. They have suffered significant bad press, some deserved with maintenance issues which, hopefully, have been addressed now. But internationally, alternative surfaced tracks have been in use for 30-odd years or more. Improving all the time, but certainly not a new concept. But many of those most vocally in favour of those AWT's are now yelling from the rooftops about the lack of grass trials. The bad state of many of the favoured tracks could have been foreseen, if the consequences of closing so many had been considered. But it wasn't. Given that prescience is a gift most of us don't have, it is pointless pointing the finger. What to do going forward is a more productive use of what talents concerned folk might have. Great to hear that Levin is gearing up for a fight. All power to them. One thing that does stand out though, and most of us here have pointed it out repeatedly, is the bucketloads of moolah thrown at our industries by Entain. Please God, could someone stick a bomb into the Boardroom at NZTR and blow some sense into them? Now that there is, actually, money in hand, direct some of it to infrastructure and not at top end stakes.
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The T.A is funded by NZTR. Hardly surprising those few who have independent thought, wish to bite the hand that feeds it. The majority, as alluded to by Wingman, are flat out trying to juggle a lack of track riders, paying bills, and keeping owners happy. Taking a political stance is simply beyond many, time- and resources-wise.
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That's all because of the lack of manners inherent these days. At one time, disagreement - or constructive criticism - was NOT synonymous with abuse or nastiness.
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Yes. I take each and every opinion on board, be it over track surfaces, horse performance, what the weather might do....but I'm quite capable of analyzing what has been said and filing it for future use. I don't have to rush off and slavishly follow said opinion. Years ago I sat at a meeting where a Turftech representative ( Jim Murphy) was in attendance, along with CJC personnel. The work being undertaken at Rangiora following the accident there was being discussed. Much was made of the grass type being promoted which, according to the meeting Chair, was in use internationally and from Ruakaka to Invercargill. I got a kick under the table. Wouldn't you think grass types would be different depending on climate, etc? hissed the person sitting next to me. I thought so too, but these were experts, so I listened. Messrs Foskett and Murphy had overseen the Rangiora work and given the track a double thumbs up for racing. But NZTR didn't want to know and racing has never returned to that track. Clearly those experts weren't worth listening to. So who are the current experts who are advising our governing body? They must be good.
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I had a chat with Matt from Aus, over to groom our polytrack. We talked about Flemington, and - to bear out what you say - the amount spent on that track alone, on an annual basis, is staggering.
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Yes. Definitely past their use-by. Even Riccarton is 27 years along its renovation road, well overdue for more treatment it would seem given time-frames considered suitable. Messara [ I hesitate to use his name, he seems to be getting blamed for everything ] maintained there wasn't one track up to standard, and that repairs must be done on the ones considered necessary. He was well aware the bloody outfit was broke, and as Saundry had already put out his ' map' of tracks to be closed, he thought using monies from those discontinued venues might be a way of funding the work. Of course - NZTR knew better, so carried on closing venues and spending little money on renovations.