Freda

Yes. Winston's logic - or what he was told - was that abandonments cost the industry dearly through loss of betting revenue. We know however that the most profitable racemeetings are the ones that aren't held and have no costs whatsoever.

Sigh.....

One wonders how well patronized upcoming races are going to be.

There is a ten per cent ( or portion thereof) racing interest available in a three year old filly, due to the defection of an elderly syndicate member for health reasons. She has had two starts, shows promise. Last start strong finishing 4th. P.M me for further details if interested.

Voted with their feet here too...the last 3 sets of trials on the AWT were abandoned through lack of entries. But that will level itself out as Ashburton, which has been absolutely slaughtered with races/trials, is only down for one more of each until a winter break, so there won't be anywhere else to go.

And Rangiora and Motukarara

I have a little horse who, despite several attempts on various ratings, cannot perform on rain-affected ground. Much as I don't like scratching and costing owners money, there is just no point in lining up. Recently he found himself in the first race, track rated S6. Ok, I thought, after chatting to the owner, we decided to let him have a chance, he'd been fit and ready fot a good while and going nowhere. Reasoned that race 1 with first crack at the track, not chopped up, he should manage. Came back to scale with mud up to his knees and track immediately downgraded to a H 8. If the RIB had been doing their job as per Chief's description, I wouldn't have put the poor little bugger on the float.

Probably not, and neither do his Board either. That's clear.

2 yr old and up sprint maidens have been around in the South for a good while. Pitty got them rolling when on the programme committee to make up for the lack of two year old races, and to some degree they have helped. Didn't T.J line Imagele up in an Open Flying Hcp as a youngster? Or is my memory not serving me well..!

Or....you could just suck it up and trial on the Awapuni polytrack, like we here in Canterbury are supposed to do the majority of the time...just saying..seriously, I fully understand the desire to have a decent grass track for trials. But would one or two racedays impact the trials programme much?

As well, I forgot to mention the idea that 'the rest of the money will be prudently invested'.. Is there likely to be enough ? or even any?

He's not the only one, Gai has spoken out vehemently against the idea. I know SFA about property development/investment portfolios...but the quoted figure of 5 billion, while seemingly vast, may not go far over the period involved wrt land purchase, new race/training tracks/stabling facilities, as well as the upgrades envisioned for Randwick, Warwick Farm and I think Canterbury. Given the escalation of building costs that always seem to dog new developments it may be that 5 billion is nowhere near enough.

I read somewhere that the article in the Chronicle hadn't been been run by the committee. Comment made by Carol Kupa I think? Obviously they - we - would all like racing to return to Foxton but Carol was at pains to point out that everything would be done by the book.

That's terrible. Wasn't someone singing the praises of the track manager there? Another few weeks and hay could be cut off that.

Did they? I haven't heard one way or another.

yeah....but it has become more startlingly apparent now that more tracks have been closed. Many had been in support of reducing tracks with overseas data showing how other jurisdictions had fewer. However those who had been in favour of reductions didn't take into account the appalling state of the remainder. And although Messara keeps getting the blame, the axe had been out before he came along.

Yes. Saundry indeed. I was at an NZTR roadshow when predecessor Purcell was at the helm...and I can definitely recall him saying that he was NOT in favour of forcing tracks to close, but that NZTR would work in support with any that chose to race elsewhere. He had a lot of baggage, that fellow, but on this matter I thought he seemed very reasonable.

A bit of a crisis? has he been asleep for the last five years?

Tell Winston.

Yeah, well Winston may love horses and racing but he's still ill-informed. Small tracks have been underfunded for years-decades- with 'preferred' clubs getting disproportionate amounts. Every so often there would be another change in distribution but the overall result has been that many small clubs have been relying almost entirely on volunteers to upkeep their facilities. The bulk funding of stakes did remove that burden at least but the die was well and truly cast for many by then. One recent abandonment for Kumara hardly counts compared to the spate of abandonments over the last few years at all categories of tracks, the whole outfit is a bloody disaster and Winston with presumably good intentions hasn't really helped so far. He just has no bloody idea. The million dollar races he brought in did what, exactly? Entains involvement has been terrific for those who have been lucky enough to get some stake money. But long term sustainability looks as far away ever. Nothing whatsoever has been done to address that....and administration costs keep ballooning. The TAB will have to relinquish 50% profit in another 2.5 years, the Oaks was won by a 79 rated horse - how can that race keep its rating? Things are looking grand.

Agree wholeheartedly.

Red Diamond? Pat Smith...memory thought CWJ ....

...and she couldn't follow simple instructions

Actually, I was in the process of formulating a comment but words fail me, for once.

Sad, isn't it. I had a Uni student helping me for a while ( B.Ag) and I was astounded at the way she conducted her learning processes.