Freda

That was what I was trying to point out earlier, with the reference to Hunt Club / Grand National meetings ( four days in all ) on the same track over a fortnight, years ago. The course coped ok mostly- but then it wasn't used until Cup time. Lead up races to that carnival took place at Oamaru, Ashburton, Geraldine, Rangiora, Motukarara, even Blenheim if my memory serves me correctly. Those fixtures worked well, stood the test of time, and the date structure, while not perfect, did seem to work ok. At least we did know what happened when, and could plan a preparation around that. Not only are the turf tracks stuffed ( as discussed ad infinitum ) but dates have been altered over the years without thought to the knock on effect. I remember locally, dates uptaken by Riccarton when smaller clubs lost them, so they weren't lost to the region. Admirable in sentiment, but adding to the pressure on a grass track without realising the effects going forward. Now we have the AWT to potentially ease the pressure- but again, the structure and dates are all over the place without any seeming purpose, and no plan that anyone is aware of, to renovate the said turf surface.

A bit off topic I guess, but personally, I like the idea of straight tracks for dog racing. The potential for interference and injuries when dogs are scrambling round corners would, one would think, be much reduced, and could be a way of front-footing the push to end greyhound racing.

Just think, there used to be Hunt Club and then following, three days of the National meeting!

I think Oamaru was on the 'close' list, however there must have been a re-think as it does have a permit or two still. The 'chase course was good, why jumping stopped there, I don't know - especially as Dunedin doesn't seem to want [ or be allowed ] to hold jumping any more. Timaru has been reduced to three permits only for next season - a forerunner for things to come?

You're preaching to the converted, Chief, don't waste your time harangueing me.

Waterhouse was also keen to share some other of his observances on New Zealand racing, including his lack of support for the installation of synthetic tracks. “I certainly think that racing more on your better tracks like Ellerslie will have a positive effect on your racing and the attractiveness to wagering,” he said. “The quality of horses won’t change, but certainly if you are selling then being able to say you have won at Ellerslie instead of a minor course is a bonus. “By the same token I’m not impressed by the new Cambridge track and for the life of me, I can’t see why you need it. “If you are looking at selling horses, where are you going to sell artificial track horses to, as I doubt whether it will to be anyone in Australia.”

Thanks, hope you're right, it's been a dry argument for too bloody long!

Am I disagreeing with that observation? Not at all. But, given that the first renovation was flawed, I have faint hope that the next one - or two - would have been any better.

Sadly, no, you're quite right. I loved the old track, and the remodelling was unfortunately poorly directed. I have pointed out before that Laing's, who copped a lot of flak for ballsing things up from some quarters, could only follow the scope of works that they were given. It wasn't their job to question the contract. The 'experts' who gave the instructions should be accountable. That will never happen though, as there is no acceptance at administrative level that there is anything wrong. We have been restricted severely on our work allocations while all the recent construction has been happening, with grass gallops allowed once weekly, down the outside of the course proper from the 1200m chute. Wednesday was the day we were allowed, this week, and the portion of track used now resembles a ploughed paddock. One senior trainer, formerly a jockey as well, said to me 'in forty years of riding/training, I have never galloped on a surface so bad.' The track staff must be ripping their hair out, no wonder we got transferred to Ashburton for today's races. God knows how they will put that section back to order....and god knows where we will be able to gallop now, if rain puts the plough out. And there doesn't need to be much to do that. On a brighter note, the visible base of the AWT appears to be clear of any build up of water, so at least that is doing what it is supposed to.

They probably are. Another concern of mine, mentioned by CS, is the establishment of Racing NZ. Meant to be part of the streamlining process outlined in the M report...but, I feel that is not one of his better ideas. Now we'll have yet another 'tier' of management, salaried, and sucking more away from stakeholders. Like NM said in another post, I hope I am wrong here; but as the saying goes, watch this space.

It's a moot point..but I think if a horse is foaled here, it is deemed to have been bred here. Doesn't seem to matter if mum and dad are foreigners.

I can't understand where the supposed gains are coming from. I wouldn't have thought that the axeing of radio/printed information services, and the running-down of on-course tote options, would save as much money as touted. Equally, I can't understand why the b/s about covid causing such hardship to the TAB keeps getting trotted out. Surely, with racing in Australia available during that period, and no stakes or ancillary services to provide, the results should have been positive, not negative?

Academic anyway...whether Ashburton or Riccarton is the choice for Friday, those south of Ashburton will find it difficult/impossible to get there, the bridge is out over the Ashburton river.

Cows? I presume you mean ' costs' ....?

I believe the option of deferring to next week was mentioned...surely, that would be preferable wrt retaining the jumps races, and considering the disruption to training for many horses? I'm don't think jumping has any future down here going forward, but the prospect of losing the Nationals must have occurred to management, surely?

Thanks - Riccarton and surrounding areas are soggy but safe. Rain is forecast to ease today and things should improve for those poor buggers close to rivers.

Considering the possibility of shifting the Friday Riccarton meeting to Ashburton....where will that leave the jumps races now?

You're not wrong there...but yes, I was really referring to provincial/country level involvement. Still need decent horses though.

Yep. Several years ago I estimated $30k to race a horse for a year. Costs have increased significantly since then, and relative returns, reduced. I was criticised, in some quarters, for not taking into account the times a horse may be out spelling. But, those same critics didn't consider the 'swings and roundabouts' of expense when extra, not budgeted-for, costs rear their head [ and neither did it occur to them that agistment still has to be paid for, which some, astoundingly, didn't think of ]. And my rough estimate didn't, of course, take into account significant travel costs - like Australia, for example. I have seen T.A accounts. Not cheap, but, with the enormous, and very successful, operation to fund, certainly not unreasonable for the level of service supplied. I should think $45k wouldn't be out of the way locally, and more if travelling is involved. And, why such a successful operation doesn't look at setting up in Australia, I don't know. They do have plenty of average horses, as well as the better ones...as does every stable. The rewards against costs, for those lesser horses still capable of winning races, are far in excess of what they can earn here. That doesn't make sense to me. The setting up of the Singapore option was, at the time, giving those horses below Grp status better earning chances. But, Australia is now so superior in every aspect, surely it is only a matter of time before a satellite operation is considered?

I think you'll find Pitty trained Just Tommy regardless. Anyway, the topic was about costs to travel horses, not to nitpick about specific horses. I can recall both Michael and Diane taking horses over, not every year, but over a fair period of time. Most recently, Savvy Coup. Sensei went over, that cranky Elusive City mare whose name escapes me; many years ago, they took a team including Noble Task, a stayer, to take advantage of the 2600 races in Melbourne in the off-season...Coup Align went more recently. So I think he has better information than most of us regarding travelling horses. And it's not easy to organise either . A few years ago, a friend of mine asked Jim Gibbs when he might take his classy sprinter over. I can't think of his name either, but he was by Volksraad. He replied that he would not consider compromising his horse's chances as a result of his own inexperience with Australian conditions. If the horse went, he said, he would place him with a local trainer, with all the infrastructure intact. Riders, feed merchants, health practitioners, all the paraphernalia involved in maintaining a stable already up and going. I'd go as a strapper for him, he added, if allowed!

I think we are all hoping that....not that it makes the accident any less awful, of course.

Good post Jess. I recently had an interesting conversation with a couple of former meth users, with whom I am quite well acquainted. So, with this topic in mind, I thought I would try and understand some of the ramification wrt humans. Obviously, equine metabolism/physiology is very different, so extrapolating responses of horses from human experience is probably not a lot of help. Certainly though, from their experience, absorbing through the skin seems very unlikely. Smoking, injecting, or ingesting, they said, some in prisons will eat it, as they have no 'equipment' to use to smoke/inhale. A good hit? high for five days to a week or more, so that being the case, it seems likely that a heavy user would certainly have traces in their system to be picked up in that time frame. Thorny topic wrt horses, the 'ethics' point you made, certainly pertinent, but it seems that some sort of trial to test contamination options would really be the only way to stop people being hung out to dry for nothing - or, in the other case, getting properly dealt with. As for therapeutic drugs - threshold levels seem fair to me, although not consistent with the need to present drug-free, necessary in most jurisdictions. But, lay people must understand that the sensitivity of modern testing really needs a different response. And, a slight digression - I was told by a stipe recently, that it was unacceptable to apply an animalintex to a horse post-race, under the current rules. I told him that the rules were effing ridiculous, and that it was an animal welfare matter. Didn't apply to me, the discussion was hypothetical, but I did say to him, in the context of the chat, that I would make a helluva fuss if I was prevented from caring for a horse injured after a race.

I stand to be corrected - sorry if I've jumped in here - but I think, in saying that owners need to be looked after better, Barryb isn't meaning flash facilities; rather, that owners need to be appreciated, respected, and not hammered in the pocket all the time.