Yet AGAIN! Cambridge Trials Cancelled 19-03-24 due to lack of entries!

[Chief Stipe]

MEETING NEWS

Cambridge Trials Cancelled

 

The Cambridge Trials scheduled for tomorrow (19/3) have been cancelled due to insufficient entries. (26 entries)

[Chief Stipe]

26 entries versus 194 that ran around at Taupo last week.

[curious]

lol. Are they completely thick?

Did manage to get 44 for Riccarton mind you.

Edited March 18, 2024 by curious

[Freda]

Probably because there is NO other option.

[Doomed]

Surely it shows an incredible arrogance by NZTR? They are basically saying to the trainers: "Fuck you. If you don't want to trial on the white elephant you can't trial anywhere." Is there a trainers assoc in NZ, and if so do they have any input into this sort of thing? Do they pass on their members thoughts to NZTR? Or are the members thoughts a bit risque to pass on?

The numbers at Riccarton are a bit of a joke as well.

[Chief Stipe]

4 minutes ago, Doomed said:

Surely it shows an incredible arrogance by NZTR? They are basically saying to the trainers: "Fuck you. If you don't want to trial on the white elephant you can't trial anywhere." Is there a trainers assoc in NZ, and if so do they have any input into this sort of thing? Do they pass on their members thoughts to NZTR? Or are the members thoughts a bit risque to pass on?

The numbers at Riccarton are a bit of a joke as well.

Well the reality is it favours big stables - they can organise their own jumpouts because they have the numbers.  Of course that doesn't help the punters.  Are there any rules against fast working with more than two or three horses?

[curious]

13 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Well the reality is it favours big stables - they can organise their own jumpouts because they have the numbers.  Of course that doesn't help the punters.  Are there any rules against fast working with more than two or three horses?

Generally there's not enough available room unless you get special permission which would be akin to jumpouts anyway and you still need gates and starting assistants.

[Huey]

This is so laughable,  I can still remember the first race day at Cambridge AWT & Rodley declaring it a game changer on racing propaganda channel.

99% of the posters on this site called it ... white elephant on steroids!

[Special Agent]

8 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Well the reality is it favours big stables - they can organise their own jumpouts because they have the numbers.  Of course that doesn't help the punters.  Are there any rules against fast working with more than two or three horses?

175 at Levin jumpouts tomorrow, a service that helps the punters.  Funnily enough Levin is one of those tracks NZTR are hell bent on getting closed so the few million it's valued at can be put into a fund to help out the whole industry.  Giving 175 a run on grass isn't classed as helping the whole industry?

[Freda]

15 hours ago, Doomed said:

Surely it shows an incredible arrogance by NZTR? They are basically saying to the trainers: "Fuck you. If you don't want to trial on the white elephant you can't trial anywhere." Is there a trainers assoc in NZ, and if so do they have any input into this sort of thing? Do they pass on their members thoughts to NZTR? Or are the members thoughts a bit risque to pass on?

The numbers at Riccarton are a bit of a joke as well.

Locally, the T.A certainly did attempt to get grass trials put on.  At the recent Roadshow, an attendee spoke very passionately about the need for horses - especially young horses - to have grass surfaces to learn their craft on.  The request was made for management to look into maybe Rangiora and/or Motukarara - 20/30 mins up the road - both of which have been mothballed for racing/trialing purposes, although still operating as viable harness racing venues.

An email received by trainers as a result contained no mention of either of the above two tracks.  Timaru and Ashburton were the only ones available,  Timaru has undertaken renovation so is NOT usable, and if Ashburton was to be used permission would need to be obtained to run outside cones.     That wasn't forthcoming.

 

[Chief Stipe]

7 hours ago, Special Agent said:

175 at Levin jumpouts tomorrow, a service that helps the punters.  Funnily enough Levin is one of those tracks NZTR are hell bent on getting closed so the few million it's valued at can be put into a fund to help out the whole industry.  Giving 175 a run on grass isn't classed as helping the whole industry?

How does the jumpouts help the punters?  Are they being videod now?

[curious]

5 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

How does the jumpouts help the punters?  Are they being videod now?

They are open to the public and the full results are published.

[Chief Stipe]

6 minutes ago, curious said:

They are open to the public and the full results are published.

That might be useful to a small number of local punters.  Buy isn't anywhere near the usefulness of videoed and accurately timed trials available to all. 

[Doomed]

2 hours ago, Freda said:

Locally, the T.A certainly did attempt to get grass trials put on.  At the recent Roadshow, an attendee spoke very passionately about the need for horses - especially young horses - to have grass surfaces to learn their craft on.  The request was made for management to look into maybe Rangiora and/or Motukarara - 20/30 mins up the road - both of which have been mothballed for racing/trialing purposes, although still operating as viable harness racing venues.

An email received by trainers as a result contained no mention of either of the above two tracks.  Timaru and Ashburton were the only ones available,  Timaru has undertaken renovation so is NOT usable, and if Ashburton was to be used permission would need to be obtained to run outside cones.     That wasn't forthcoming.

 

Ashburton seems to get a lot of use these days as it seems to be the only alternative to Riccarton. Canterbury would be in a spot of bother if Ashburton was out of action.

We seem to operate with a bare minimum of racing resources these days and no margin for error.

[curious]

The proposal to run trials around cones seems rather silly. Jump-outs sure, since they are primarily for gate practice and perhaps some conditioning purposes. Trials however are also to teach the learners to race in conditions akin to those of a race - on a rail.

[Chief Stipe]

1 minute ago, curious said:

The proposal to run trials around cones seems rather silly. Jump-outs sure, since they are primarily for gate practice and perhaps some conditioning purposes. Trials however are also to teach the learners to race in conditions akin to those of a race - on a rail.

I've been to the Levin Jumpouts and they've been more like trials than the type of Jumpouts you describe.

[curious]

14 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

I've been to the Levin Jumpouts and they've been more like trials than the type of Jumpouts you describe.

Yes, I've been there a number of times and agree that they are akin to trials. Professionally run with full published results and accurate times. They are also run over trial distances and on a course proper against the rail. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59a49f93c027d87e465dfb38/t/65d412dc3d836640baa6ab62/1708397277590/Results+20+Feb+2024.pdf

[Chief Stipe]

20 minutes ago, curious said:

Yes, I've been there a number of times and agree that they are akin to trials. Professionally run with full published results and accurate times. They are also run over trial distances and on a course proper against the rail. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59a49f93c027d87e465dfb38/t/65d412dc3d836640baa6ab62/1708397277590/Results+20+Feb+2024.pdf

All very good @curious but without video footage they are only useful to those punters on course with binoculars.

[Murray Fish]

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

All very good @curious but without video footage they are only useful to those punters on course with binoculars.

 

shouldn't 'local knowledge' add some value? 🤑

[Special Agent]

4 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

All very good @curious but without video footage they are only useful to those punters on course with binoculars.

Trackside attended for a while recording all heats, some of which were shown on Trackside.

[curious]

2 hours ago, Special Agent said:

Trackside attended for a while recording all heats, some of which were shown on Trackside.

Yes. I saw some of those a while back. Any chance of that being reinstated SA?

[Special Agent]

I wouldn't have a clue.  Like you I just saw Trackside there.

[Cyril]

On 3/18/2024 at 6:48 PM, Huey said:

This is so laughable,  I can still remember the first race day at Cambridge AWT & Rodley declaring it a game changer on racing propaganda channel.

99% of the posters on this site called it ... white elephant on steroids!

Poor old Rodley. He gets over excited  about the tiniest things. 

[Chief Stipe]

Can someone please explain why Cambridge couldn't hold trials even with 26 horses?  Perhaps our resident cost accountant @TAB For Ever can explain.

Afterall the track is a sunk cost (perhpas literally), the staff are a fixed cost, the track has to be groomed each day - again a fixed cost, the stipes are a fixed cost...

So that leaves I guess contract staff - the commentator, the film crew, and the starting attendants.

[Special Agent]

Yes, why does every action have to be at a profit?  I thought providing a service to the industry is what trials are all about.