curious Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 (edited) On 5/08/2024 at 6:59 PM, Chief Stipe said: Regardless of Qualifications - where is he? MIA. He did surface on this but not sure that helps anyone know where he is. https://omny.fm/shows/racin-pulse-with-michael-felgate/is-the-future-of-jumps-racing-in-nz-at-risk-bruce Edited August 7 by curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 2 hours ago, curious said: He did surface on this but not sure that helps anyone know where he is. https://omny.fm/shows/racin-pulse-with-michael-felgate/is-the-future-of-jumps-racing-in-nz-at-risk-bruce Does it matter where he is? The die is cast, they will do what they plan to do and SFA will make a difference. Yes, we can put submissions in, and we should. Not to do so is like refusing to vote and then complaining about the Govt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 "it's all about the data" it was the best of times, it was the worse of times... at the going down of the sun, we will throw more money at it.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gammalite Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Such a shame to read this thread and see one of the iconic things of thoroughbred racing in the beautiful Jumping horses of New Zealand be in danger of closing down. Here's a Magnificent jumper by Zed that Kevin Myers sent over for his owners a few years ago , and ended up going around in our Biggest jump, The Grand Annual, on 4 occasions. ZED EM seen here winning brilliantly 2019 (and placed the other 3 times) over the gruelling 5500m event and retiring with over a $1million in earnings. We'll miss seeing great achievements like this . From great horses like this. the great Zed Em 🏆. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 8 hours ago, curious said: Well the outcome of the spend is a proposal to close jumps racing. Why didn't they use the money to implement some sensible strategy to revitalise jumps racing? Say buy some safer OneFit hurdles and/or maybe portable plastic brush fences and put a decent programme of jumps racing in place à la Racing Victoria? Instead, as usual, they waste it on stakes and yet another disastrous track patch up and then come out with this proposal which is either close it down or come up with a strategy going forward and moan that there is a shortage of participants and wagering. FFS. Why not the consultation then when they had that money available? They still have absolutely no plan or strategy. Genius leadership. They have their agenda. Removing highweight races from the calendar was [ IMO ] the single biggest reason for the decline. Not the only one but the one with the most impact. Suddenly, there were no summer opportunities for the jump riders. So those who didn't give up altogether shifted north. That had the knock-on effect of a lack of experienced riders to school and educate horses. Numbers drop. The cost of bringing riders down from the north island hurt, and the enthusiasm of some of the better riders was [ understandably] dwindling when the class of the offerings was, mainly, abysmal. Flat trainers became disgruntled when they could see 20k on offer for a 6 horse field of battlers, when they couldn't get starts with their runners. And the tweaked programmes....first cab off the rank for the season in the south, Riverton - a magnificent jumps course but so often the ground absolutely bottomless. Just too big a task for the first run of the season. Next, Dunedin, also a good course but just as likely to be very heavy ground. Then up to Timaru, often frosty and very firm indeed. Then Riccarton. Oamaru disappeared out of the mix; but it filled a good place with going much less testing than the first two. With the continuing drop in numbers the ceasing of jumps down south was really inevitable. 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 4 hours ago, Freda said: They have their agenda. Removing highweight races from the calendar was [ IMO ] the single biggest reason for the decline. Not the only one but the one with the most impact. Suddenly, there were no summer opportunities for the jump riders. So those who didn't give up altogether shifted north. That had the knock-on effect of a lack of experienced riders to school and educate horses. Numbers drop. The cost of bringing riders down from the north island hurt, and the enthusiasm of some of the better riders was [ understandably] dwindling when the class of the offerings was, mainly, abysmal. Flat trainers became disgruntled when they could see 20k on offer for a 6 horse field of battlers, when they couldn't get starts with their runners. And the tweaked programmes....first cab off the rank for the season in the south, Riverton - a magnificent jumps course but so often the ground absolutely bottomless. Just too big a task for the first run of the season. Next, Dunedin, also a good course but just as likely to be very heavy ground. Then up to Timaru, often frosty and very firm indeed. Then Riccarton. Oamaru disappeared out of the mix; but it filled a good place with going much less testing than the first two. With the continuing drop in numbers the ceasing of jumps down south was really inevitable. Well said Freda. Take away the income of the riders and you're left with a big hole. Trainers not wanting to flatten their horses early in the jumps season totally understandable. I remember 20 years ago the Browne's campaigning a team in the deep South and you could see then if they hadn't come the races may not have gone ahead. The writing has been on the wall for years and there isn't the will from higher up to change that. They seem very content for NZ Jumps Racing to go into the history books and stay there. I always enjoyed the Paeroa jumps meetings but nek minute, the course is history. The Ellerslie hill has been the top shelf of NZ Jumps racing. Nek minute, gone! My love of jumps racing is a life long deal. That won't change even when NZ Jumps racing is no longer. As an aside, around 1981 or there about's they had a hurdle race at the Nelson gallops. Brush hurdles. I'd been overseas and timed my return for the meeting. When I got back there was a buzz around Nelson for the jumps race. I must have been told who would win it at least a dozen times. Royal Charmer a North Island horse skips over the hurdles like a natural. Working great. Will lead and win. I can't recall who trained him. Don Fuge perhaps. I put $2000 to win on it for me and $200 for my dad. I took him to the races and showed him the ticket I had for him but kept my thumb over the last zero and did the same with my ticket so he thought I had $200 on it for me and $20 for him which was a big bet for him. Royal Charmer went straight to the top, never put a foot wrong and won easy. My dad didn't stop smiling all day after getting over the shock. As far as I know that was the last jumps race at Nelson. Now they don't have gallops at all there despite it being a very good track. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 My partner at the time - Mouse McCann - rode Usqueba [ sp? ] for one K. Myers in the hurdle race at Nelson. Think they finished 4th. He wasn't keen on repeating the exercise..!! although the horse jumped well, as we have come to expect from horses prepared by the master. Yes, good points re. track closures too, I didn't touch on that. Making a jumper takes years, the cost is significant and it really is a labour of love. Throwing a heap of money at stakes was never going to work, you can't dredge a jumper out of the paddock and line it up six weeks later, educated. All that extra stake money did was alienate those who weren't jumps lovers, they could see funds going elsewhere while their flat horses couldn't get starts. And then we have the Venue Plan. You've mentioned Ellerslie, Paeroa, and there are others. Closed under the venue plan - oh hang on, not just yet, eh? Down here, Oamaru and Timaru were on the list to close [ what a disaster losing either of those would be ] as was Waimate [ which did ]. What incentive was there to even try to ready a jumper with no surety there would be anywhere to race it? Trainers have been blamed for not doing enough, but the bloody job is hard enough without beating your head constantly against a very thick brick wall. However - there is still life in the North. Maybe - just maybe - with some enlightened ideas, it might get a reprieve. [ As an aside, the amateur chase at Waimate used to draw busloads for the entertainment.] I must admit, I was of the opinion that this year would be the last National down here. But, looking at the cock-ups made with the tracks up north, and the magnificent spectacle of the lovely horses streaming over the fences on Saturday, where else could it be held? What a shame The Cossack has gone amiss...but West Coast may not get things his own way yet! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 3 minutes ago, Freda said: However - there is still life in the North. Maybe - just maybe - with some enlightened ideas, it might get a reprieve. No because there is no administrator in racing that understands racing. MIA Sharrock is the mantra. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 It's true @Freda none of the current adminstrators nor many from the past 20 years understand the key drivers for racing. In my opinion there are two key objectives: Provide a surface that horses can race on safely; Maximise the length of time that horses can compete. Now there are many things that can be done to meet those objectives. Just imagine for a moment a 14 horse field full of 8 year old geldings that all have a chance of winning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted August 8 Author Share Posted August 8 21 minutes ago, Freda said: [ As an aside, the amateur chase at Waimate used to draw busloads for the entertainment.] I rode in that once I think though it may have been a point to point there (what happened to those?). John Parsons rode the winner that day. Only one left standing of 5 or 6 runners. I fell with a round to go! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted August 8 Share Posted August 8 5 hours ago, Freda said: They have their agenda. What is the "agenda"? To kill racing? What is the "Strategy"? Isn't it time for a reset? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted August 8 Author Share Posted August 8 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: What is the "agenda"? To kill racing? Looks like it. They've taken racing from pretty much paying its way 15 years ago to the verge of extinction generating maybe half its costs from net revenue, primarily surviving due to the generosity of the NZ taxpayer. Edited August 8 by curious 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gammalite Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 Berry The Cash !!🏆 what a great ride by Portia too. With All that weight too !! and she looked after him in the run as much as she could. And he Wins the Grand National Hurdle just now at Riccarton. his 2nd one possibly. The Gold Medalist of the Jumpers. 🥇 Berry The Cash and Portia Matthews (honourable mention to the stable staff and trainer Oulaghan too) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Green Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 What a race If they get rid of Jumpers it will be a step backwards.What are they thinking? When do we expect to see Troy Harris over the jumps? has he been injured? looked good in the highweights and a mutliple group 1 winning jockey will add alot of interest to the jumping and a bit of depth to the riding ranks I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 24 minutes ago, Jim Green said: When do we expect to see Troy Harris over the jumps? he would be way to sensible! though his granddad did with success! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.