The Emperor's New Clothes

[hesi]

Well how about the new Ellerslie track

Raining all day tomorrow in Auckland if the forecast is to be believed, so the first real test.

An abandonment would be the last straw for some

[pete]

I can confidently predict it won't rain all day tomorrow. A bit alarmist here Hesi.

[pete]

Sat 1 Dec

21°c

17°c

Areas of morning rain, an isolated heavy fall possible, then easing to showers and possible afternoon sunny spells. Blustery humid ENE winds.

ENE
35km/hr

90%
chance
of rain

[FeelTheFear]

Met Service

 

Rain, possibly heavy, turning to showers by evening. Strong northeasterly, possibly gale, easing by evening.

[barryb]

Slow to heavy track for sure. Twillight meeting will make it interesting by the time the last goes.

[hesi]

[Dark Beau]

Approximately 24mm from 2:00am to 4:00pm!

That will test the new track and drainage for sure. 

Acually, I expect to to perform well. 

I guess we will have to wait and see. 

Beau

[mardigras]

1 minute ago, Dark Beau said:

Approximately 24mm from 2:00am to 4:00pm!

That will test the new track and drainage for sure. 

Acually, I expect to to perform well. 

I guess we will have to wait and see. 

Beau

24mm - I understand Flemington got around 35mm when the rains came cup day. And then had a couple of track condition upgrades during the afternoon  and it was not hot. Will we get that?

[Dark Beau]

1 minute ago, mardigras said:

24mm - I understand Flemington got around 35mm when the rains came cup day. And then had a couple of track condition upgrades during the afternoon  and it was not hot. Will we get that?

Of course not, because Ellerslie hasn’t been rebuilt like Flemington was. 

However the work done and the spell the track got, should see it perform better than anytime in the last 10 years in the same circumstances. 

[pete]

You've all been sucked in by the Met Service again. They are dead set useless. Try Weatherwatch it's far more accurate.

[Chief Stipe]

8 hours ago, Dark Beau said:

Of course not, because Ellerslie hasn’t been rebuilt like Flemington was. 

However the work done and the spell the track got, should see it perform better than anytime in the last 10 years in the same circumstances. 

Somehow I don't think so.  They only did a patch job not a renovation.  Did they take the opportunity to recondition the soil?  NOPE.

[pete]

Forecast rain 2am to 6am 7.6mm according to the chart above.

Actual rain  2am to 6am a bit fat zilch .

Just saying...

 

[hesi]

Hopeless isn't it Pete, glad I did not put any bets on, based on the forecast.

The forecast is still showery though, on a G3 track, that in itself should have alarm bells ringing.  In NZ racing that would be a recipe for a 50% chance of an abandonment

Edited November 30, 2018 by hesi

[Dark Beau]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

Somehow I don't think so.  They only did a patch job not a renovation.  Did they take the opportunity to recondition the soil?  NOPE.

Chief Stipe, how do you recondition soil?

I though that they did a drainage job, not a patch job!

 

Edited November 30, 2018 by Dark Beau

[Thomass]

3mm in the last hour...the Princess doesn't want any cross training in the wet black sand...so she's in deep trouble...back scratching it is

[Chief Stipe]

11 minutes ago, Dark Beau said:

Chief Stipe, how do you recondition soil?

I though that they did a drainage job, not a patch job!

 

If the soil structure is stuffed which I suggest it is at Ellerslie (well it was 6 years ago when I last walked the track) then how does the water find its way to the drains?

Water flows through gravel but doesn't flow through plasticine!  

[Dark Beau]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

If the soil structure is stuffed which I suggest it is at Ellerslie (well it was 6 years ago when I last walked the track) then how does the water find its way to the drains?

Water flows through gravel but doesn't flow through plasticine!  

Now you are talking. 

Trentham did their lateral drains about 9 years ago. At the time their soil was stuffed too, for the very same reason as Ellerslie’s is.

For the next 4 or so years it appeared that the drains weren’t working. They were but it took all of that time for the soil to “recondition itself”.

Now that their drains are working superbly and the soil is in much better condition Trentham has had an excellent surface to race on for at least the last three years.

Even when it is rain effected, ie soft it doesn’t fly to pieces as all other tracks do, especially Riccarton  

Even your mate Leo has come around to agreeing. LOL

[Chief Stipe]

Just now, Dark Beau said:

Now you are talking. 

Trentham did their lateral drains about 9 years ago. At the time their soil was stuffed too, for the very same reason as Ellerslie’s is.

For the next 4 or so years it appeared that the drains weren’t working. They were but it took all of that time for the soil to “recondition itself”.

Now that their drains are working superbly and the soil is in much better condition Trentham has had an excellent surface to race on for at least the last three years.

Even when it is rain effected, ie soft it doesn’t fly to pieces as all other tracks do, especially Riccarton  

Even your mate Leo has come around to agreeing. LOL

Sorry to shoot you down but I've never heard of damaged soil structure "reconditioning itself."  Did they put in any sand or organic material to improve the soil structure?

Remember Te Rapa have taken the same approach and look where that track is now.

[FeelTheFear]

47 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Sorry to shoot you down but I've never heard of damaged soil structure "reconditioning itself."  Did they put in any sand or organic material to improve the soil structure?

Remember Te Rapa have taken the same approach and look where that track is now.

perhaps they applied hemorrhoid cream

[pete]

You'd think that George and Brendan could at least take a look at the rain radar and latest forecast before telling everyone that rain is forecast this afternoon.

Just not good enough.

[pete]

Nothing wrong with that track at all. Looks a genuine Good 3 on the TV.

[pete]

Another moan about bloody Trackside. You've got a premier meeting at Ellerslie. Did it cross anyone's mind that we'd like to have heard from the winning jockey about the track before flipping back to boring Bevan at Wanganui?

[Dark Beau]

Actually I thought that the track played really well. Exactly as I expected. 

[hesi]

Seemed pretty good, picking winners was not easy

Barrier attendant in the last had a close shave

[Nice Option]

On 1/12/2018 at 6:15 AM, Chief Stipe said:

Somehow I don't think so.  They only did a patch job not a renovation.  Did they take the opportunity to recondition the soil?  NOPE.

Gday Chief - you wont need any dinner tonight considering that smorgasbord of humble pie you have been feasting on all weekend!!  50mls of rain prior to the meeting with further rain during the day and the track was a dead 5 at the end of the day. Well done Ellerslie, looks like you have really delivered