Chief Stipe Posted Tuesday at 04:24 AM Author Share Posted Tuesday at 04:24 AM 54 minutes ago, Huey said: Like most things In nzracing, a significant few have a huge influence over matters of programming whether good for the industry or not. Who? The trainers I've talked to have zero influence. Hell @Pitman and @Reefton bailed when I asked them what were they doing. One of them was the chair of a regional programming committee. So WHO is determing the programme? It's not a conspiracy it's a cockup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted Tuesday at 05:46 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 05:46 AM 2 hours ago, Special Agent said: Just on this, in and around times of Covid the programming committees met on Zoom. This was hardly ideal. I remember a trainer representative telling me how difficult it was working through the races and meetings whilst juggling spreadsheets, and then the focus moving onto the next meeting before everyone had fully digested and discussed the previous. Does anyone know if these meetings are now in person in all regions? Certainly not in Canterbury. They can be in person but most attend by zoom as there are reps from clubs and TA reps from around the SI + NZTR etc. It would cost a fortune for all to fly to Christchurch for one 90 minute meeting and you would still need to juggle spread sheets etc. when there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Posted Tuesday at 06:11 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 06:11 AM 13 hours ago, Freda said: NZTR needs to seriously address the programming/ handicapping issues and take note of area-specific field sizes. I think NZTR is a bit like God. On the sixth day they invented the slot race, on the seventh day they said "that's us, we have done all we can do, we can sit back and relax now." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted Tuesday at 06:15 AM Author Share Posted Tuesday at 06:15 AM 4 minutes ago, Doomed said: I think NZTR is a bit like God. On the sixth day they invented the slot race, on the seventh day they said "that's us, we have done all we can do, we can sit back and relax now." But they didn't INVENT the slot race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Posted Tuesday at 06:15 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 06:15 AM 27 minutes ago, curious said: Certainly not in Canterbury. They can be in person but most attend by zoom as there are reps from clubs and TA reps from around the SI + NZTR etc. It would cost a fortune for all to fly to Christchurch for one 90 minute meeting and you would still need to juggle spread sheets etc. when there. One of the big problems is that they are told they can only programme 7 or 8 races. How the hell do you create a pattern of age group races if you are allowed 8 races max. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Posted Tuesday at 06:29 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 06:29 AM 12 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: But they didn't INVENT the slot race. Bugger. Did they invent the sweepstakes? Perhaps they sat back and relaxed too soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted Tuesday at 06:50 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 06:50 AM 31 minutes ago, Doomed said: One of the big problems is that they are told they can only programme 7 or 8 races. How the hell do you create a pattern of age group races if you are allowed 8 races max. To add extra races, you have to get NZTR approval for the extra funding which for the most part is not available. Same goes for upgrading meetings to feature level. The programming committee is limited to asking for those, but NZTR finance holds all the cards. They can't just add extra 40k races willy nilly. For the most part if they add one somewhere they have to take one out somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Agent Posted Tuesday at 06:59 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 06:59 AM These poor 2yo and 3yo races don't help anyone. I wonder if the weekend's race hadn't been the Wakefield whether it would have been scrapped. One thing NZTR should be looking at from a professional and transparent perspective is the number of runners that are obvious throw-ins so the race goes ahead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted Tuesday at 07:20 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 07:20 AM (edited) 21 minutes ago, Special Agent said: One thing NZTR should be looking at from a professional and transparent perspective is the number of runners that are obvious throw-ins so the race goes ahead. I agree but I can't think of any way that can be prevented. Scratching fees are already high for horses that don't run for very good reasons. Edited Tuesday at 07:21 AM by curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Posted Tuesday at 08:20 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 08:20 AM 58 minutes ago, curious said: I agree but I can't think of any way that can be prevented. Scratching fees are already high for horses that don't run for very good reasons. They don't always scratch. The $50,000 stayers race at Wingatui had only 4 noms, the top 4 in the weights. The other 4 jumped in when noms were left open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted Tuesday at 08:36 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 08:36 AM It shouldn't be rgat hard to put a programme together, industry days should largely have a set of races that are standard fir the programming followed by some sort of natural progression following from this at other meetings in tge region. The other stupid think I find us places have 2 racemeetings in the same region over 2-3 days , then a desert of opportunity afterwards. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted Tuesday at 01:16 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 01:16 PM 4 hours ago, Doomed said: They don't always scratch. The $50,000 stayers race at Wingatui had only 4 noms, the top 4 in the weights. The other 4 jumped in when noms were left open. Fair point. Actually thought about putting an R75 in there. Would likely have been running for 3rd or 4th but $750 for getting round pays for the start. I still see that as more of a programming and handicapping problem though. If a lightweight like that in that field got a fair suck of the sav in the weights, then it would be way more attractive in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted Tuesday at 01:25 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 01:25 PM (edited) And it's only an R82. The solution might be to just never extend nominations in which case that race for example would have been canned. Edited Tuesday at 01:27 PM by curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Posted Tuesday at 07:11 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 07:11 PM 5 hours ago, curious said: And it's only an R82. The solution might be to just never extend nominations in which case that race for example would have been canned. It was an open race before the top acceptor was an 82. They do that so a lower grade horse isn't severely rerated for placing in or winning an open race. That race shows up the incompetence of the programming. There have been no open stayers races in Canty since Cup week. Not everyone can train a stayer to go first up over 2,200m on a heavy track. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Posted yesterday at 03:14 AM Share Posted yesterday at 03:14 AM On 12/24/2024 at 9:20 PM, Doomed said: They don't always scratch. The $50,000 stayers race at Wingatui had only 4 noms, the top 4 in the weights. The other 4 jumped in when noms were left open. And I'm pretty sure one of the extras ended up winning the race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted 15 hours ago Share Posted 15 hours ago 16 hours ago, Doomed said: And I'm pretty sure one of the extras ended up winning the race. Another from Timaru. As a training center it's flying. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Posted 12 hours ago Share Posted 12 hours ago Look at the ballots at Kurow, about 27 on a 10 race card. Still 15 or 16 waiting to get a start at Timaru. Riverton will have ballots as well. Contrast that with the rubbish at Taranaki today. 4, 5 and 6 horse fields. Two meetings at Taranaki, as well as Otaki and Wanganui all jammed in together. They are only a few hours drive apart. Some Canty horses must have been balloted and eliminated several times, even when they have been reluctantly willing to drive several hours to get a start. The poor bloody Southland 2yo had to go all the way to Ellerslie to get a start, because there is only one 2yo race all season in Southland. This after the Canty 2yo had to go to Trentham for a run because no 2yo racing anywhere in the SI for 9 weeks. I haven't seen a single mention from NZTR that they have even noticed there might be a problem. And it is hardly a new problem. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Posted 11 hours ago Share Posted 11 hours ago And speaking of inconsistencies we are about to see the same aberration we see every year at this time. The group two Rich Hill mile will only have one starter rated in the 90s, whereas the non black type Timaru Cup will have 3 starters rated over 90. The rating 69 nominated will have no trouble getting a start in the Rich Hill, whereas the rating 69 in the Timaru Cup is third ballet. There seems to be a problem somewhere. I don't have the answer, but at least I recognise there is a problem. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted 8 hours ago Share Posted 8 hours ago 7 hours ago, Freda said: Another from Timaru. As a training center it's flying. I like to how the Club has a person putting in the effort to have a uptodate and active facebook page! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted 7 hours ago Share Posted 7 hours ago Just had a look around there. It's very tired and dilapidated looking. Even Pharlap is cracked and has a hole in him with cobwebs in his ears. Nothing surprising given it was scheduled for extinction for a long time. The track itself however, is in super order and should present a fair surface to suit most horses tomorrow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted 6 hours ago Share Posted 6 hours ago 2 hours ago, Murray Fish said: I like to how the Club has a person putting in the effort to have a uptodate and active facebook page! It's pretty good, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted 6 hours ago Share Posted 6 hours ago 5 hours ago, Doomed said: And speaking of inconsistencies we are about to see the same aberration we see every year at this time. The group two Rich Hill mile will only have one starter rated in the 90s, whereas the non black type Timaru Cup will have 3 starters rated over 90. The rating 69 nominated will have no trouble getting a start in the Rich Hill, whereas the rating 69 in the Timaru Cup is third ballet. There seems to be a problem somewhere. I don't have the answer, but at least I recognise there is a problem. Handicapping .. farcical! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Agent Posted 4 hours ago Share Posted 4 hours ago I think the Taranaki meeting at this time of the year should be scrapped. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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