Wellington Cup Field 🫣

[Newmarket]

Oh dear, what a terrible field today for the Wellington Cup. Must be the worst collection of mostly average hacks running around…..

So many great previous winners that performed well or won the Melbourne Cup, Il Tempo, Simon De Montfort, Battle Heights, Good Lord, Koiro Trelay, Kiwi, Secured Deposit, Castletown, Second Coming….compare some of those horses to the nags running today.

Maybe the time has come to race the cup over a shorter distance, may get a far better class horses running around….Australia must be laughing at that field.

 

 

[Chief Stipe]

Yep and the first 600m will be drone footage or flashes in between piles of dirt and housing!  

Although there is one of the best Grp 3 Stakes on offer in the World!  $400,000!

[Newmarket]

1 minute ago, Chief Stipe said:

Yep and the first 600m will be drone footage or flashes in between piles of dirt and housing!  

Although there is one of the best Grp 3 Stakes on offer in the World!  $400,000!

Who is this Erin Leighton? Nothing against her but we have so many so called experts talking before race starts….why not hear more from trainers or owners, be far more interesting than a girl sitting on a horse telling us all the horses coats look good in the sun 🤭

[Newmarket]

Haha….

After Slipper Island just won, clown interviewing Rory Hutchins asked if he noticed horse had improved since last start🤣🤣🤣, first ride on it. 
Oh dear, too many involved

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, Newmarket said:

Who is this Erin Leighton? Nothing against her but we have so many so called experts talking before race starts….why not hear more from trainers or owners, be far more interesting than a girl sitting on a horse telling us all the horses coats look good in the sun 🤭

Trying to mimic what Bernadette Cooper used to do in OZ.  When she was in the parade ring at Hastings late last year she just seemed to get in the way.

Then you add the continuity presenters in the studio like the Guy "I'm an expert on all sports" Heveldt and horses have been loaded and gone.

[Bill]

1 hour ago, Newmarket said:

Who is this Erin Leighton? Nothing against her but we have so many so called experts talking before race starts….why not hear more from trainers or owners, be far more interesting than a girl sitting on a horse telling us all the horses coats look good in the sun 🤭

Former jockey. 
nz will never have another group 1 3200m race…terrible field

[Special Agent]

2 hours ago, Newmarket said:

Maybe the time has come to race the cup over a shorter distance, may get a far better class horses running around….Australia must be laughing at that field.

 

 

Newmarket, wash your mouth out.  We've not long got the Wellington Cup back to 3200m.  I think you'd have to say the experiment in reducing the distance failed.

The topweight is interesting to me in the fact that, in my opinion, stake money aside he's not much above the level of the rest of the runners.  If he bolts in it may encourage other Aussie trainers to venture across the Tasman whilst stakes are high.

Personally I don't know how we can have a topline 2 mile field without adequate programming and lead up races.  Horses through the grades need to run over a distance before getting into the higher ratings.  Be keen to hear what others think.

It's a bit comical hearing the comments on course about the big crowd in attendance.  There are more workers than spectators.  There's no public stand, no patrons infield and very few in the stand.

On the jockey injury, is it too expensive on Wellington Cup Day to have two ambulances at Trentham?

[Murray Fish]

18 minutes ago, Special Agent said:

The topweight is interesting to me in the fact that, in my opinion, stake money aside he's not much above the level of the rest of the runners.  If he bolts in it may encourage other Aussie trainers to venture across the Tasman whilst stakes are high.

and even more so perhaps with more and more Jockeys coming over, taking back their knowledge of 'the locals'.. we are of course but the 7th state! 

 

[Chief Stipe]

23 minutes ago, Special Agent said:

On the jockey injury, is it too expensive on Wellington Cup Day to have two ambulances at Trentham?

There aren't that many spare ambulances to have two sitting idle at Trentham for the whole day waiting for the rare event where there is an accident.

One could argue that a fully equipped paramedic on course would be sufficient until an ambulance arrived.

[Special Agent]

1 minute ago, Chief Stipe said:

One could argue that a fully equipped paramedic on course would be sufficient until an ambulance arrived.

Yes.  Normally there are two paramedics with backpacks patrolling at Trentham.  Not sure how equipped the ambulance bay is these days, or if Lisa Allpress was conscious and able to utilise that while the race ran.

Unfortunate timing with two ambulances being required with the Upper Hutt incident with a vehicle hitting 4 pedestrians, that's how it sounded anyway.

[Chief Stipe]

Just now, Special Agent said:

Yes.  Normally there are two paramedics with backpacks patrolling at Trentham.  Not sure how equipped the ambulance bay is these days, or if Lisa Allpress was conscious and able to utilise that while the race ran.

Unfortunate timing with two ambulances being required with the Upper Hutt incident with a vehicle hitting 4 pedestrians, that's how it sounded anyway.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/upper-hutts-fergusson-drive-blocked-after-serious-crash-car-multiple-pedestrians-seriously-injured/DNVISMDLWFAEZHHB3EZMBAVOVI/

[Doomed]

It's an embarrassment of a day. The first two fields were shockers. The first basically a maiden for $65,000 with 9 starters, the second only 7 interested for the same stake.

The whole carnival has been destroyed by the changes of dates. That doesn't explain the shocking Cup field though. Reducing the distance didn't work, and increasing the stake hasn't worked.

I don't think it has helped having that Remutaka thing on the same card for almost the same stake. In years gone by some of those runners might have been trying to sneak into the Cup field.

Obviously overall programming problems haven't helped. And the lack of SI interest certainly hurts Trentham.

NZTR appears to have no answer. All they can think of is to increase a few stakes and hope that works. It obviously hasn't today. What's with the Desert Gold? $120,000 last year, suddenly $200,000 this year. Nothing from the club. Presumably it is a bribe after having their Cup day destroyed by Auck.

[Chief Stipe]

The track looks like it hasn't been irrigated that well.  Again it wasn't a Soft 5 for the start of the day and arguably it isn't a Good 4 now.

 

[curious]

2 hours ago, Bill said:

Former jockey. 
nz will never have another group 1 3200m race…terrible field

Of course. You can no longer have a Group 1 handicap.

[curious]

1 hour ago, Special Agent said:

Newmarket, wash your mouth out.  We've not long got the Wellington Cup back to 3200m.  I think you'd have to say the experiment in reducing the distance failed.

The topweight is interesting to me in the fact that, in my opinion, stake money aside he's not much above the level of the rest of the runners.  If he bolts in it may encourage other Aussie trainers to venture across the Tasman whilst stakes are high.

Personally I don't know how we can have a topline 2 mile field without adequate programming and lead up races.  Horses through the grades need to run over a distance before getting into the higher ratings.  Be keen to hear what others think.

It's a bit comical hearing the comments on course about the big crowd in attendance.  There are more workers than spectators.  There's no public stand, no patrons infield and very few in the stand.

On the jockey injury, is it too expensive on Wellington Cup Day to have two ambulances at Trentham?

Are you there SA? The place looks deserted on TV.

[curious]

48 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

There aren't that many spare ambulances to have two sitting idle at Trentham for the whole day waiting for the rare event where there is an accident.

One could argue that a fully equipped paramedic on course would be sufficient until an ambulance arrived.

I'd agree with that.