Trentham Track "Rehabilitation"...and you wonder why nothing improves!

[Chief Stipe]

To quote RACE:

TRENTHAM TRACK UPDATE

With six meetings in six weeks under the belt, the Trentham turf is now undergoing some well-deserved rehabilitation.

The earlier than usual finish to the Cup Carnival has enabled Track Manager Jamie Phillips to begin a programme of mowing off, drill-seeding, verti-draining and fertilising that will see the track ready for three weekends of action in March:-

Sunday 2 March            Little Avondale Stud Lowland Stakes Day

Saturday 22 March       Al Basti Equiworld Dubai NZ Oaks Day

Saturday 29 March       Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes Day

We can see the benefits of some of the work that was undertaken last winter, with the home turn irrigation coverage more satisfactory via a wider spread, and the tree-reduction program at the HIBS end of the course to be continued.

[curious]

I don't see the point of seeding in a 6 week window from being beaten in the next month. The other things can be done in a day or two regardless of useage and are routine I'd have thought.

What the tree reduction and irrigation improvements have to do with any rehabilitation I don't understand.

[Chief Stipe]

10 minutes ago, curious said:

irrigation improvements

It was evident from the persistent drone footage that they have a lot more work to do to ensure even irrigation coverage.  Especially in the shute!
 

 

11 minutes ago, curious said:

I don't see the point of seeding in a 6 week window from being beaten in the next month. The other things can be done in a day or two regardless of useage and are routine I'd have thought.

Agreed.  Especially when January/February isn't conducive to grass seeding anyway especially if there are irrigation coverage issues.  Autumn is a better time!  "Rehabilitation" is hardly descriptive of what they are doing!

[Special Agent]

Drone footage at Trentham is hardly going to emulate what comes out of Flemington.  I wonder if footage was shown to officials first to ensure the best interests of the Wellington RC were being met.

I agree "rehabilitation" is a word more akin to coming back from a broken leg or brain injury.

[mikeynz]

When is Hastings likely to be back racing, if ever, recent times have shown the worth.of Woodville and Waverley as back up.

[Special Agent]

Just imagine all the small tracks were sold as suggested.  The meagre funds would be well gone and, without those tracks, the ones left would be more stuffed than they are already.  We would have nowhere to race at all.  Please remember this when the next round of "must sell" ideas come around.

One thing I did find interesting was the comment on here about the sale of 14 hectares of Ellerslie carpark.  Two questions arise ... 1. What has the learned group who were going to invest funds from the sale of the Ellerslie hill so that Ellerslie would be safe forever, done with the monies already received?  2. How come the funds from the Ellerslie carpark have gone back into Ellerslie, and not the consolidated fund for the whole industry?

[Chief Stipe]

10 hours ago, Special Agent said:

One thing I did find interesting was the comment on here about the sale of 14 hectares of Ellerslie carpark.  Two questions arise ... 1. What has the learned group who were going to invest funds from the sale of the Ellerslie hill so that Ellerslie would be safe forever, done with the monies already received?  2. How come the funds from the Ellerslie carpark have gone back into Ellerslie, and not the consolidated fund for the whole industry?

My understanding is that any surplus capital has been put into an investment fund wherefrom stakes top ups are drawn i.e. Ellerslie offers higher stakes than the minimum.  They would argue that that funding IS going back into the industry via the stakes funnel.