George Simon rocking the boat on abandonments!

[Chief Stipe]

11 minutes ago, Special Agent said:

Chief, quite often you say that the trainers don't make their voices heard and appear weak.  I agree they are too weak for my liking in some situations but, you have just highlighted a prime example of how they are not listened to.

Imagine if the money spent on the Awapuni AWT was used for turf tracks in CD how much different the last few seasons would have been.

Classic case though of divide and rule.  Did the CD trainers do enough?  Up against it though when Cambridge was desperate for the AWT (they could have afforded to fund their own) and Riccarton trainers were largely for theirs. 

With regard to Riccarton I remember posting many posts on BOAY about beware what you wish for.  Hell the South's leading trainer and biggest influencer @Pitman was singing from the rooftops how great it was going to be.  When asked where the money to fund the operational costs were going to come from we got told it would be entirely self funding.  Which obviously it isn't.  

Meanwhile the turf track gets worse through lack of resources.

[Special Agent]

Did the CD trainers do enough?  Well obviously not because the white elephant went in anyway.

Only someone who did not do their own due diligence would ever dream the AWT's at Awapuni or Riccarton would be self funding.  You only have to count up the number of horses in work and divide it into the amount given as required for maintenance over a set term.  Then you'd know how much the owner/s of each horse working on the track would have to fork out in this self funding system.  Anyone who could not do this simple equation had really been brainwashed by the suits who really really wanted those AWT's in.  Many CD trainers were aware of these figures and gave their opinions.  What should they have done to project this information?  When pondering this question consider how many trainers trained for members of, and had an affiliation with RACE.

Edited February 7 by Special Agent

[Shad]

On 6/02/2025 at 7:27 AM, Chief Stipe said:

As @curious pointed out they never spent enough to do it properly.  Let alone fund yearly operational expenditure to keep them up to scratch.

The Synthetic AWT's are a classic case of that.  Large up front investment without sufficient revenue to fund operational expenses let alone the mandatory full renovation that needs to occur after 5 ro 8 years.  Can't remember the exact time period.

I'll give the trainers at Awapuni full credit - they were adamant they didn't want the money spent on the AWT instead on the existing racing and training tracks.

They threw a fair amount of revenue at the new Auckland track, and that certainly has had its issues, my point being most upgraded tracks were better before they were fiddled with, maybe there's just not the knowledge out there, and how to go about it.

[Freda]

1 hour ago, Shad said:

They threw a fair amount of revenue at the new Auckland track, and that certainly has had its issues, my point being most upgraded tracks were better before they were fiddled with, maybe there's just not the knowledge out there, and how to go about 

It's pretty obvious knowledge is lacking, the sanitised reports trotted out after each abandonment are embarrassingly similar, rinse and repeat has been a comment from elsewhere .

But international knowledge and skills must surely be available?

 

[Chief Stipe]

3 hours ago, Shad said:

my point being most upgraded tracks were better before they were fiddled with

You miss the point of why they needed to be upgraded.  They hadn't had work done on them for decades.  The turf and soil have a limited life if not regularly rejuvenated. When they did do work as you say they just fiddled.

[Special Agent]

9 hours ago, Freda said:

But international knowledge and skills must surely be available?

 

Even when given evidence that the maintenance of the AWT's is woeful compared to overseas venues, and offered by the Trainers Assn, NOBODY CARES!!!!

Is it a case of, close our eyes, cross our fingers, and hope for the best?

[Special Agent]

You could say the money received from the Provincial Fund was mismanaged.  We can only imagine how that money could have turned our turf tracks into what we all want ... safe, consistent surfaces.  Plus better facilities for the horses and staff.

Can the people who advised the Racing Minister please stand up?  No, don't think so.  They will be well underground.

FFS.  Flemington rips into their track immediately after each Melbourne Cup carnival.  Half arsed patch up attempts are not going to cut the mustard.

Edited February 8 by Special Agent

[Shad]

12 hours ago, Freda said:

It's pretty obvious knowledge is lacking, the sanitised reports trotted out after each abandonment are embarrassingly similar, rinse and repeat has been a comment from elsewhere .

But international knowledge and skills must surely be available?

 

Its interesting these days, everyone seems to be an expert, there everywhere, one certainly wonders to what degree, a wise man once told me, if you gonna wreck something,  you'll may as well wreck it to your own specifications. 

[Shad]

10 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

You miss the point of why they needed to be upgraded.  They hadn't had work done on them for decades.  The turf and soil have a limited life if not regularly rejuvenated. When they did do work as you say they just fiddled.

Well I can recall going to kumara since I was a teenager, great days racing, track never changed, wether a month of rain or a month of good weather, track was like a sponge, as soon as the upgraded better drainage, has been a disaster, they made it just to good, haven't been back since the first in a long line of abandonments, surprised it didn't cripple them, now every meeting one holds their breath, and wishes them luck, if they race is in the lap of the gods, maybe there's just not enough knowledge out there, and funds as well, it's a no win