mikeynz Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 As you would expect good noms, 24 for the Southern mile, someone will know, do the ones missing the cut just get shifted elsewhere, even if they do looks like some of the noms will be staying home. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All The Aces Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 The following races remain open until 9am Wednesday 26 February: - R65 1600m - 2YO SW+P 1100m NZTR in conjunction with the club will look to run a consolation ($25,000) R65 1600m providing there are sufficient numbers at withdrawal time. If a horse gains a start in the $40,000 R65 1600m it must start in that race, or alternatively come out of both races. Horses double nominated into the ODT Southern Mile Final hold their ballot order in this race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I see that there are 9 races already, would there be room for a 10th? It's going to be interest day, how many will turn up on course? Mass advertising in the ODT for months, often full pages! I've heard different people attached to the club say 7000, others 10000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeynz Posted February 25 Author Share Posted February 25 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Murray Fish said: I see that there are 9 races already, would there be room for a 10th? It's going to be interest day, how many will turn up on course? Mass advertising in the ODT for months, often full pages! I've heard different people attached to the club say 7000, others 10000. Gee if they think they may get that many they better get someone to wipe all the birdshit and dust of the seating in the grandstand , this is a litmus test for Wingatui. Question is how many will turn up for Ellerslie next week, you often hear them waffling on about being a sellout, maybe thats the hospitality tents yet drone footage seems to indicate plenty of space, at the course in general. Edited February 25 by mikeynz 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 25 minutes ago, mikeynz said: Gee if they think they may get that many they better get someone to wipe all the birdshit and dust of the seating in the grandstand , this is a litmus test for Wingatui. we went to the sept/oct meetings and both times we took our own broom and lent it to others that came into the stand as the day went on... 29 minutes ago, mikeynz said: Question is how many will turn up for Ellerslie next week General Admission First Release: $25pp | $45pp on the day | Senior citizen Gold Card rate applies (50% off the advertised 'on the day' price at the gate on the day) | Under 15s free will the tab be offering odds on sell out or not? 30 minutes ago, mikeynz said: yet drone footage seems to indicate plenty of space, at the course in general. Last meeting didn't look great with it seem like the stands were empty! sigh, I just be so hoping the weather gods play fair and the best track in the country delivers on the biggest day ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 4 hours ago, Murray Fish said: I see that there are 9 races already, would there be room for a 10th? It's going to be interest day, how many will turn up on course? Mass advertising in the ODT for months, often full pages! I've heard different people attached to the club say 7000, others 10000. I imagine the ODT advertising is in return for all those races being named after them. The races themselves are totally funded by NZTR so the ODTs contribution is the "free" advertising. I'm not knocking the ODT at all, it is probably the best paper in the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeynz Posted February 25 Author Share Posted February 25 (edited) My comment about the birdshit and dust at Wingatui was based on the fact that in pictures of one of the grandstand there is never anyone in it, not unique to Wingatui but if the crowd they are talking about does turn up then it will need to be up to standard, not that I'm not suggesting it ain't now but the birds must love it. As for Ellerslie how many could they handle, plenty of space. Interestingly they go on about the Warriers getting better crowds than the Blues but they fill a small stadium where as the Blues half fill a bigger one. Edited February 25 by mikeynz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Agent Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Perception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 On 26/02/2025 at 7:06 AM, mikeynz said: My comment about the birdshit and dust at Wingatui was based on the fact that in pictures of one of the grandstand there is never anyone in it, oct 18th... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 Oh dear. Hope it's all good to go now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Agent Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 They've had 4 months. I think it will be sparkling now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 36 minutes ago, Special Agent said: They've had 4 months. I think it will be sparkling now. sigh, one would hope so! when the trots held a meeting a few months back, I asked them if they planned to have a clean up! they said it was the gallops club job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeynz Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 I guess the club hopes the ducks don't use the stand as I imagine if they did there would be a fair bit of duckshit left behind on the first Saturday in may🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Agent Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 What a ride Danny Frye and team have had with Our Echo. Bill McNamara and Shankar Muniandy would be ecstatic with their pay day today. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 33 minutes ago, Special Agent said: What a ride Danny Frye and team have had with Our Echo. Bill McNamara and Shankar Muniandy would be ecstatic with their pay day today. And so good to see success go to the smaller trainers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 It looked like a great day's racing at Wingatui. So many tight finishes and even a dead head. And as Pam said, most of the winners came from Otago and Southland. A successful day for Tina and Sam as well. I thought all of the trainers and jockeys spoke really well when interviewed on TV. Good PR for southern racing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shad Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 2 hours ago, Special Agent said: What a ride Danny Frye and team have had with Our Echo. Bill McNamara and Shankar Muniandy would be ecstatic with their pay day today. Good on them, did like our echo, draw did put me off, bloody tough to win with a wide draw down there, well done to them all, a win for the battlers, got to be good, see the the 3yr old winner sold a couple of times on gavelhouse for a bargain price, racing looked good down there, plenty competitive finishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeynz Posted March 1 Author Share Posted March 1 13 hours ago, Doomed said: It looked like a great day's racing at Wingatui. So many tight finishes and even a dead head. And as Pam said, most of the winners came from Otago and Southland. A successful day for Tina and Sam as well. I thought all of the trainers and jockeys spoke really well when interviewed on TV. Good PR for southern racing. It still didn't look like a massive crowd, more than normal but still not massive, Matamata looked really empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomed Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 15 minutes ago, mikeynz said: It still didn't look like a massive crowd, more than normal but still not massive, Matamata looked really empty. It will be interesting to hear what the crowd and turnover was. You couldn't get better fields and better racing than that in the south. Even the 2yo race was probably the best I can remember in Otago/Southland for a long time, and won by a Te Akau horse. The crowd and turnover will give a very clear indication of just what the maximum possible is on a genuine raceday. It will be interesting to compare it with the more party orientated days like Melbourne Cup Day and Boxing Day. And interesting to compare it to the days of Rod Stewart and Bonecrusher. If a meeting like that had been held in the late 80s I would have expected an on course turnover of close to $400,000 and off course of close to $3m. Sadly, I expect those days are behind us. I do think a good exercise for the industry though, and a lot to be learnt from it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Agent Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 (edited) I can only applaud clubs who assemble top fields, good stakes, sponsors and crowds. Well done to you all. One thing they've done at Wingatui is they have plumped up more than just one day. I'm not excluding the efforts from clubs further north but, you have to commend the Otago outfit for coming at it from more than one angle. I don't know the dymanics of this club but, looking from the outside it would appear there is a collective of minds and manpower which is probably a little old fashioned, and effective. Edited March 1 by Special Agent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 1 hour ago, Special Agent said: I can only applaud clubs who assemble top fields, good stakes, sponsors and crowds. Well done to you all. (from the cheap seats) What has been interesting to see re this meeting, was the amount of advertising in local ODT, pages and pages, for this meeting and also from TAB. I presume so contra deal? For how long? ODT has U Bet printing field coverage for meetings in the South and have been producing a racing slot for local TV. Quite a few full page advt from team orange as well. 2 hours ago, Special Agent said: they have plumped up more than just one day Over the years different racing dates have been Big. For this century, Melb Cup day grew and grew and that lead to problems with police, more and more restrictions seem to have dimmed that day for the last couple of years. Further South, SRC big economic day is now very much their Xmas meeting, which isn't based around flash fields. It will be interesting to see the results of their last big meeting? 2 hours ago, Special Agent said: probably a little old fashioned historically, like most clubs that have been slow at understanding 'social media'. but are slowly improving. re 'realpolitik', Helpful being one of the modern 'chosen' clubs, it will be interesting to see how the balance sheets stack up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/racing/racing-chat/odt-racing-chat-first-million-wingatui ODT Racing Chat, brought to you by Fred’s Fencing, was at Wingatui yesterday to watch the first ever million dollar day for the Otago Racing Club. Paul Dwyer caught up with slot holder Kerry Spence who has a horse running (Dealt With) in the $3.5 million mile at Ellerslie next weekend. We track down the winners and losers in the Fashion in the Field. We follow the antics of the Baaa Bar crew whose horse Pete’s Pride unbelievably won. PD also catches up with Barnaby Weir from the Blackseeds before their after party. So strap yourselves in!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 at the 3 minute mark is the interview with acting CEO NZ Thoroughbred Darin Balcome. https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/racing/racing-chat/racing-chat-million-dollar-day-upon-us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Noelle Prince (right) and Sharyn Anderton. Photo: Otago Daily Times Otago celebrating after stellar Classics Day Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk 3 March 2025 The inaugural Property Brokers Otago Classics Day was staged at Wingatui over the weekend, and for the club, racegoers and horses alike, the day was an undeniable success. Noelle Prince, General Manager of Otago Racing Club, acknowledged how special it was for the club to host such a significant event, which was a step in the right direction for racing in the lower South Island. “It was amazing to be given the opportunity to host such a big day,” she said. ‘It was incredible to be a part of. “The racing calendar was rejigged to have all of our large races moved to this day, so it was phenomenal to create a day like that down here and it was something we’ve never seen before. “The team worked very, very hard on it, so it was great to see it come to fruition and everyone enjoy themselves on the day.” A total stake of nearly $1 million was on offer, with the meeting combining four of the Otago Racing Club’s big races, with the $220,000 Gr.3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m), $170,000 Listed Dunedin Guineas (1600m), $170,000 Listed Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) and $200,000 ODT Southern Mile Final (1600m). The track, prepared by Wayne Stevens and Kevin Jones, played fairly throughout the day, improving from a Soft5 to a Good4 through the 10-race card. Despite raiders from Canterbury, Central Districts and Waikato, the southerners held their own in many of the feature races, including the Wingatui-trained Loose Sally dominating the Guineas for Shankar and Ruvanesh Muniandy. “It was fantastic to see some local wins,” Prince said. “Seeing Loose Sally win was probably the highlight as Ray Chalklin, her owner, sponsored the Dunedin Gold Cup for many years when he owned Fire and Mechanical, so seeing him pick that up was pretty outstanding.” Ascot Park gallopers Loftys Gift and Maximus Augustus were successful in the Dunedin Gold Cup and ODT Southern Mile Final respectively, while there was plenty of cheering on course when Danny Frye’s Our Echo came out on top in a Group Three thriller over Perfect Scenario. “It was awesome to watch the Group Three and Danny Frye get the win, seeing what it meant to his team was a highlight as well,” Prince said. “Those four big races stood out and it was a joy to be a part of.” Off the track, the various hospitality areas were buzzing, and entertainment act The Black Seeds were a big hit after the last. “The Black Seeds were fantastic, they entertained the crowd and everyone loved it, we had Loose and Colourful on before them too,” Prince said. “We partied on with the DJ for the evening as well. “We hoped to put on a well-rounded day, racing is the star of the show, but we wanted to entertain everybody and give them a great day out. “It was one big experience.” Prince is among a nearly all-female contingent operating the club, with Samantha Wells (Sales and Marketing Coordinator), Becs Michelle (Event Coordinator) and Sharyn Anderton (Club President) bringing the Classics Day vision to life, fittingly with International Women’s Day approaching this Saturday. As the dust settles, the team is already looking ahead to next year, with areas in racing, entertainment and hospitality all with improvement to come. “There will be a lot,” Prince said. “In the events experience industry you put on the first day and there are many tweaks and changes. We’ll put on buses later in the day next time, as the students don’t want to come as early as when we had them. “There are a lot of things we will do differently and build on, so onwards and upwards from here.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeynz Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 40 minutes ago, Murray Fish said: Noelle Prince (right) and Sharyn Anderton. Photo: Otago Daily Times Otago celebrating after stellar Classics Day Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk 3 March 2025 The inaugural Property Brokers Otago Classics Day was staged at Wingatui over the weekend, and for the club, racegoers and horses alike, the day was an undeniable success. Noelle Prince, General Manager of Otago Racing Club, acknowledged how special it was for the club to host such a significant event, which was a step in the right direction for racing in the lower South Island. “It was amazing to be given the opportunity to host such a big day,” she said. ‘It was incredible to be a part of. “The racing calendar was rejigged to have all of our large races moved to this day, so it was phenomenal to create a day like that down here and it was something we’ve never seen before. “The team worked very, very hard on it, so it was great to see it come to fruition and everyone enjoy themselves on the day.” A total stake of nearly $1 million was on offer, with the meeting combining four of the Otago Racing Club’s big races, with the $220,000 Gr.3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m), $170,000 Listed Dunedin Guineas (1600m), $170,000 Listed Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) and $200,000 ODT Southern Mile Final (1600m). The track, prepared by Wayne Stevens and Kevin Jones, played fairly throughout the day, improving from a Soft5 to a Good4 through the 10-race card. Despite raiders from Canterbury, Central Districts and Waikato, the southerners held their own in many of the feature races, including the Wingatui-trained Loose Sally dominating the Guineas for Shankar and Ruvanesh Muniandy. “It was fantastic to see some local wins,” Prince said. “Seeing Loose Sally win was probably the highlight as Ray Chalklin, her owner, sponsored the Dunedin Gold Cup for many years when he owned Fire and Mechanical, so seeing him pick that up was pretty outstanding.” Ascot Park gallopers Loftys Gift and Maximus Augustus were successful in the Dunedin Gold Cup and ODT Southern Mile Final respectively, while there was plenty of cheering on course when Danny Frye’s Our Echo came out on top in a Group Three thriller over Perfect Scenario. “It was awesome to watch the Group Three and Danny Frye get the win, seeing what it meant to his team was a highlight as well,” Prince said. “Those four big races stood out and it was a joy to be a part of.” Off the track, the various hospitality areas were buzzing, and entertainment act The Black Seeds were a big hit after the last. “The Black Seeds were fantastic, they entertained the crowd and everyone loved it, we had Loose and Colourful on before them too,” Prince said. “We partied on with the DJ for the evening as well. “We hoped to put on a well-rounded day, racing is the star of the show, but we wanted to entertain everybody and give them a great day out. “It was one big experience.” Prince is among a nearly all-female contingent operating the club, with Samantha Wells (Sales and Marketing Coordinator), Becs Michelle (Event Coordinator) and Sharyn Anderton (Club President) bringing the Classics Day vision to life, fittingly with International Women’s Day approaching this Saturday. As the dust settles, the team is already looking ahead to next year, with areas in racing, entertainment and hospitality all with improvement to come. “There will be a lot,” Prince said. “In the events experience industry you put on the first day and there are many tweaks and changes. We’ll put on buses later in the day next time, as the students don’t want to come as early as when we had them. “There are a lot of things we will do differently and build on, so onwards and upwards from here.” Don't say how many people attended, nor the turnover, it still looked to me that those grandstands were empty or as good as. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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