curious Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 To have 2 days of jumps racing in the SI, when there is no other jumps racing and Riccarton itself, no longer even has schooling fences? https://loveracing.nz//OnHorseFiles/2025 Jumps Racing Calendar.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeynz Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 1 hour ago, curious said: To have 2 days of jumps racing in the SI, when there is no other jumps racing and Riccarton itself, no longer even has schooling fences? https://loveracing.nz//OnHorseFiles/2025 Jumps Racing Calendar.pdf No. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Ditto. No. It does have some schooling fences but they aren't ( IMO ) suitable to get a ticket, more just to pop a horse over for a change in routine. Nothing special and no more than should be available at any training facility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 And a gripe of mine is the amateur race running on the AWT. Races are run at speed on that surface and for riders who don't have the opportunity to race ride regularly, things can happen much too fast. I have heard a couple of comments like ' bugger that, that was scary ' and ' not again, too quick, didn't feel safe '...and not from novices either, some that had been professional jocks earlier on. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 1 hour ago, Freda said: Ditto. No. It does have some schooling fences but they aren't ( IMO ) suitable to get a ticket, more just to pop a horse over for a change in routine. Nothing special and no more than should be available at any training facility. Are they used by the stipes to issue tickets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 59 minutes ago, Freda said: And a gripe of mine is the amateur race running on the AWT. Races are run at speed on that surface and for riders who don't have the opportunity to race ride regularly, things can happen much too fast. I have heard a couple of comments like ' bugger that, that was scary ' and ' not again, too quick, didn't feel safe '...and not from novices either, some that had been professional jocks earlier on. Yes. That doesn't make sense either. And at least it should be a staying race, which would take a bit of speed out of it and be more relevant for an amateur flat race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 1 hour ago, curious said: Are they used by the stipes to issue tickets? I think one horse ( Mamma Sans) has been issued a ticket but Oggie used to be able to do that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 59 minutes ago, Freda said: I think one horse ( Mamma Sans) has been issued a ticket but Oggie used to be able to do that Can't have been that recent. Last raced in August 2022 when it bled. Did have a hurdle rating of 50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said: Can't have been that recent. Last raced in August 2022 when it bled. Did have a hurdle rating of 50. Recent enough to have utilised the 'schooling fences' as they are now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Agent Posted Friday at 05:35 AM Share Posted Friday at 05:35 AM On 3/4/2025 at 6:12 AM, Freda said: I have heard a couple of comments like ' bugger that, that was scary ' and ' not again, too quick, didn't feel safe '...and not from novices either, some that had been professional jocks earlier on. Holy shit! Is it time to not have amateur races at all? There are so few spread too far across the country. They went hand in hand with jumping races. Now that the south island racing scene is no longer it all seems disjointed to me. I would have thought with champions days and elite riding ranks amateurs are not the right look for what is trying to be achieved, or perceived. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted Friday at 03:54 PM Share Posted Friday at 03:54 PM Probably right. Certainly, they go hand-in-hand with jumping so not relevant in the South unless some effort is made to include a few more into programmes. No highweights in the south either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted Friday at 04:14 PM Author Share Posted Friday at 04:14 PM On 4/03/2025 at 6:12 AM, Freda said: And a gripe of mine is the amateur race running on the AWT. Races are run at speed on that surface and for riders who don't have the opportunity to race ride regularly, things can happen much too fast. I have heard a couple of comments like ' bugger that, that was scary ' and ' not again, too quick, didn't feel safe '...and not from novices either, some that had been professional jocks earlier on. I see they have programmed this again for 2200 on the synthetic in 2025. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted Friday at 04:58 PM Author Share Posted Friday at 04:58 PM (edited) On a related note, I see the winter programmes have been approved. Almost no grass meetings in the north of Waitaki zone down here. Wouldn't be worth keeping winter gallopers in work that are not suited to the poly. Also can see no sign of the jumps panel recommendation being implemented. Consider options to programme more staying flat races over longer distance. This could be developed into a series. Edited Friday at 04:59 PM by curious 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Agent Posted Saturday at 04:23 AM Share Posted Saturday at 04:23 AM I guess the word recommendation sats it all. It's not a rule or regulation. The jumps panel was only ever there for effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted Saturday at 06:10 AM Share Posted Saturday at 06:10 AM 1 hour ago, Special Agent said: I guess the word recommendation sats it all. It's not a rule or regulation. The jumps panel was only ever there for effect. Lip service is the term. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bid Posted yesterday at 02:37 AM Share Posted yesterday at 02:37 AM On 3/3/2025 at 7:56 PM, curious said: To have 2 days of jumps racing in the SI, when there is no other jumps racing and Riccarton itself, no longer even has schooling fences? https://loveracing.nz//OnHorseFiles/2025 Jumps Racing Calendar.pdf I wonder if the south island jump carnival would be better run over a shorten time frame. Like Wednesday the lead up day and then the nationals on the Saturday, with maybe a synthetic day on Thursday or Friday. Might bring back more of a carnival feel about it, when I first started bringing horses down about 15 years ago everyone stayed down(or up from deep south) for the whole time and it was great fun, that seems to have changed in recent times. I wonder if it's only 4 or 5 days you might get people back and staying down the whole time, fly down Wednesday and home Sunday. Also for those with horses it'll shorten up the time away from stables so more are also likely to stay down instead of heading back in between Saturdays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted yesterday at 05:03 AM Author Share Posted yesterday at 05:03 AM (edited) 2 hours ago, Bid said: I wonder if the south island jump carnival would be better run over a shorten time frame. Like Wednesday the lead up day and then the nationals on the Saturday, with maybe a synthetic day on Thursday or Friday. Might bring back more of a carnival feel about it, when I first started bringing horses down about 15 years ago everyone stayed down(or up from deep south) for the whole time and it was great fun, that seems to have changed in recent times. I wonder if it's only 4 or 5 days you might get people back and staying down the whole time, fly down Wednesday and home Sunday. Also for those with horses it'll shorten up the time away from stables so more are also likely to stay down instead of heading back in between Saturdays. That's not a bad idea but I still see little point in having a 2 day jumps carnival in the SI, when there are no other races in the SI for jumpers. Even most of the 65 and jumper races are gone this season. If they want to continue jumps racing, wouldn't it make more sense to conduct those races in closer proximity to the jumps horse population? Edited yesterday at 05:06 AM by curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted yesterday at 04:04 PM Share Posted yesterday at 04:04 PM 11 hours ago, curious said: That's not a bad idea but I still see little point in having a 2 day jumps carnival in the SI, when there are no other races in the SI for jumpers. Even most of the 65 and jumper races are gone this season. If they want to continue jumps racing, wouldn't it make more sense to conduct those races in closer proximity to the jumps horse population? Maybe, but where? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted yesterday at 06:06 PM Author Share Posted yesterday at 06:06 PM 2 hours ago, Freda said: Maybe, but where? CD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted 3 hours ago Share Posted 3 hours ago 23 hours ago, curious said: CD? Waverley for a Grand National...surely not. Awapuni ? Maybe, if its not stuffed up by its 'renovation '. IMO the only course that offers remotely similar challenges would be Hawkes Bay but that is about as likely as me having a runner in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted 3 hours ago Author Share Posted 3 hours ago (edited) 4 minutes ago, Freda said: Waverley for a Grand National...surely not. Awapuni ? Maybe, if its not stuffed up by its 'renovation '. IMO the only course that offers remotely similar challenges would be Hawkes Bay but that is about as likely as me having a runner in it. Trentham? Otherwise, Waikato? Edited 3 hours ago by curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted 3 hours ago Share Posted 3 hours ago 1 minute ago, curious said: Trentham? Otherwise, Waikato? 1 minute ago, curious said: Trentham? Otherwise, Waikato? Te Rapa most likely i'm thinking. Trentham, yes, central, plenty of history but the National and the figure8 don't really work for mine. Maybe. But there seems to be such a cloud over Trentham and its management and future that it doesnt seem logical to place it there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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