Chief Stipe Posted 22 hours ago Share Posted 22 hours ago Horses Return to RACE Awapuni Course Proper This week marked an important step at RACE Awapuni, with horses returning to the course proper following it’s reconstruction. Australian track experts, Flemington Track Manager Liam O’Keeffe and On Track’s Callum Brown, visited RACE Awapuni this week for a final inspection. Following their evaluation, it was agreed the track was ready for horses to return to it. The first group of horses worked on the surface on Monday afternoon, followed by another session on Tuesday morning. Feedback from trainers and riders has been positive, and with just over seven weeks until the first scheduled race meeting on Friday, April 25, further improvements are expected as the track continues to settle. In preparation for racing, gallops will be held in the coming weeks, followed by a set of jump outs on April 1 and official trials on April 8. RACE CEO Tim Savell acknowledged the collective effort behind the track’s return, stating, “It’s great to see that all the hard work from so many people over the last 18 months is coming to fruition. “While we are particularly grateful to Callum Brown and Liam O’Keeffe for coming on course earlier this week, the dedicated efforts of our track manager Daniel Amies over the past 18 months and the assistance of Regional Track Advisor Bryce Mildon have ensured the revised return to racing timelines have been met.” “While there is still plenty to achieve over the next few weeks, the team and everyone within the wider RACE Group is looking forward to the resumption of racing at Awapuni when the track is ready.” NZTR COO Darin Balcombe applauded those involved in bringing the course to this stage. “While there is still work to be done, it is pleasing to hear the positive feedback from senior riders and trainers after the gallops this week. We were lucky to have the expert advice of Liam O Keefe and Callum Brown to ensure everything was on the right track and the Club has worked hard to get to this point. We are excited to see the surface continue to improve in the coming weeks prior to their return to racing in April” Jayne Ivil also visited RACE Awapuni to gather insights from Liam O’Keeffe, Callum Brown, and RACE Awapuni Track Manager Daniel Amies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted 22 hours ago Share Posted 22 hours ago (edited) Sounds like it's only 12-18 months away. Interesting they have the markers out and didn't work on the inside. Sounds a bit like Ellerslie with the sand profile needing a lot of water and verti-draining. Presumably will leave it a slower surface than it was? Edited 22 hours ago by curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted 11 hours ago Share Posted 11 hours ago 22 hours ago, curious said: Sounds like it's only 12-18 months away. Interesting they have the markers out and didn't work on the inside. Sounds a bit like Ellerslie with the sand profile needing a lot of water and verti-draining. Presumably will leave it a slower surface than it was? Expand 12 -,18 months? Is that a piss-take or does the April return mean next year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted 9 hours ago Share Posted 9 hours ago 11 hours ago, Freda said: 12 -,18 months? Is that a piss-take or does the April return mean next year? Expand No, not a piss take. Pretty sure I heard Callum Brown say in the Jayne Ivil interview, that while probably ok for an April return to racing, it would take another 12-18 months to fully consolidate given the sand based profile, and that if it is properly looked after, especially over the winter when recovery from usage is slow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted 7 hours ago Author Share Posted 7 hours ago 22 hours ago, curious said: Sounds a bit like Ellerslie with the sand profile needing a lot of water and verti-draining. Presumably will leave it a slower surface than it was? Expand I hope not. Wouldn't surprise me they haven't learnt from Ellerslie's experience. Seems to have been a few sore horses after Champions Day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingman Posted 5 hours ago Share Posted 5 hours ago Early in the day the winning jockeys on Champions day described the Ellerslie track as perfect, with a little give and said it would firm up as the day progressed. You seem to be suggesting it went from easy to firm and for the late races fast? Yet the times do not reflect that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted 5 hours ago Author Share Posted 5 hours ago 5 hours ago, Wingman said: Early in the day the winning jockeys on Champions day described the Ellerslie track as perfect, with a little give and said it would firm up as the day progressed. You seem to be suggesting it went from easy to firm and for the late races fast? Yet the times do not reflect that. Expand No I'm not suggesting anything regarding the rating of the track. The Soft 5 rating is artificial and is not correlated to any measuring device. Essentially it is nothing more than a finger in the air. As for the times the sectionals don't seem to be consistent. The horses just don't seem able to get get going on it. Of course there are other factors affecting speed. The track remained at a Soft 5 for the whole day even though the weather was fine and there was a breeze. Surely you would have expected the track to improve. A number of trainers have described the track as hard even when the official rating has been a Soft 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingman Posted 5 hours ago Share Posted 5 hours ago OK. Then over time this track could develop into a classic 'horses for courses' track. I don't know if I am in the minority but I have not made up my mind about it which continues to see me watching more than betting. What I do not understand is the obsession with sand. Awapuni being the latest to go down the 'beachy' path. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted 5 hours ago Author Share Posted 5 hours ago 5 hours ago, Wingman said: What I do not understand is the obsession with sand. Awapuni being the latest to go down the 'beachy' path. Expand It is a mistake in my opinion. Sand offers no buffer capacity and has very a low water retention rate. Basically Ellerslie is a hydroponic system requiring constant watering which is expensive. The only way they can achieve a forgiving surface for horses is by mechanical intervention. Would be a shame to see Awapuni go the same way. Ellerslie is an artificial track with grass growing on it. Surely with all the money spent and the supposed science behind this customised Strathayr at Ellerslie there would be some repeatable method of measuring the track hardness? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted 4 hours ago Share Posted 4 hours ago 5 hours ago, Wingman said: OK. Then over time this track could develop into a classic 'horses for courses' track. I don't know if I am in the minority but I have not made up my mind about it which continues to see me watching more than betting. Expand tick... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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