curious Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 Soft 5 with a 24% moisture reading? Drainage might get a good test if they get the forecast 50mms in the next couple of days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newmarket Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 2 hours ago, curious said: Soft 5 with a 24% moisture reading? Drainage might get a good test if they get the forecast 50mms in the next couple of days? Surely they won’t race Saturday? Auckland harness tomorrow must be touch n go also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted April 16 Author Share Posted April 16 6 hours ago, Newmarket said: Surely they won’t race Saturday? Auckland harness tomorrow must be touch n go also If they just get 50-60mms over two days and can't race, that would surely suggest they wasted a lot of money on that track/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeynz Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 1 hour ago, curious said: If they just get 50-60mms over two days and can't race, that would surely suggest they wasted a lot of money on that track/ Maybe Ellerslie might want to transfer to Avondale😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 3 hours ago, curious said: If they just get 50-60mms over two days and can't race, that would surely suggest they wasted a lot of money on that track/ They'll race. It'll be a S5 or a S6. Doesn't seem to be anything else. They'll still need to slice and dice it which if they haven't already done will be interesting today. It is a Synthetic hydroponic track that grows grass. At least they haven't needed to irrigate this week and the pond will be filling up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLB2.0 Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 We've had more wind the rain at the moment, but I'm sure we'll get a strong downpour at some point in the next two days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 1 hour ago, SLB2.0 said: We've had more wind the rain at the moment, but I'm sure we'll get a strong downpour at some point in the next two days. Forecast is for 40mm today is it not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westbrew Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 When they put in the Synthetic hydroponic track, the idea was to be able to race in the wetter months in Auckland, while i have question marks around this track, its ability to handle large amounts of rain in days preceding race day is not in doubt in my mind,100mm plus a couple of days before race day would not be an issue, the problem is more around rain on race day when it has been fine leading up to race day, and they have alleviated this by the use of machinery. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLB2.0 Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said: Forecast is for 40mm today is it not? Yeah - hasn't really hit yet. More just scattered showers, but I'm sure the downpours will come at some stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Centaur Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 Very heavy rain near Ellerslie 12.00 am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 34mms S6? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jess Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 When Kate Hercock was asked after her win - how was the track - she seemed a bit lost for words initially - I can't recall her whole response but she did hesitate at first - and then said something about it being very different from what they race on at home (central districts). Haven't watched any other interviews to hear the other riders' comments ...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 (edited) 40 minutes ago, jess said: When Kate Hercock was asked after her win - how was the track - she seemed a bit lost for words initially - I can't recall her whole response but she did hesitate at first - and then said something about it being very different from what they race on at home (central districts). Haven't watched any other interviews to hear the other riders' comments ...... She's a woman of few words, but what you get is gold:) Edited April 19 by curious 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 19 minutes ago, curious said: She's a woman of few words, but what you get is gold:) What does that tell you about the track? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingman Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 It told us that it can now withstand a lot of rain and present a fair track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 4 minutes ago, Wingman said: It told us that it can now withstand a lot of rain and present a fair track Fair to whom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 4 minutes ago, Wingman said: It told us that it can now withstand a lot of rain and present a fair track You mean an 1 1/2, hardly a lot of rain. More than that would be common for most West Coast meetings. I didn't see it but what did Kate say, that told you that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingman Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 37 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: Fair to whom? There is a better chance if like most tracks your runner has a decent draw but todays racing says it is fair to all runners. The winners positions in the running were varied. A great example was the last two races. Doctor Askar won the Easter from a wide draw (14) but on pace and in the last also over 1600, Croupier from barrier 13 won after being back for most of the race. The other 7 races were all won by single digit barriers one (x3) five (x3) and 9 nine (x1). Only two runners out of all the races placed with a double digit draw, they were barriers 10 and 14, both ran 2nd. Barrier three did not run 1,2, or 3 in any of the nine races. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 3 hours ago, jess said: When Kate Hercock was asked after her win - how was the track - she seemed a bit lost for words initially - I can't recall her whole response but she did hesitate at first - and then said something about it being very different from what they race on at home (central districts). Haven't watched any other interviews to hear the other riders' comments ...... I kind of felt she wanted to say more but it might not have been what the cheer squad wanted to hear. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jess Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 2 hours ago, Huey said: I kind of felt she wanted to say more but it might not have been what the cheer squad wanted to hear. Huey - TBH - that's the impression I got too - that she checked her (usually) forthright self & appeared to insert the filter before the words escaped! But I was interested in what others here had to say - and didn't want to be unfair - so reluctant to put a spin on it that may in fact not have existed. As for your comment Curious - I know what you mean. I've the impression there's not a lot of bulls##t about the woman - strikes me as a hard worker & genuine and I like that about her. Respect, KH. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 9 hours ago, jess said: Huey - TBH - that's the impression I got too - that she checked her (usually) forthright self & appeared to insert the filter before the words escaped! But I was interested in what others here had to say - and didn't want to be unfair - so reluctant to put a spin on it that may in fact not have existed. As for your comment Curious - I know what you mean. I've the impression there's not a lot of bulls##t about the woman - strikes me as a hard worker & genuine and I like that about her. Respect, KH. J. Yes, Kate is toughness personified. To be back riding again - especially at the level she is - speaks volumes for her commitment after horrendous injuries, and recently, a devastating personal tragedy. All credit to her. I don't think she would be backing off if she felt there was something she needed to say, so maybe just take it at face value? [ I didn't see her interviewed ]. As for Ellerslie...it has had a very patchy start, but - allowing for that and the dubious decisions causing that - the design is specifically focused on excellent drainage. Look at the jurisdictions Strathayr has performed well in. We would expect it to race fairly notwithstanding heavy rain. And it did, so well done there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jess Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 Couldn't agree more re KH, Freda. Also I appreciate when they interview these jockeys they've just jumped down off the horse & not much time to gather the thoughts. It definitely wasn't a criticism - I'm just always interested in what they say (or don't say ) - because they're the ones who really know! It's like the Awapuni track - at first we heard a lot from the officials but I had been waiting more for those jump-outs & trials to see what the riders said. They are in the best position to know how the surface played - how the horses went on it. Oh & a bit less prone to spin 😝 As for the Ellerslie track - I offer no opinion. I find the whole concept of its construction and people who refer to it as "hydroponic" interesting - but don't know much about it & haven't been on course to see it. Happy Sundays, everybody. Jess 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAB For Ever Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 On 4/17/2025 at 6:08 AM, curious said: If they just get 50-60mms over two days and can't race, that would surely suggest they wasted a lot of money on that track/ Funniest post of the Year ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAB For Ever Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 23 hours ago, Wingman said: There is a better chance if like most tracks your runner has a decent draw but todays racing says it is fair to all runners. The winners positions in the running were varied. A great example was the last two races. Doctor Askar won the Easter from a wide draw (14) but on pace and in the last also over 1600, Croupier from barrier 13 won after being back for most of the race. The other 7 races were all won by single digit barriers one (x3) five (x3) and 9 nine (x1). Only two runners out of all the races placed with a double digit draw, they were barriers 10 and 14, both ran 2nd. Barrier three did not run 1,2, or 3 in any of the nine races. A good fair post......possibly not welcome in this thread of doom and gloom and anticipation of problems after cyclone and much rain. The track really did play remarkably well ....1min 11 sec bettered for 1200m. Personally spoke to several trainers and assistants who remarked positively about the excellent performance of the surface . And the racing reflected that...the 2100m fillies race a fantastic race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMO Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 22 hours ago, jess said: Huey - TBH - that's the impression I got too - that she checked her (usually) forthright self & appeared to insert the filter before the words escaped! But I was interested in what others here had to say - and didn't want to be unfair - so reluctant to put a spin on it that may in fact not have existed. As for your comment Curious - I know what you mean. I've the impression there's not a lot of bulls##t about the woman - strikes me as a hard worker & genuine and I like that about her. Respect, KH. J. Kate definitley held back criticism in her interview. The track completley broke up after being verti-drained. Once you have used this force, you weaken the core ground beneath. Yes the water drains, so we race on, but the horses that got in behind were at a significant disadvantage. I share in the ownership of a horse in a early sprint race. Came back blinkers full of sand and grass divots. Who wants to run head first into stinging sand at 65km begs the question. Is the track really playing fair.. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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