Anyone noticed, or care?

[Doomed]

I don't know if anyone has noticed, or even cares, but with that Riccarton transfer to the AWT that means there is over six weeks with no grass track race-meeting anywhere in Canterbury. It was going to be over five weeks anyhow, which was bad enough, but now more than six weeks.

I imagine no Canterbury trainers will have any grass track horses in training at the moment. If they do I hope they have told their owners.

It would certainly solve all of the track problems in the CD if NZTR decided that all winter racing would take place on the Awapuni AWT. In the north they could restrict all racing to Cambridge apart from a little jumps circuit somewhere.

I can't recall when the AWTs were being promoted whether NZTR told everybody that all SI winter racing would be restricted to the AWT apart from a few random low grade meetings in Otago.

[curious]

I'd say they are mostly in the paddock or getting on with new careers.

[Murray Fish]

53 minutes ago, Doomed said:

or even cares

'we' are book to be on course 9th Riverton and Ascot Park 11th.

I care! that 3 of the last 5 meetings we have been to have not gone the distance!

Weather looking OK for first meeting, but a challenging day on the Sunday!

Looking forward to catching up with CWJ, amongst others!

@TAB For Ever up for a road trip??? 😎

[curious]

21 minutes ago, Murray Fish said:

'we' are book to be on course 9th Riverton and Ascot Park 11th.

Where are they? Stewart Island?

[Murray Fish]

8 minutes ago, curious said:

Where are they? Stewart Island?

Some say at the right time of the year its as good as the Riveria, hoping that this is the right time of the year!  

52 years since I was last on course at Riverton!

[jess]

If you have officials referring to this time of year as the "off season" - I think you have all the info you need about the state of things 

[Doomed]

28 minutes ago, jess said:

If you have officials referring to this time of year as the "off season" - I think you have all the info you need about the state of things 

Yes, and if you combine off season and SI we might as well be talking about outer Mongolia as far as NZTR are concerned.

[Freda]

I friend and occasional client from the Auckland area told me two years ago that the CD and S I were surplus to requirements, Auckland was where it was at and elsewhere didn't matter.

He's usually pretty on to it so I didn't dismiss him out of hand, but privately hoped he was wrong in this instance. 

Appears, probably not.

Will be interesting to see if the poly trials scheduled for Tuesday go ahead.

[Doomed]

I see a couple of extra races have been added to the next riccarton AWT meeting to replace the 3 races lost last week. Two weeks later. I suppose the owners just keep paying to keep those horses up to the mark, and hope they don't get balloted.

Not a single comment about all the Southland horses who came to Riccarton to race on a heavy grass track, then went home when the meeting was transferred. I presume they were offered no compensation at all?

I still can't get my head around the consistency, or lack thereof, of tossing $20,000 into a Waikato race because of the ANZAC day transferred meeting, but not a cent offered to the Southland horses affected by the Riccarton transfer. Is it of concern to any trainers?

[Special Agent]

That's an interesting question.  Was any compensation offered?  Or because there was an alternative venue, did that negate any compensation arrangement?

[Chief Stipe]

6 hours ago, Freda said:

I friend and occasional client from the Auckland area told me two years ago that the CD and S I were surplus to requirements, Auckland was where it was at and elsewhere didn't matter.

He's usually pretty on to it so I didn't dismiss him out of hand, but privately hoped he was wrong in this instance. 

But on what basis did he make that statement?  The majority of horses are trained at Cambridge and Matamata.  Hardly Auckland.

[Huey]

18 hours ago, jess said:

If you have officials referring to this time of year as the "off season" - I think you have all the info you need about the state of things 

Not just officials , the guy whose supposed to be leading the reconnaissance of the sport! 

[Muzza]

21 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

But on what basis did he make that statement?  The majority of horses are trained at Cambridge and Matamata.  Hardly Auckland.

C'mon Chiefy. Bit pedantic there. Everyone knows Freda's friend is correct. They obviously meant Auckland/Waikato. Its been on the unpublished agenda for some time in the corridors of power.

[Freda]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

But on what basis did he make that statement?  The majority of horses are trained at Cambridge and Matamata.  Hardly Auckland.

An effing sight closer to Ellerslie than Timaru and Winton.

[Murray Fish]

2 hours ago, Doomed said:

not a cent offered to

I know for those Wingatui meetings that fell over! some $ was given!

I can ask someone on course on fri / mon..   thought other than R Dennis I'm not sure who else sct

[Bid]

Just out of interest, could they run on both the poly and turf on the same day/meeting?  I remember at Golden Gate Fields trying to watch a race only to realize I was looking at the wrong track, the previous race was on the grass and this race was on the dirt/poly(can't remember what it was). 

 

[Freda]

9 minutes ago, Bid said:

Just out of interest, could they run on both the poly and turf on the same day/meeting?  I remember at Golden Gate Fields trying to watch a race only to realize I was looking at the wrong track, the previous race was on the grass and this race was on the dirt/poly(can't remember what it was). 

 

Yes, they could.

But would they?

[Doomed]

10 minutes ago, Bid said:

Just out of interest, could they run on both the poly and turf on the same day/meeting?  I remember at Golden Gate Fields trying to watch a race only to realize I was looking at the wrong track, the previous race was on the grass and this race was on the dirt/poly(can't remember what it was). 

 

No reason why not. Morphettville races on the inside and outside track on the same day without problems.

[curious]

48 minutes ago, Bid said:

Just out of interest, could they run on both the poly and turf on the same day/meeting?  I remember at Golden Gate Fields trying to watch a race only to realize I was looking at the wrong track, the previous race was on the grass and this race was on the dirt/poly(can't remember what it was). 

 

That's common in the US.

[Chief Stipe]

3 hours ago, Freda said:

An effing sight closer to Ellerslie than Timaru and Winton.

How many racecourses do you want to race a few hundred horses?

[Doomed]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

How many racecourses do you want to race a few hundred horses?

Quite a few in NZ given the reliability of most.

[Special Agent]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

How many racecourses do you want to race a few hundred horses?

Well we don't need less than we have now.  We especially don't want the ones that don't sponge on the industry going.

[Special Agent]

4 hours ago, curious said:

That's common in the US.

And Japan?

[Chief Stipe]

2 hours ago, Doomed said:

Quite a few in NZ given the reliability of most.

That's why what have are unreliable.  We can't look after or fund most of the ones we have.

[Dark Beau]

15 hours ago, Freda said:

I friend and occasional client from the Auckland area told me two years ago that the CD and S I were surplus to requirements, Auckland was where it was at and elsewhere didn't matter.

He's usually pretty on to it so I didn't dismiss him out of hand, but privately hoped he was wrong in this instance. 

Appears, probably not.

Will be interesting to see if the poly trials scheduled for Tuesday go ahead.

Freda, I have had the exact same thing from a senior trainers father, yet the son continues to trip to the CD, Trentham in particular and win too.