Great Track at Whanganui Today...

[Chief Stipe]

You can't fault the track at Whanganui today.  Looks great and performing well.

[Gammalite]

53 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

You can't fault the track at Whanganui today.  Looks great and performing well.

Better than Eagle Farm then Chief.

Bit rainy and gloomy today. Seems like being in NZ for a change. A horse in the Sires Produce Stakes even said he's not doing it in these conditions and dumped the jockey and has taken off on his own lol. Hope they catch him ok.

[Gammalite]

And they called it off. No Queensland Derby being run today now.

They did have the Million dollar Sires Produce though and COOL ARCHIE for the local Munce boys got very lucky and they had the race for him , as is a real ''mudder'. so it's still party time for some in Brisvegas tonight. 

[Doomed]

Great to see the Timaru Cup form well and truly stamped in the feature today.  Her stablemate a nice run for 4th in her race also.

[Chief Stipe]

8 minutes ago, Doomed said:

Great to see the Timaru Cup form well and truly stamped in the feature today.  Her stablemate a nice run for 4th in her race also.

I'm surprised @SLB2.0 hasn't commented on the ride on @curious 's horse Malfy Rosa.

But good effort by both.  Seems Ears Back doesn't listen to its owner @Transparency.

[curious]

Super effort Ears Back. Had to improve after the Trentham run. The $20 was nice and I'd say from the betting @Transparency had plenty on. Good effort Malfy too. Just didn't want to go the first 200 as planned and couldn't when she needed to at the 1200. Premium paddock reserved for them next week. Worth the trip though when there were no races for them down here for months. Huge thanks to Suzy Gordon and the Foxton club for hosting us and the job they all did the last 2 weeks. Also the Whanganui Club for the track they produced in difficult circumstances.

And yes Doomed, they might have to have a look at the listed status of the Timaru Cup.

Edited Saturday at 05:37 AM by curious

[Doomed]

40 minutes ago, curious said:

Super effort Ears Back. Had to improve after the Trentham run. The $20 was nice and I'd say from the betting @Transparency had plenty on. Good effort Malfy too. Just didn't want to go the first 200 as planned and couldn't when she needed to at the 1200. Premium paddock reserved for them next week. Worth the trip though when there were no races for them down here for months. Huge thanks to Suzy Gordon and the Foxton club for hosting us and the job they all did the last 2 weeks. Also the Whanganui Club for the track they produced in difficult circumstances.

And yes Doomed, they might have to have a look at the listed status of the Timaru Cup.

3rd placegetter in the Cup been going ok as well. We all know they won't even consider upgrading it to its rightful status. Merit doesn't come into it these days.

[Special Agent]

I think the track was a bit sticky, not much mud on the horses or colours.  If you backed a horse today that performed below par stay with the ship next start as such a run should be forgiven.  The horses for courses label is one that definitely applies to Wanganui.

[jess]

21 hours ago, Special Agent said:

I think the track was a bit sticky, not much mud on the horses or colours.  If you backed a horse today that performed below par stay with the ship next start as such a run should be forgiven.  The horses for courses label is one that definitely applies to Wanganui.

Agree - from what I could tell, anyhow.  Not all scouting wide like they do sometimes on heavy tracks there.  Heard that there was some variability in places but it was hard to pick where was the best.  Think you're right SA - some relished it - some just coped with it - & some hated it & packed it in.  But to the eye it looked safe - and fair.  So well done Wanganui/Whanganui.   

[TAB For Ever]

My feedback from a couple of senior jockeys was that the track was 'shocking' and certainly turned some horses off completely.

The times seemed slick for 1200m on a heavy track.

The margins between the back half of field and front lot seemed further than usual.

And leading seemed to be the place to be.......if it was a Northern track the critics on here would be claiming a 'leaders bias'.

[Chief Stipe]

7 hours ago, TAB For Ever said:

My feedback from a couple of senior jockeys was that the track was 'shocking' and certainly turned some horses off completely.

These wouldn't be the same Senior Jockeys that have recently become experts on track maintenance?

A tad hyperbolic of you to say some "horses were turned off completely".  Maybe it was the shock of a decent winter track?  Were the horses polled for their feelings?

[TAB For Ever]

10 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

These wouldn't be the same Senior Jockeys that have recently become experts on track maintenance?

A tad hyperbolic of you to say some "horses were turned off completely".  Maybe it was the shock of a decent winter track?  Were the horses polled for their feelings?

Just passing on some feedback I received , and from observing a few races....the 1200m times seemed quick and the leaders won several races !

I taking my mentoring role seriously !

[Special Agent]

19 hours ago, TAB For Ever said:

My feedback from a couple of senior jockeys was that the track was 'shocking' and certainly turned some horses off completely.

The times seemed slick for 1200m on a heavy track.

The margins between the back half of field and front lot seemed further than usual.

And leading seemed to be the place to be.......if it was a Northern track the critics on here would be claiming a 'leaders bias'.

If the track was described as shocking, which tracks was Wanganui being compared to?  The two senior riders can't have ridden at Waverley on 21st April then.

If the times were slick, just how shocking was the surface?

[TAB For Ever]

36 minutes ago, Special Agent said:

If the track was described as shocking, which tracks was Wanganui being compared to?  The two senior riders can't have ridden at Waverley on 21st April then.

If the times were slick, just how shocking was the surface?

Exactly , when this happens at Trentham , these Boards go crazy.

It doesn't add up......the stipes report confirms many horses were unsuited to the HEAVY conditions !

[Chief Stipe]

27 minutes ago, TAB For Ever said:

It doesn't add up......the stipes report confirms many horses were unsuited to the HEAVY conditions !

No the Jockeys offered the tracks conditon as an excuse.  Notably four Jockeys used the same excuse more than once.

29 minutes ago, TAB For Ever said:

Exactly , when this happens at Trentham , these Boards go crazy.

The times weren't that slick not as if they were running 1:07.5 on a Soft 7.  The best 1200m time was 1:10.45 on a Heavy 8.

[curious]

Wasn't there, so can't really say but Mereana Hudson described it as "more like a 9" after the first. I was also told yesterday that "a lot of jockeys complained about it shifting on the bend".

[Chief Stipe]

6 hours ago, curious said:

Wasn't there, so can't really say but Mereana Hudson described it as "more like a 9" after the first. I was also told yesterday that "a lot of jockeys complained about it shifting on the bend".

All anecdotal @curious

It always amuses me how a Jockey can give a track rating after riding a 550kg penetrometer of variable talent over a variable track.  Bearing in mind that we can't be confident that the official rating was correct given the Stewards don't walk the track and the penetrometer readings aren't published.

Meanwhile we have @Special Agent saying the times were slick.  We have you relaying information that a shifty bend - the poor old track manager is being dictated to now where the rail gets placed!  Thanks Kate!

Supposedly there wa a front runners bias.

According to @TAB For Ever some "horses wouldn't go on it completely".

I can't help but think there is a snitch in some quarters against the Track Manager.

Not long ago everyone was complaining that they were running wide and what a farce it was yet they didn't do that this meeting.

All in all I thought the track raced fair and safe and wasn't a bog.  Isn't that all we want for a winter track?  Some horses wouldn't have liked it but that's racing.

Perhaps we should close Wanganui as well given so many unhappy people.

 

 

[Thomass]

"raced fair"

Raced fear actually

That's what happens when you give leaders 3M of fresh ground to run on though

Jonathan Kevin Bamber Riddell "the track was rubbish outside 3M"

Old mate Bamber knows a thing or two

[jess]

I'm sure different jockeys will have slightly different things to say about the track - & wouldn't that be something you'd expect? It might be influenced by things like their experience (obviously in the case of JKB - VERY experienced and you'd have to regard his comments - if quoted accurately - as worth listening to) + with how many rides they had, at what stage of the day, how their mounts coped and where they positioned their horse on the track.

Perhaps echoing the feedback of a couple of posters here - and not bagging the track, the manager or any jockeys - I have heard

- variability across the track and around the track

- particularly not riding as expected around the turn (into the straight) when off the fence 

It certainly appeared it rode quite differently to the meeting there on 11 May,

 

[Chief Stipe]

8 minutes ago, jess said:

I'm sure different jockeys will have slightly different things to say about the track - & wouldn't that be something you'd expect? It might be influenced by things like their experience (obviously in the case of JKB - VERY experienced and you'd have to regard his comments - if quoted accurately - as worth listening to) + with how many rides they had, at what stage of the day, how their mounts coped and where they positioned their horse on the track.

Perhaps echoing the feedback of a couple of posters here - and not bagging the track, the manager or any jockeys - I have heard

- variability across the track and around the track

- particularly not riding as expected around the turn (into the straight) when off the fence 

It certainly appeared it rode quite differently to the meeting there on 11 May,

 

All that said it raced safe.

Easy to blame a track now.

[Special Agent]

9 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

 Meanwhile we have @Special Agent saying the times were slick.

Did I?

[curious]

33 minutes ago, Special Agent said:

Did I?

I think that was @TAB For Ever  not you.

[curious]

Stephen Hunt's view of the Wanganui track:

The track variant suggests to me the track was probably better than Heavy 8, especially when I look at the variant against past meetings that were classed as Heavy. It was probably more like a Soft 7 on time, but that's neither here nor there.

How the track played…

There were three leaders that won, with winners coming as far back as 7.1L (Platinum Diamond) off the leader at the 600m mark.

Winners were in lanes 3,2,5,2,1,2,1,2,1.

Edited Tuesday at 02:21 PM by curious

[Thomass]

7 hours ago, curious said:

Stephen Hunt's view of the Wanganui track:

The track variant suggests to me the track was probably better than Heavy 8, especially when I look at the variant against past meetings that were classed as Heavy. It was probably more like a Soft 7 on time, but that's neither here nor there.

How the track played…

There were three leaders that won, with winners coming as far back as 7.1L (Platinum Diamond) off the leader at the 600m mark.

Winners were in lanes 3,2,5,2,1,2,1,2,1.

Interesting....this is what Hunty said before the meeting...giving the punters the 'good oil'

"the most recent meeting 3/4 weeks ago where the rail was in a similar position (if you call similar 3m out I guess) the pen was an 8 that day...if you worked off the flat races...jockeys elected to go fairly wide early on with the inside barriers being a slight knock...so working off the previous meeting here...you'll go well when working out the track conditions"

FFS..go well go broke... standing nervously alongside is Sweenz who mentions the 3m of new ground..."whether they use that early on or go centre and out from the off'...who the f knows

They certainly didn't

Maybe they listened to the track manager when Sweenz interviewed him

" that 3M of new ground, use that early??...."yea na...they'll be heading straight out to the middle of the track and getting wider mate'

And they wonder why Kiwi punters have buggered off to the Maldives for the winter

I've been banging on for years about the appalling lack of information NZTR 'provide'

Not even a last meeting rail position when giving us b/s moisture readings which have ZERO relevance to pen readings and the numerical system

The suits then thought we should adopt the bullshit Oz track ratings which now include an EXTRA Heavy rating...so 3 instead of 2 previously...where 1 and 2 still exist even though it's never used....while 11 and even 12 (according to a Jock at Rotorua last time there) is not allowed to be used....God in Himmell

Correct moi if I'm wrong but don't punters HATE gambling on Heavy tracks??  So why would NZTR provide another level of 'dont bet'??

The poor Ockers could be forgiven for thinking its ALWAYS raining in Kiwiland...especially in Auckland where the track is always SOFT

As Guerin, Tim Mills and Butch Castles keep saying

"labelling a track a SOFT 5 is absolute fucking nonsense"

hear fucking hear

 

[Chief Stipe]

9 hours ago, curious said:

Winners were in lanes 3,2,5,2,1,2,1,2,1.

So the smart Jockeys saved ground and didn't go wide!