Ellerslie .....7th June 2025

[TAB For Ever]

Tracks a popular topic on here , so let's give credit where credit is due.

The track for the winter raceday on Saturday was IMO opinion , Fantastic !

Yes ,I'm only one voice but I heard it mentioned by dozens of regular participants including trainers and punters alike...100% used superlative words to describe it.

On Friday ,both day and night there had been significant rain and it was the 'suit all horses' fairness of it that drew the universal compliments !

[Chief Stipe]

Is that why they're not racing or trialling on it for 14 weeks?

5 hours ago, TAB For Ever said:

Yes ,I'm only one voice but I heard it mentioned by dozens of regular participants including trainers and punters alike...100% used superlative words to describe it.

Embellishment.

[Huey]

8 hours ago, TAB For Ever said:

Tracks a popular topic on here , so let's give credit where credit is due.

The track for the winter raceday on Saturday was IMO opinion , Fantastic !

Yes ,I'm only one voice but I heard it mentioned by dozens of regular participants including trainers and punters alike...100% used superlative words to describe it.

On Friday ,both day and night there had been significant rain and it was the 'suit all horses' fairness of it that drew the universal compliments !

Must be the best track in the world already TAB! Wow incredible amazing, shut down the rest of the country and just race there!! 

 

[Muzza]

1 hour ago, Huey said:

Must be the best track in the world already TAB! Wow incredible amazing, shut down the rest of the country and just race there!! 

 

That's what some want to do. 

[TAB For Ever]

5 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Is that why they're not racing or trialling on it for 14 weeks?

Embellishment.

So sorry if you upset that someone else started a thread......but no intention of threatening your dominance ,and especially on track surfaces ,your EXPERT subject !

You will always be Number 1 Champ !!!!

[TAB For Ever]

3 hours ago, Huey said:

Must be the best track in the world already TAB! Wow incredible amazing, shut down the rest of the country and just race there!! 

 

Not entirely......but the Northern region looks well placed with ATR [ Ellerslie ,Pukekohe ] PLUS Ruakaka , Te Rapa , Matamata ,Te Aroha , Tauranga , Rotorua and Taupo PLUS Cambridge Synthetic giving the region and very versatile selection of tracks to suit all types of racing and all preferences.

But to really future proof the Industry the JEWEL would be the talked about Waikato Greenfields racing /complex.

It not crucial to the plans but if proceeds or part proceeds of Avondale sale went toward the Waikato dream then NZ racing would be in good shape with infrastructure , a big concern at mo.

I'm sure Ellerslie [ATR] would approve too and maybe flick some of their $200 mil equity toward the cause.

Yes, incredible amazing indeed  !

And Huey ,what Area are you in ?

Maybe you like me and lived in a few areas where the local community has just let Racing in the region fritter away or worse , just die !

[TAB For Ever]

2 hours ago, Muzza said:

That's what some want to do. 

Who wants this ?

Name em ?

[curious]

12 hours ago, TAB For Ever said:

Tracks a popular topic on here , so let's give credit where credit is due.

The track for the winter raceday on Saturday was IMO opinion , Fantastic !

Yes ,I'm only one voice but I heard it mentioned by dozens of regular participants including trainers and punters alike...100% used superlative words to describe it.

On Friday ,both day and night there had been significant rain and it was the 'suit all horses' fairness of it that drew the universal compliments !

Is that why they were mostly coming wide on the turn staying off the rail and generally wanting to get to the centre of the track?

[Gammalite]

9 minutes ago, TAB For Ever said:

Who wants this ?

Name em ?

Don't be too harsh on him TABman . A lot of washouts and 'horse slips' and that had caused a lot of worry about some of the tracks from time to time.  With Ellerslie getting all the work done on it , seems Wise to use it if State-of-the-art.

A lot of money and Time and experts spent a lot of time 'Fixing 'up Ellerslie so I reckon they should race there Every week . Mainly because that's where the population base is in Auckland to attend lol 😎

mind you I've only ever been to Ellerslie, Puk'e and Arawa Park (Rotorua )where drove on once.  think I threw up after lol.

We needed the Chief Stipe years ago in Tassie. (to fix the surface 😎) They still race at Elwick , the trotters used too, as well, was like a ploughed field so they put a lot of the drivers up on the horses back down there , rather than 'Bog-in to the surface lol. 🤣  so a few saddle pacers won ok. my dad said he won in the saddle his first race at age 13 as was light as a sparrow, during the war years.

here's grand-dad winning a race at Elwick in this amazing old photo.  ( Elwick,Hobart is the Tas equal of Ellerslie ) 

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, TAB For Ever said:

So sorry if you upset that someone else started a thread......but no intention of threatening your dominance ,and especially on track surfaces ,your EXPERT subject !

You will always be Number 1 Champ !!!!

Well no need to get upset.  The ARC always had Pukekohe to butcher during the next 14 weeks.

I just thought if it was so good on Saturday they'd get at least a couple more meetings in.

I see though they will wring the last bit of life out of Avondale with a number of trail meetings scheduled there.

[Trojan]

1 hour ago, TAB For Ever said:

Who wants this ?

Name em ?

Aren't they on the new TAB Committee?

[TAB For Ever]

3 hours ago, Trojan said:

Aren't they on the new TAB Committee?

You a funny man Trojan.....pleased I squeezed your 274 th post from you.

Chief will be pleased someone other than the 'tight five' plus cave boy from the deep south is bothering to post !

[Trojan]

6 minutes ago, TAB For Ever said:

You a funny man Trojan.....pleased I squeezed your 274 th post from you.

Chief will be pleased someone other than the 'tight five' plus cave boy from the deep south is bothering to post !

Well dont all paths lead to Ellerslie now?  Except in the winter on the "best winter track in NZ"?

[TAB For Ever]

3 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Well no need to get upset.  The ARC always had Pukekohe to butcher during the next 14 weeks.

I just thought if it was so good on Saturday they'd get at least a couple more meetings in.

I see though they will wring the last bit of life out of Avondale with a number of trail meetings scheduled there.

Obviously this current years /two years calendars are have been pencilled in for a while and after the scratchy start to the new tack they erred on side of caution PLUS other tracks who are in OK shape [ eg your fav Ruakaka ] regularly have meetings at this time of year.

Plus all tracks are planned to have a 'rest period' of at least 6 x weeks ....surely you know all this ?

And Avondale race surface obviously OK again and the tie-ups for trial still OK for trials....and trails even !😀

Q...when was last time you attended Avondale trials or races ?

Some of their committee still attend AGM's etc and they do run their main races at ATR.

[Chief Stipe]

1 minute ago, TAB For Ever said:

Obviously this current years /two years calendars are have been pencilled in for a while and after the scratchy start to the new tack they erred on side of caution PLUS other tracks who are in OK shape [ eg your fav Ruakaka ] regularly have meetings at this time of year.

You buy that indecision for $55m?  

[TAB For Ever]

4 hours ago, Gammalite said:

Don't be too harsh on him TABman . A lot of washouts and 'horse slips' and that had caused a lot of worry about some of the tracks from time to time.  With Ellerslie getting all the work done on it , seems Wise to use it if State-of-the-art.

A lot of money and Time and experts spent a lot of time 'Fixing 'up Ellerslie so I reckon they should race there Every week . Mainly because that's where the population base is in Auckland to attend lol 😎

mind you I've only ever been to Ellerslie, Puk'e and Arawa Park (Rotorua )where drove on once.  think I threw up after lol.

We needed the Chief Stipe years ago in Tassie. (to fix the surface 😎) They still race at Elwick , the trotters used too, as well, was like a ploughed field so they put a lot of the drivers up on the horses back down there , rather than 'Bog-in to the surface lol. 🤣  so a few saddle pacers won ok. my dad said he won in the saddle his first race at age 13 as was light as a sparrow, during the war years.

here's grand-dad winning a race at Elwick in this amazing old photo.  ( Elwick,Hobart is the Tas equal of Ellerslie ) 

Good post Gamma....gotta admit I never been to Tassie.

They got a team in Australia NBL league now and breed the odd good horse and cricketer .

Actually played against them at cricket once !

[TAB For Ever]

5 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

You buy that indecision for $55m?  

Money well spent.....for June [ winter ] after a lot of rain that track on Saturday was OUTSTANDING !

Not just IMO but a view endorsed by Owners , trainers , punters , jockey managers , media folk , the Clerks of Course , employees and the shoe-shine man !

Not by George Simon .....live anyway.....he owned a repeat winner but was seen live at Belmont Stakes [USA] with Wheels , FRitchie and other Kiwis !

[Chief Stipe]

2 minutes ago, TAB For Ever said:

Not just IMO but a view endorsed by Owners , trainers , punters , jockey managers , media folk , the Clerks of Course , employees and the shoe-shine man !

Name them.

[curious]

2 minutes ago, TAB For Ever said:

Not just IMO but a view endorsed by Owners , trainers , punters , jockey managers , media folk , the Clerks of Course , employees and the shoe-shine man !

Not by a number of owners, trainers and punters that I've talked to.

[Gammalite]

9 minutes ago, TAB For Ever said:

Good post Gamma....gotta admit I never been to Tassie.

They got a team in Australia NBL league now and breed the odd good horse and cricketer .

Actually played against them at cricket once !

Tassie worse off then NZ. with the cost of everything these days ,  they have gone completely broke. 

Long time ago since Boony and Punter Ponting carried the place in the cricket 😂.

(33% of adult Tasmanians already live on a pension of one type or another) 

I just did a small bit on Tassie horse in the BOAY harness section that was repping for NZ winning the Interdominion . Stanley Rio.  my dad went to NZ with Halwes (a Top Tassie horse like Stanley Rio ) in the 60's as the Farrier, which is how I come to be in NZ for some years. HALWES won his Interdominion heats at Alexandra Park in track record times but scratched from the final in a Bookie sting. HALWES won the Miracle Mile in Sydney 3 weeks later 😁.  

anyway , back to Tassie and >  with losing $400,000,000 cost blowout on the 'Spirit of Tasmania 'ferries ( the Bass Strait ones between Tas and Vic)  the government has gone belly up and can't afford the New Stadium (would be near a billion?)  the current State Liberal gov  promised to build to before 2027 when Tas is supposed to enter the AFL competition. it's just total chaos with their budget now.  

So last week they had a VOTE of NO CONFIDENCE in the leader !!!  the 'Aye's' won 15-14 , so now they are facing another election . Labor have swept the votes in the Federal Parliament Canberra in the recent national election.

so  guess Labor will win easy Tasmania and take up the challenge of a completely broken (broke) place? .   whatta mess. 

[Murray Fish]

16 hours ago, TAB For Ever said:

plus cave boy from the deep south

 

pardon!