Late Start

[Rangatira]

One of the possibilities for the ATC is to build a training track inside the Pukekohe galloping track although it would not be able to be used until the gallopers are finished for the day.

[Gammalite]

22 minutes ago, Rangatira said:

One of the possibilities for the ATC is to build a training track inside the Pukekohe galloping track although it would not be able to be used until the gallopers are finished for the day.

Put a bit of Shellgrit on the old Car racing Track Ranga  !! . and send the trotters around that. 👍😁😂

would be some great action . Sure to be a bit of fun and tightening at the hair-pin at the far right there,  at the end of the Back straight. That'll sort the men out from the boys. 😋

You can see the top bend of current  Franklin training track top centre  of this photo just the other side of the railway. Trainers not far to go to race.  

 

 

[Rangatira]

12 minutes ago, Gammalite said:

Put a bit of Shellgrit on the old Car racing Track Ranga  !! . and send the trotters around that. 👍😁😂

would be some great action . Sure to be a bit of fun and tightening at the hair-pin at the far right there,  at the end of the Back straight. That'll sort the men out from the boys. 😋

You can see the top bend of current  Franklin training track top centre  of this photo just the other side of the railway. Trainers not far to go to race.  

 

 

Franklin training track will go lol

I am in love with that red arrow. Hopefully they get one for "The Creek"

Edited 18 hours ago by Rangatira

[Gammalite]

20 minutes ago, Rangatira said:

Franklin training track will go lol

I am in love with that red arrow. Hopefully they get one for "The Creek"

Best to keep Franklin for the trainers. otherwise No Participants = No racing.

Sell Alexandra Park . it goes the WRONG WAY anyway and needs a Red Arrow to go with it's In the Red Books , to be turned in the other direction !!

Albion Park "The Creek" Used to go that way round . to the right . Stanley Rio winning the Interdominion here 1978 for George and John Noble for New Zealand . a fine win against Paleface Adios and co. 

But We saw the light  😇, and threw out the gallopers 🏇 and turned the track Left handed. to Modern standards.

And of course don't mind a bit of water on the track . Not called The Creek for nothing. 

They've gone a bit woosies in NZ with their thoroughbreds,  and call the gallops off when light rains nowadays.😉

 

Edited 17 hours ago by Gammalite

[Rangatira]

6 minutes ago, Gammalite said:

Sell Alexandra Park . it goes the WRONG WAY 

I am pretty sure my bestie is quietly OK with the direction.  It's the colour of the arrow that bugs him. 

Edited 17 hours ago by Rangatira

[the galah]

 

3 hours ago, Rangatira said:

One of the possibilities for the ATC is to build a training track inside the Pukekohe galloping track although it would not be able to be used until the gallopers are finished for the day.

Not being able to use it until a bit later in the morning wouldn't be such a big deal, you would think.

After all,many dual coded racetracks around the country used to operate for decades like that6 when horse numbers were so much larger..

the only thing about that is hrnz would be investing into a property they don't own. But hey,thats what they do anyway.And at least the trainers and staff who live near franklin park wouldn't have to move house like would have to happen if they established a training centre somewhere else. 

But anyway heres some points worth considering,when people discuss any future training facilities.

160-200 horses is the number quoted by the atc as the average for horses being worked each day at franklin park

a resident trainer says its can get as high as about 170. i think its safe to say,the 170 figure would be more accurate as that trainer has no ulterior motive in fudging figures to suit a purpose.

so,if they didn't go with the,inside the galloping track plan,well what else could they possibly go with.

j mckinnon was quoted a couple of years ago saying he thought $15 million would not be enough to set up a new training centre elsewhere. Of course occassionally he's since said ,oh,we may be able to do it for $15 million after all.Like,hey,you know how things always  cost less these days. 

we all know if hes saying 15 million 2 years ago its more likely to be over 20 million these days.

But lets be generous and say it will only cost $17 million.

well,if you divide 17 million by 170 horses,then thats $100,000 per horse to provide a training track elsewhere.

I mean, they could pay a trainer/owners who currently has 20 horses in work,20 x 100,000 =2 million and say to them,we're feeling generous,as we are hrnz 2025,and  are giving you a  2 million gift for you to go set yourself up in canterbury or go buy a new property somewhere in the auckland region or just go sun yourself on a beach in hawaii before hrnz realise running small fields with poor turnover is going to snuff out the indutsry elsewhere in nz,so why stick  around for that debacle,when you can get a tan and sip on a margarita now.

Hrnz's said in their 2024 annual report that it was their intention that any funding allocation for this year will be sustainable for future. Of course very few believe that and besides,wouldn't spending funds on auckland impact that ,even if what they said was true..

HRNZ had said,net funds from the sale of forbury park of 12.2 million are being held by hrnz for the purposes set out in the property investment strategy,a copy of which is available on the hrnz website. (i've also read 14m,so not sure what that includes)

the forbury trotting club were very strong in how they wanted the proceeds spent  arising from the sale of the forbury trotting club. They wanted the money kept in the southern region and not dispersed nationally. There were several articlaes about that,even though they ended up signing an agreement with hrnz which didn't guarantee that.

imagine just how badly they would feel betrayed by hrnz if hrnz was to use their funds to establish a new trasining centre elsewhere in the aucklnad region as currently being  reported by peter profit. Its hard to believe in some ways that  hrnz would betray the forbury people so badly. But,i don't think anyone would be silly enough to say hrnz wouldn't consider it,as after all just look at some of their recent decisions.

 

then theres the infastructure grants fund.the maximum budget for grants from the fund is $250,000 per annum.

wasn'tn that where some of the forbury money was supposed to be spent.

the hrnz website said the hrnz chair,the hrnz audit and risk chair, and a southern regional forum appointee or nominee form the group that make decisions about how that money is spent.

i don't confess to understanding how they operate as it says a maximum of a $250,000 grant is availble. Didn't HRNZ say they were considering writing off a $750,000 loan they gave cambridge. Where did that maney come from.

anyways,i would have thought the auckland thing coming to a head was a good thing,but only a good thing if they make common sense decisions. It could well be a death nail for the industy if they decide to prop up auckland  at alexandra park as the atc seem to want.

My thoughts are its a good time for THE atc to say,we have come to an agreement to sell franklin park immediately and sell alexandra park and its assets over the next 5 years. That the future plans will be for a teaing cntre /racecourse to be set up somewhere suitable within a timeframe that allows the continuity of traing and racing within the auckland district to continue.They could do things like have portions of funds made available from aucklands asset sales to be used in the form of loans for trainers who could purchase areas at the new training racing centre. All funds invested by hrnz would have to be rtepaid within that 5 year timeframe and the atc could pay limited interest rate on funds lent.Auckland for their part could easily say,yes we agree that has to be done,but we'll only do it if you guarantyeee a level of funding for stake money for the next ,say 10 years. That way veryone wins.so i'm just brainstorming with those thoughts.

but the point is,the decisions that are to be made soon by the atc and hrnz as regards aucklands future,will have a significant impact on wheter harness racing in canterbury ajnd southland will  be snuffed out in the future.

To me,people in aucklandmust realsie that if they don;t face reality,it will be the people who currently support support racing in auckland,who will suffer the most long term. No doubt about that at all.Because,if hrnz and the atc take the rest of the nz harness racing down with themto any significant degree,there will be no one outside auckland that will think kindly of auckland racing and people will act accordingly.

[Rangatira]

2 hours ago, the galah said:

then theres the infastructure grants fund.the maximum budget for grants from the fund is $250,000 per annum.

wasn'tn that where some of the forbury money was supposed to be spent.

the hrnz website said the hrnz chair,the hrnz audit and risk chair, and a southern regional forum appointee or nominee form the group that make decisions about how that money is spent.

i don't confess to understanding how they operate as it says a maximum of a $250,000 grant is availble.

I think 250k was to be available per annum for infrastructure improvements to a maximum of 50k per application which had to be matched by the applicant

I think the nest egg from the forbury sale was to stay largely in tact