Happy Sunrise Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 This freely available article on twitter might have been written before 'The Balls of Blenheim' climbed on to his roof.... I think the cows cows are somewhat inconsequential. I hate the caravans, motorhomes and tents that actually block the view of the race at many meetings over the summer. That is far more distressing to me. Surely the TAB would act over that but no, so I don't think a few cows will worry them. If we are talking about the presentation of the racing game then also start with the North American rubbish that is only good for Colombian druglords sanitizing their money. Also, If we are serious about the presentation of harness racing, start at the top of tree and not the bottom. Leave Wyndham alone and take on the top guns. TURN IT UP! MONDAY SERMON 21/1/19 Posted by Jonny Turner | Jan 21, 2019 | Featured, Harness No week in horse racing journalism is ever the same. It never ceases to amaze me what surprises will be thrown up. This week, I was rather surprised at some of the rhetoric that followed a tweet I put up with some thoughts from the Messara Report. Have a look… View image on Twitter ♞Jonnyturner@turnitupnz John Messara: "the “shabby” look of much of New Zealand racing as a TV product, is a significant impediment to the industry achieving success." It is not hard to see why this tweet got a reaction. It is critical of the management of the Wyndham racecourse. I expected some would not appreciate that criticism. And that is certainly fair. The cattle on the inside of the track are most likely owned by the Wyndham Harness Racing Club. It is likely they will be sold and those funds will benefit harness racing. I appreciate that more than most, having been on a committee of a club that runs a similar operation. It is hard to be critical of any volunteer organisation that works for the betterment of racing. But, in this case, I had to make my point. Surprisingly, this was not the main point of contention to come from the tweet and photo. Instead, most comments were attacks on John Messara and the legitimacy of his report. I found that astounding. Anyone who questions Messara’s knowledge of racing must be seriously ill-informed. I do not need to repeat all of his accomplishments in racing, they simply speak for themselves. If you are not familiar, go and have a look at the state of racing in New South Wales, where he headed major reform. Questioning the legitimacy of the Messara Report is an argument many harness racing participants can identify with. I absolutely can understand that. Quite simply, it is an absolute disgrace that the report focused on thoroughbred racing and not the other codes. Many voters in this country will have their suspicions about why that has happened. For them it is pretty clear-cut. And it is a pretty compelling argument. The reality is that the political landscape that led to the commissioning of the report is not set to change any time soon. The reality is the Messara report is here to stay. My experience this week is that because of this harness racing people simply do not want to have anything to do with it. I have a much different take the situation. Of course, the report was not what harness racing wanted and it has several contentious suggestions in it. So, harness racing leadership needs to be stronger than ever to enact change during the consultation process. Simply saying the report is not fair and not worth the paper it is written on will not achieve anything. While the report makes specific recommendations for thoroughbred racing, many of those apply to the other codes. And one of the many, many points it makes is the presentation of the product. Harness racing is a television product. At most meetings there is only a tiny number of spectators that are not at the races working – trainers, stablehands, etc. The presentation of this television product has to be inviting for punters, especially overseas. If it looks a bit shabby or amateur people will be discouraged to bet on it. The scenes shown on television are harness racing’s shop window. They are selling the product and inviting people to invest. So, while I admire any club working voluntarily to raise money by farming the inside of their track, they may have to think more about what they can do to make their track have a more professional look on television. It’s probably a ten-minute job to move those cattle. Perhaps those who actually care about harness racing should be asking what am I going to push for change during the report’s consultation process. Or are you just going to complain about it? Happy trails. jonny.turner@racingmedia.co.nz LATEST NEWS January 22, 2019 DARLEY PLATE NEXT FOR TELEGRAPH RUNNER-UP JanILIUS THE EARLY FAVOURITE FOR AUSTRALIAN CUP JanuROCODILE BITE SI January 21, NBEATEN FILLY TO TARGET SOUTHLAND OAKS January 21, 2019 TURN IT UP! MONDA DDY BOUNCES BACK FROM TH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Diceman's Been Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 I may be wrong, I often am, but I have a suspicion that had there been a big burly bull delivering a fresh batch of semen to one of those cattle beast coincidentally at the same time the starter was dispatching his field, in full view of an international racing audience, that Wyndham may just become a new tourism mecca. The catch phrase could be: Come to Wyndham - The Beefed Up Harness Capital of New Zealand 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flagship uberalles Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 26 minutes ago, The Diceman's Been said: I may be wrong, I often am, but I have a suspicion that had there been a big burly bull delivering a fresh batch of semen to one of those cattle beast coincidentally at the same time the starter was dispatching his field, in full view of an international racing audience, that Wyndham may just become a new tourism mecca. The catch phrase could be: Come to Wyndham - The Beefed Up Harness Capital of New Zealand Having said that, isn't that part of the uniqueness of NZ racing, whether it be a rugby pitch in the middle or a golf course, the likes of Kaikoura or ruakaka with the sea within touching distance, it's great.. a few cows wouldn't put me off having a bet......I think your onto something though Don, get that bull to whyndham asap 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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