Why not at Avondale ?? (Matamata Cup)

[The Centaur]

Just who has bypassed the idea of running Matamata's remaining races at Avondale?

Is it NZTR, Matamata club or Avondale. There needs to be an enquiry. The track at Avondale should offer excellent racing. If not lets hear it. The silence from NZTR & Avondale itself is shocking. Just what ideas are Avondale considering for their nest egg? 

[All The Aces]

It will be run at Matamata on 15th October 

 

[The Centaur]

Bit of drying weather this afo (Tuesday) but obviously with all the rain a heavy 10. But with rail in true and little use recently the inside should be quite smooth. Very little publicity on the meeting tomorrow so little interest. That should not have been the case. 

One question has always puzzled me. With the Avondale Sunday markets popular why did Avondale club never leverage that crowd to attend meetings. Sunday meetings say six races from 3.30pm could have been held still allowing for cleanup from the markets. Even on other days an abundance of innovative ideas could have been used.

The attitude of the club very poor. e,g. no phone number contact and no one in the club interested generating general feedback and ideas. Avondale had all the advantages and could have been the most profitable in the country.

[Bill]

On 10/5/2025 at 11:13 AM, The Centaur said:

Just who has bypassed the idea of running Matamata's remaining races at Avondale?

Is it NZTR, Matamata club or Avondale. There needs to be an enquiry. The track at Avondale should offer excellent racing. If not lets hear it. The silence from NZTR & Avondale itself is shocking. Just what ideas are Avondale considering for their nest egg? 

Because its a sh*thole

[The Centaur]

7 minutes ago, Bill said:

Because its a sh*thole

Disagree forget about the main stand its actually top class.

Now if Avondale had a bit of nous they would have purchased Dargaville racecourse. Used the Avondale track as security, worked out a deal with the Dargaville Club, and Auckland Trotting club with the intention of staging combined gallops/harness meetings with also involvement of Whangarei Racing Club.

The annual Agricultural Fieldays  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/20000-people-attend-northland-field-days/XRTBL7GIMFHI3L6WH5BKD3UV2A/  are a major Northland event so that organisation would have needed to be on board. 

Once all those organisations on board then the Northern Regional Council would get right behind the whole concept resulting in easier funding. A WIN WIN situation.

[hesi]

1 hour ago, The Centaur said:

Disagree forget about the main stand its actually top class.

Now if Avondale had a bit of nous they would have purchased Dargaville racecourse. Used the Avondale track as security, worked out a deal with the Dargaville Club, and Auckland Trotting club with the intention of staging combined gallops/harness meetings with also involvement of Whangarei Racing Club.

The annual Agricultural Fieldays  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/20000-people-attend-northland-field-days/XRTBL7GIMFHI3L6WH5BKD3UV2A/  are a major Northland event so that organisation would have needed to be on board. 

Once all those organisations on board then the Northern Regional Council would get right behind the whole concept resulting in easier funding. A WIN WIN situation.

Very innovative thinking.

From what I have read from people posting who are linked to Avondale, they are too busy being bitter to ever be that clever

[Huey]

14 hours ago, The Centaur said:

 

Now if Avondale had a bit of nous they would have purchased Dargaville racecourse. Used the Avondale track as security, worked out a deal with the Dargaville Club, and Auckland Trotting club with the intention of staging combined gallops/harness meetings with also involvement of Whangarei Racing Club.

The annual Agricultural Fieldays  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/20000-people-attend-northland-field-days/XRTBL7GIMFHI3L6WH5BKD3UV2A/  are a major Northland event so that organisation would have needed to be on board. 

Once all those organisations on board then the Northern Regional Council would get right behind the whole concept resulting in easier funding. A WIN WIN situation.

How would they do that?

No bank would lend them a cent given the legislation in place.

[Chief Stipe]

14 hours ago, The Centaur said:

The annual Agricultural Fieldays  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/20000-people-attend-northland-field-days/XRTBL7GIMFHI3L6WH5BKD3UV2A/  are a major Northland event so that organisation would have needed to be on board. 

 

The field days left the Dargaville Racecourse location 20 years ago.

14 hours ago, The Centaur said:

Now if Avondale had a bit of nous they would have purchased Dargaville racecourse. Used the Avondale track as security, worked out a deal with the Dargaville Club, and Auckland Trotting club with the intention of staging combined gallops/harness meetings with also involvement of Whangarei Racing Club.

But neither Avondale, Dargaville nor the ATC have enough spare cash (or security) to renovate their own tracks and facilities.  Whangarei Racing Club aren't in clover either!!  

[The Centaur]

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

The field days left the Dargaville Racecourse location 20 years ago.

But neither Avondale, Dargaville nor the ATC have enough spare cash (or security) to renovate their own tracks and facilities.  Whangarei Racing Club aren't in clover either!!  

Avondale is asset rich and with a sale inevitable now was an excellent time to invest. At $1.5M  or thereabouts the Dargaville property was a steal leaving plenty options open. One being working cooperation with the Field Days. Before anything is impossible it has to be proved its not possible. Installing trainers both harness or thoroughbred has possibilities. Pre training another possibility.

Clubs need to work together.  The trend in Australia is city dwellers like to travel say 60 miles to getaway from the city during the weekend.

An opportunity lost.

[hesi]

1 hour ago, The Centaur said:

Avondale is asset rich and with a sale inevitable now was an excellent time to invest. At $1.5M  or thereabouts the Dargaville property was a steal leaving plenty options open. One being working cooperation with the Field Days. Before anything is impossible it has to be proved its not possible. Installing trainers both harness or thoroughbred has possibilities. Pre training another possibility.

Clubs need to work together.  The trend in Australia is city dwellers like to travel say 60 miles to getaway from the city during the weekend.

An opportunity lost.

I'm not in the industry but been an observer for a long time.  I don't think working together is in the vocabulary in racing, parochialism is a word that sums up things better.

Clubs, industry stakeholders and industry management have been locking horns for a long time, spurred on via social media.  Never come across an industry with so many moaners.

 

[curious]

22 minutes ago, hesi said:

I'm not in the industry but been an observer for a long time.  I don't think working together is in the vocabulary in racing, parochialism is a word that sums up things better.

Clubs, industry stakeholders and industry management have been locking horns for a long time, spurred on via social media.  Never come across an industry with so many moaners.

This post is a pretty good example of the moaning it talks about.

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, hesi said:

Never come across an industry with so many moaners.

It is an endemic malaise that magnified during Covid.  LOL probably due to an ageing population!