Chief Stipe Posted Friday at 04:54 AM Posted Friday at 04:54 AM Racing ahead with repairs at Hastings racecourse www.nzherald.co.nz Multimedia Journalist·Hawkes Bay Today· 24 Oct, 2025 11:03 AM3 mins to read https://bitofayarn.com Upgrading of the racecourse track in Hastings started earlier this month and was well under way this week. Photo / Michaela Gower. The rebuilding of the Hastings racecourse’s troublesome Southland Rd end bend is expected to be finished by the end of the year. But it will still be several months before any equine action will be seen on the track as Hawke’s Bay Racing (HBR) and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) work towards having it ready for the three-day Spring Racing Carnival in September-October next year. https://bitofayarn.com Racing ended abruptly because of safety concerns after a horse slipped entering the bend just past the finishing post at the end of the first (and ultimately only) race on September 28 last year, the second day of the 2024 carnival. NZTR Central Districts general manager of special projects and former HBR CEO Darin Balcombe said the work on about two furlongs of the course is being done in four stages of about 100 metres each, from just past the winning post to the 1400m shute at the entrance to the back straight. Starting with the vicinity of the shute, the turf is being excavated and re-turfed up to 18 metres out. https://bitofayarn.com The work is being carried out by TW Group under the management of Australian racetrack and sports grounds specialists Evergreen Turf. Balcombe said that once the replacement turf is laid, a turf settlement process before horses can be worked on the bend and jump-outs can be held to test the condition of the track before racing can restart. It will enable racing for approximately three seasons until a new racing facility is established on a new site on the southern fringes of Flaxmere. The major Spring Carnival races have, since the sudden cancellation last year, been run at other tracks, including $550,000 Group 1 feature the 2025 Livamol Classic, which was run at Ellerslie, in Auckland, last Saturday. Problems for racing in the Central Districts and Hawke’s Bay-Gisborne, including the shutting down of racing at Waipukurau, Wairoa and Gisborne five years ago, have been exacerbated by the troubled reopening of premier Palmerston North track Awapuni. It’s recommissioning after a closure of 19 months for reconstruction lasted just one race and one slip of a horse in April. Meanwhile, racing will return to Hawke’s Bay on November 16 with the first of three cup meetings on the Waipukurau track, which has not seen the gallops since the track’s licence to race was cancelled in 2020. It has continued being used for training and jumpouts, but the licence is being reinstated as a temporary measure for the upcoming $35,000 Waipukurau Cup meeting, the Wairoa Cup meeting on February 15, and the Hawke’s Bay Cup meeting on April 26. Doug Laing has been a newspaper reporter for more than 50 years, most if it in Hawke’s Bay covering most aspects of news, sports, and, occasionally racing. Quote
Multimedia Journalist·Hawkes Bay Today· 24 Oct, 2025 11:03 AM3 mins to read https://bitofayarn.com Upgrading of the racecourse track in Hastings started earlier this month and was well under way this week. Photo / Michaela Gower. The rebuilding of the Hastings racecourse’s troublesome Southland Rd end bend is expected to be finished by the end of the year. But it will still be several months before any equine action will be seen on the track as Hawke’s Bay Racing (HBR) and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) work towards having it ready for the three-day Spring Racing Carnival in September-October next year. https://bitofayarn.com Racing ended abruptly because of safety concerns after a horse slipped entering the bend just past the finishing post at the end of the first (and ultimately only) race on September 28 last year, the second day of the 2024 carnival. NZTR Central Districts general manager of special projects and former HBR CEO Darin Balcombe said the work on about two furlongs of the course is being done in four stages of about 100 metres each, from just past the winning post to the 1400m shute at the entrance to the back straight. Starting with the vicinity of the shute, the turf is being excavated and re-turfed up to 18 metres out. https://bitofayarn.com The work is being carried out by TW Group under the management of Australian racetrack and sports grounds specialists Evergreen Turf. Balcombe said that once the replacement turf is laid, a turf settlement process before horses can be worked on the bend and jump-outs can be held to test the condition of the track before racing can restart. It will enable racing for approximately three seasons until a new racing facility is established on a new site on the southern fringes of Flaxmere. The major Spring Carnival races have, since the sudden cancellation last year, been run at other tracks, including $550,000 Group 1 feature the 2025 Livamol Classic, which was run at Ellerslie, in Auckland, last Saturday. Problems for racing in the Central Districts and Hawke’s Bay-Gisborne, including the shutting down of racing at Waipukurau, Wairoa and Gisborne five years ago, have been exacerbated by the troubled reopening of premier Palmerston North track Awapuni. It’s recommissioning after a closure of 19 months for reconstruction lasted just one race and one slip of a horse in April. Meanwhile, racing will return to Hawke’s Bay on November 16 with the first of three cup meetings on the Waipukurau track, which has not seen the gallops since the track’s licence to race was cancelled in 2020. It has continued being used for training and jumpouts, but the licence is being reinstated as a temporary measure for the upcoming $35,000 Waipukurau Cup meeting, the Wairoa Cup meeting on February 15, and the Hawke’s Bay Cup meeting on April 26. Doug Laing has been a newspaper reporter for more than 50 years, most if it in Hawke’s Bay covering most aspects of news, sports, and, occasionally racing.
curious Posted Friday at 05:22 AM Posted Friday at 05:22 AM That makes it sounds like Flaxmere is a done deal. Have they got the MBIE funding and members' vote already? Quote
Chief Stipe Posted Friday at 06:14 AM Author Posted Friday at 06:14 AM 52 minutes ago, curious said: That makes it sounds like Flaxmere is a done deal. Have they got the MBIE funding and members' vote already? Isn't it the only deal? Quote
Special Agent Posted 17 hours ago Posted 17 hours ago "but the licence is being reinstated as a temporary measure for the upcoming $35,000 Waipukurau Cup meeting, the Wairoa Cup meeting on February 15, and the Hawke’s Bay Cup meeting on April 26." Must have missed the temporary bit elsewhere. Quote
Chief Stipe Posted 15 hours ago Author Posted 15 hours ago 1 hour ago, Special Agent said: "but the licence is being reinstated as a temporary measure for the upcoming $35,000 Waipukurau Cup meeting, the Wairoa Cup meeting on February 15, and the Hawke’s Bay Cup meeting on April 26." Must have missed the temporary bit elsewhere. Whats the problem? Quote
Special Agent Posted 10 hours ago Posted 10 hours ago 5 hours ago, Chief Stipe said: Whats the problem? I hadn't seen that term used before for this circumstance, just assumed the track was back on the roster. I think the issue of a temporary licence has two points of interest. Firstly, what a kick in the guts for any club with the initiative and energy to want to take on three meetings at a time the industry is in obvious need of an extra venue. If they do it well, why would it need to be temporary? Secondly, does temporary infer the use of the track is only due to desperate measures? 2 Quote
Huey Posted 9 hours ago Posted 9 hours ago 16 minutes ago, Special Agent said: I hadn't seen that term used before for this circumstance, just assumed the track was back on the roster. I think the issue of a temporary licence has two points of interest. Firstly, what a kick in the guts for any club with the initiative and energy to want to take on three meetings at a time the industry is in obvious need of an extra venue. If they do it well, why would it need to be temporary? Secondly, does temporary infer the use of the track is only due to desperate measures? Great point and for sure they will be kicked in the guts by NZTR once/if the tracks they want used come online again. Quote
Chief Stipe Posted 9 hours ago Author Posted 9 hours ago 32 minutes ago, Special Agent said: I hadn't seen that term used before for this circumstance, just assumed the track was back on the roster. I think the issue of a temporary licence has two points of interest. Firstly, what a kick in the guts for any club with the initiative and energy to want to take on three meetings at a time the industry is in obvious need of an extra venue. If they do it well, why would it need to be temporary? Secondly, does temporary infer the use of the track is only due to desperate measures? 15 minutes ago, Huey said: Great point and for sure they will be kicked in the guts by NZTR once/if the tracks they want used come online again. But isn't it the best use of resources for the industry? As I said in another post name a racetrack that isn't on borrowed time because of a lack of maintenance investment? Quote
Special Agent Posted 9 hours ago Posted 9 hours ago 15 minutes ago, Huey said: Great point and for sure they will be kicked in the guts by NZTR once/if the tracks they want used come online again. Just like Winton which is mentioned on one of these threads, Woodville was gone burger too yet NZTR tell us today there will be trials at Woodville on Monday after their Sunday racemeeting. I wonder when NZTR and the industry will refrain from throwing money at Awapuni, when the tracks without this luxury are almost carrying the workload. 1 1 Quote
Chief Stipe Posted 9 hours ago Author Posted 9 hours ago 7 minutes ago, Special Agent said: Just like Winton which is mentioned on one of these threads, Woodville was gone burger too yet NZTR tell us today there will be trials at Woodville on Monday after their Sunday racemeeting. I wonder when NZTR and the industry will refrain from throwing money at Awapuni, when the tracks without this luxury are almost carrying the workload. When did NZTR say "Woodville was a gone burger"? Surely you are not suggesting that Awapuni should be abandoned? Where would you put a training and racing centre in the CD if not at Awapuni? Quote
Special Agent Posted 9 hours ago Posted 9 hours ago 1 minute ago, Chief Stipe said: When did NZTR say "Woodville was a gone burger"? Surely you are not suggesting that Awapuni should be abandoned? Where would you put a training and racing centre in the CD if not at Awapuni? NZTR didn't say it per se. I don't have the Messara report handy but, I think you'll find Woodville was on the not required list. Whatever is happening at Awapuni is not working. Horses and riders cannot be continually put at risk. Throwing money at something is not always the answer. Looking at the location of the RACE racecourses they would fetch more than the little CD tracks combined. If a business person from outside the industry looked at the situation, the land, the debt, the wages, the balance sheet etc they would surely laugh. 1 Quote
Huey Posted 1 hour ago Posted 1 hour ago 8 hours ago, Chief Stipe said: When did NZTR say "Woodville was a gone burger"? Surely you are not suggesting that Awapuni should be abandoned? Where would you put a training and racing centre in the CD if not at Awapuni? Woodville was like other venues was certainly a gone burger or on the menu to go. Worse still this mess continues to erode the little faith the industry has in NZTR who are looking more and more foolish by the day over their inept planning and incompetence. I don't know anyone in the industry apart from @Chief Stipe who has any faith in them any more. A bunch of newbies who will take a lot of time to come to grips with the industry as well, a lot of time the industry doesn't have. 1 Quote
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