Change of Tune

[Chief Stipe]

2 hours ago, Huey said:

Laughable nonsense from you @Chief Stipe plenty of tracks with holes in them , slips , rail out etc etc and youre worried about a helicopter drying a track and supposed leaders bias. 

So basically you are agreeing 100% with me.  Many of our tracks are shyte and lack consistency which turns off punters and frustrated Trainers and Owners.

[curious]

16 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

So basically you are agreeing 100% with me.  Many of our tracks are shyte and lack consistency which turns off punters and frustrated Trainers and Owners.

To say nothing of Entain.

[Chief Stipe]

10 minutes ago, curious said:

To say nothing of Entain.

Yes ENTAIN seems to be pissed off with NZ tracks too.

[hesi]

It has always surprised me, as it is Entain's money on the line, that they have not had a lot more 'insistence' about where money should be spent.

Or have they?

[Huey]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

Isn't that your criticism of the "boring Ruakaka track"?

No way it played that bad

[curious]

1 minute ago, hesi said:

It has always surprised me, as it is Entain's money on the line, that they have not had a lot more 'insistence' about where money should be spent.

Or have they?

Well they've certainly laid it on the line now that if NZTR don't pull finger and get tracks and field sizes sorted, we won't make sustainable code payments at current levels at the end of the 5 year deal. 

That said, Entain don't need the racing codes to have a viable NZ business. As Vouris kept saying, our core business is selling bets. Plenty of other things to sell those on.

[curious]

7 minutes ago, Huey said:

No way it played that bad

I wouldn't give much credence to BS's assessment of that either.

[Huey]

58 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Yes ENTAIN seems to be pissed off with NZ tracks too.

Can you blame them, your Centralisation mates have tried to close and sell of half of them.

[Chief Stipe]

25 minutes ago, curious said:

I wouldn't give much credence to BS's assessment of that either.

But you havent watched any races.

[Chief Stipe]

34 minutes ago, Huey said:

No way it played that bad

No it played worse.

[Chief Stipe]

17 minutes ago, Huey said:

Can you blame them, your Centralisation mates have tried to close and sell of half of them.

Well @Huey I'm sure there is a Club out there that needs your executive experience and insight.  Kumara needs you.

[Freda]

10 hours ago, curious said:

Well they've certainly laid it on the line now that if NZTR don't pull finger and get tracks and field sizes sorted, we won't make sustainable code payments at current levels at the end of the 5 year deal. 

That said, Entain don't need the racing codes to have a viable NZ business. As Vouris kept saying, our core business is selling bets. Plenty of other things to sell those on.

Field sizes ( all tied up with programming and dates)  is something that you and a couple of other enlightened sorts have been trying to get attention on, with little interest from management. 

As has been pointed out many times,  the exodus to Aus isn't totally stakes driven.  The Chief has made reference himself  about the lack of opportunity for sprinting fillies, for one, hence the need to send those types over the ditch. There are heaps of other examples.  

The revitalizing of racedays from the viewpoint of young people is important fot sure, as well as stable open days and other initiatives to get a different demographic involved.   But the industry as a whole has to be sustainable and it hasnt been without top- ups from other than betting revenue. 

I've held stable open days ( in a modest way) as have Kezia Murphy and Anna Furlong more recently, and all very well received. 

But getting tracks renovated properly and in a timely fashion is vital to getting back some punter confidence.  No good taking pot shots at me, Chief, smarter people than me have been trying for years - decades- to get some traction, to no avail.

[curious]

Yes. Programming and handicapping are the two keys to field sizes, aside from track quality. Stakes distribution/allocation may also be a factor. NZTR have shown little interest in addressing any of these in the last two decades.

[Huey]

12 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Well @Huey I'm sure there is a Club out there that needs your executive experience and insight.  Kumara needs you.

They need my paintbrush I'm there if youre involved @Chief Stipe

[Huey]

2 hours ago, Freda said:

Field sizes ( all tied up with programming and dates)  is something that you and a couple of other enlightened sorts have been trying to get attention on, with little interest from management. 

As has been pointed out many times,  the exodus to Aus isn't totally stakes driven.  The Chief has made reference himself  about the lack of opportunity for sprinting fillies, for one, hence the need to send those types over the ditch. There are heaps of other examples.  

The revitalizing of racedays from the viewpoint of young people is important fot sure, as well as stable open days and other initiatives to get a different demographic involved.   But the industry as a whole has to be sustainable and it hasnt been without top- ups from other than betting revenue. 

I've held stable open days ( in a modest way) as have Kezia Murphy and Anna Furlong more recently, and all very well received. 

But getting tracks renovated properly and in a timely fashion is vital to getting back some punter confidence.  No good taking pot shots at me, Chief, smarter people than me have been trying for years - decades- to get some traction, to no avail.

Good to see some of the stable visits well patronised , @Chief Stipe would not have been happy however with many being in my age bracket in fact most looked that age group.

Still wonderful to see iniatives being supported.

[Chief Stipe]

5 hours ago, Huey said:

Good to see some of the stable visits well patronised , @Chief Stipe would not have been happy however with many being in my age bracket in fact most looked that age group.

Still wonderful to see iniatives being supported.

Yes wonderful.  The key metric how many new owners and investors from promotion?  How many were encouraged to participate in some form going forward?  Any data collected?

[Freda]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

Yes wonderful.  The key metric how many new owners and investors from promotion?  How many were encouraged to participate in some form going forward?  Any data collected?

A few more small shares taken.  

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, Freda said:

A few more small shares taken.  

Nothing like a bit of positive marketing.

[Tragedy Beat]

On 19/11/2025 at 10:11 PM, mikeynz said:

Well just imagine the landscape if they had closed those tracks by 24 25 as was the theory.

And you cant sell what isnt yours. Some of these tracks are owned by the clubs! Its their land. Showed how ridiculous the MR was.

[Huey]

5 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Yes wonderful.  The key metric how many new owners and investors from promotion?  How many were encouraged to participate in some form going forward?  Any data collected?

They must have got you in another 5 horses at least with all that PR??

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, Tragedy Beat said:

And you cant sell what isnt yours. Some of these tracks are owned by the clubs! Its their land. Showed how ridiculous the MR was.

Their own land that they can't afford to maintain properly.  

[Huey]

15 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Their own land that they can't afford to maintain properly.  

Who can't ?

Give us some names?

Doesn't have to be the ones you're going to glorify with you presence on their committees , just specific examples.

[Chief Stipe]

12 hours ago, Huey said:

Who can't ?

Give us some names?

Doesn't have to be the ones you're going to glorify with you presence on their committees , just specific examples.

Let's make it easier for you - why don't you name one that is?
 

As I said in an earlier post from the large number of Clubs financial reports I've read none of them have enough revenue to maintain their infrastructure.

[Huey]

44 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Let's make it easier for you - why don't you name one that is?
 

As I said in an earlier post from the large number of Clubs financial reports I've read none of them have enough revenue to maintain their infrastructure.

Name them, you're the one making assertions .

[Chief Stipe]

3 minutes ago, Huey said:

Name them, you're the one making assertions .

I did.  I said ALL of them!  

Doesn't that align with your view of the state of NZ Racing?