Jump to content
NOTICE TO BOAY'ers: Major Update Coming ×
Bit Of A Yarn

"It is not bad, it is actually appalling."


Rangatira

Recommended Posts

On ‎27‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 8:53 PM, Rangatira said:

 

Jones said the lack of pathways for up-and-coming horses to learn their trade against like competitors has developed into a sad situation for harness racing.

"When I go to the races now, probably the happiest person I see is the person that has run second in the maiden trot.

"The most disappointed one is the winner, because they think `where the hell do I go now?'.

"They are actually disappointed to win a race that and that is not the way it should be.

"

Just re reading these comments and it made me think of the mark jones drive in the non win trot at Timaru last week where his tactical decision making early in the race made no sense. Then again who can really be sure. 

My point is he is sowing the seeds for punters to mistrust drivers intentions.That is not a good thing,whether the comments and drive was rightly or wrongly interpreted. 

If drivers are thinking along these lines then they should leave the driving to someone else. 

 

Edited by the galah
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jacks Legend a very good horse but bugger all races for him in the North Island, and you can’t blame the owners for selling if the price was right!

Turning them over is the name of the game nowadays, as there is absolutely no money in racing horses with the amount of costs involved!

Most Owners know that they are pushing it uphill nowadays racing for the big stakes!

Edited by Brodie
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Brodie said:

Jacks Legend a very good horse but bugger all races for him in the North Island, and you can’t blame the owners for selling if the price was right!

Turning them over is the name of the game nowadays, as there is absolutely no money in racing horses with the amount of costs involved!

Most Owners know that they are pushing it uphill nowadays racing for the big stakes!

I shall take the last statement into consideration as our horse starts in the Rowe Cup as one of the favourites..

On second thought , nah. Eat yah heart out Brodie. Nya, nya, nya.?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Flagship uberalles said:

Think Brodie was talking pacers, the trotters are very competitive now, great seeing fields in big races that have more than 1 or 2 chances..... Rowe cup will be one of the races of the year.

Well if the Pacers are stuffed (aka Brodie) then come on guys get into the Square gaiters. We are always looking for more syndicate members and expanding the barn with the Premier trotting family . Email me privately and I will send you all the details . Eh Entebee, and Mark.:)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, Flagship uberalles said:

Think Brodie was talking pacers, the trotters are very competitive now, great seeing fields in big races that have more than 1 or 2 chances..... Rowe cup will be one of the races of the year.

Yes I was talking about the pacers mainly, although the dominant stable have got a few extremely good trotters that will be very prominent in the big trotters races in the next year or so.

Look, it is great if you own a very good horse and I hope you can win a lot of money with it, especially if you can beat the dominant stable.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the ODT.

Good stuff.

Friday, 3 May 2019

Turn it up! Harness racing system problematic

 

Last week harness racing trainers gave a damning report on the country's ratings-based handicapping system in this paper.

The comments seemed certain to get industry participants talking, and they did not disappoint.

Clearly there needs to be some kind of change to harness racing handicapping.

While I certainly back the need for change, I can also see why that is difficult.

I believe the current handicapping system is just one part of what is a dark reality for harness racing.

And it is likely that it could be the same case for other codes, countries and jurisdictions.

The current ratings system actively rewards horses for getting beaten.

Run down the track and lose rating points, and a horse can compete at a lesser rating in its next start.

It sounds like a terrible idea to most.

However, the cold and dark reality of this is that the wider industry actually benefits from this scenario.

Harness racing has a shrinking horse population, and needs as many competitive horses in racing as possible.

Simply put, the industry simply needs and wants horses starting to provide a betting product.

Some will win, some will lose, and the industry will bank its cut of the turnover.

I do not like it, but it's part of the demise of a once-thriving industry.

The ratings system is simply a reflection of the entire harness racing game.

Fewer horses are in work, fewer horses are being bred and the ratings system, which is designed to help the industry deal with that, is the fall guy.

Because of that scenario, the ratings system is likely to be here to stay.

It needs to provide a platform for any horse to be competitive, regardless of its age, experience or previous record.

The current system has revived the careers of many horses who would have been uncompetitive under the previous system.

That is a good thing.

The message from trainers is that some of the good from that is coming at the expense of other horses.

They contend that once a horse is out of the maiden grade, its career prospects are immediately bleak if it is not a future top-liner.

They contend that the very system that is designed to extend a horse's career is limiting it.

That sounds like a major flaw!

The question is: why is this the case?

The answer looks simple.

Obviously the system has some flaws, and the way it assigns points needs adjusting.

One of the most glaring flaws in the transfer of points is the current system not awarding points to placegetters.

If it does not penalise placings, the system can not be considered to be a true ratings system.

It may still be a rating system by name, but it is a far cry from the properly-designed ratings systems which are used successfully throughout the world.

Why the removal of placing points was allowed to happen is baffling.

What were the committee that oversee the system thinking?

They need to admit defeat on this point and other flaws the system has in the interests of harness racing.

And two things should happen.

Firstly, officials should not give up on having a ratings system because the current one is a shambles.

A properly-designed system should benefit the industry.

So, officials, associations and individuals should put all of their past agendas and manoeuvres aside.

The industry needs to admit the current system is not working, and work to rebuild a better one.

Look overseas - that is where these ratings systems were born, and where they thrive.

Let's get rebuilding this thing, and quickly... before any more young horses end up on the scrap heap.

Happy trails.

https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/racing/turn-it-harness-racing-system-problematic

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...