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Bit Of A Yarn

The gradual decline of harness racing


Flagship uberalles

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With races like the Maurice Holmes vase likely to be eviscerated in the coming years due to lack of top class horses, surely we need more incentives for owners not to sell high class horses overseas. A great piece from Garrick knight in the press today, also saying there are only 18 Pacers in the south island rated 85 and over! It really makes a complete joke of our system that people have to nominate horses so far out of their class to enable some classic big money races to go ahead.

Screenshot_20190828-094617.png

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4 hours ago, Flagship uberalles said:

With races like the Maurice Holmes vase likely to be eviscerated in the coming years due to lack of top class horses, surely we need more incentives for owners not to sell high class horses overseas. A great piece from Garrick knight in the press today, also saying there are only 18 Pacers in the south island rated 85 and over! It really makes a complete joke of our system that people have to nominate horses so far out of their class to enable some classic big money races to go ahead.

 

4 hours ago, Flagship uberalles said:

With races like the Maurice Holmes vase likely to be eviscerated in the coming years due to lack of top class horses, surely we need more incentives for owners not to sell high class horses overseas. A great piece from Garrick knight in the press today, also saying there are only 18 Pacers in the south island rated 85 and over! It really makes a complete joke of our system that people have to nominate horses so far out of their class to enable some classic big money races to go ahead.

Screenshot_20190828-094617.png

On the other hand in the Trotting ranks we could be in for some stirring contests. 

Monbet( if he stays sound), Sundees Son, Majestic Man, Massive Metro, Lemond etc. 

Chuck in Tornado Valley if he makes a trip over here, and of course our excitement machine Dark Horse who,s due back soon , and maybe a top three yr old and it gets exciting.

 

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7 hours ago, Flagship uberalles said:

It really makes a complete joke of our system that people have to nominate horses so far out of their class to enable some classic big money races to go ahead.

 

The old and established programme of classic races revolved around the NZ Cup but that is certainly no longer the case. Not even in the slightest. It needs to revamped.

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53 minutes ago, Happy Sunrise said:

The old and established programme of classic races revolved around the NZ Cup but that is certainly no longer the case. Not even in the slightest. It needs to revamped.

There just aren’t the no. of higher classed horses around at this time of year.

I am sure come Cup day there will be more around, however the current system for rating horses is just not working.

There just isn’t enough races available for higher class horses and so the owners are selling their horses overseas as there is no chance of winning enough money to make their horse racing investment pay.

One win horses are having to race against horses that have won 10 races and so owners are getting  disillusioned and sell.

Breeders are going to have to be pretty well heeled or have an extremely well bred or well performed mare to make it semi worth breeding in the future.

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7 minutes ago, Flagship uberalles said:

Hopefully a few Aussies will make the trip for NZ cup or this year's will be the weakest in its grand history.

You would have to think that they consider a trip with our top ranks being weak.Grand circuit horses being fit and race hard might have it over ours with a lack of racing opportunity's .

We do it to them often enough at age group level, maybe its payback time.

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On 28/08/2019 at 6:07 PM, Brodie said:

There just aren’t the no. of higher classed horses around at this time of year.

I am sure come Cup day there will be more around, however the current system for rating horses is just not working.

There just isn’t enough races available for higher class horses and so the owners are selling their horses overseas as there is no chance of winning enough money to make their horse racing investment pay.

One win horses are having to race against horses that have won 10 races and so owners are getting  disillusioned and sell.

Breeders are going to have to be pretty well heeled or have an extremely well bred or well performed mare to make it semi worth breeding in the future.

You say the owners are selling overseas because there are not enough races,thus there is no chance of winning enough money. I don't think that's right.       I think the real reason is the domination of the all stars in the pacing ranks is so great that owners sell before their asset is devalued. Proof of that is simple.Just look at who wins all the feature pacing events.

The trotters have no all star domination and their numbers are good. And they operate under the very same handicapping system.

You say owners of 1 win horses are disillusioned because they have to race the winners of multiple races.That may be true for those used to  the multiple  penalty free wins in particular,,but the reality is the current handicapping system has lead to greater overall retention and participation in the lower grades.  So its doing what it was designed to do is it not? 

The topic is headed  the gradual decline of harness racing.

From a  punting  perspective the industry  needs to look at itself  as a cause. Punters expect honesty from participants.. They expect those who's job it is to enforce the rules to do so without fear or favor.  Since the advent of trackside punters are no longer as ignorant as they used to be. 

Just look to Australia to see how harness racing has declined. I was talking to a bloke today from Australia who"s currently visiting over here. He likes a bet.He said he never bets on the trots as he gave up a few years ago because there were too many crooks in the game over there . I said to him he should follow the trots here as I think they currently are as honest as they have been. He just said no,he didn't trust harness racing because of what he knew from a few years ago. 

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7 minutes ago, the galah said:

You say the owners are selling overseas because there are not enough races,thus there is no chance of winning enough money. I don't think that's right.       I think the real reason is the domination of the all stars in the pacing ranks is so great that owners sell before their asset is devalued. Proof of that is simple.Just look at who wins all the feature pacing events.

The trotters have no all star domination and their numbers are good. And they operate under the very same handicapping system.

You say owners of 1 win horses are disillusioned because they have to race the winners of multiple races.That may be true for those used to  the multiple  penalty free wins in particular,,but the reality is the current handicapping system has lead to greater overall retention and participation in the lower grades.  So its doing what it was designed to do is it not? 

The topic is headed  the gradual decline of harness racing.

From a  punting  perspective the industry  needs to look at itself  as a cause. Punters expect honesty from participants.. They expect those who's job it is to enforce the rules to do so without fear or favor.  Since the advent of trackside punters are no longer as ignorant as they used to be. 

Just look to Australia to see how harness racing has declined. I was talking to a bloke today from Australia who"s currently visiting over here. He likes a bet.He said he never bets on the trots as he gave up a few years ago because there were too many crooks in the game over there . I said to him he should follow the trots here as I think they currently are as honest as they have been. He just said no,he didn't trust harness racing because of what he knew from a few years ago. 

It is just unthinkable that they are putting on a $30k open race tomorrow night and the only way the race goes ahead is if horses way out of this class prop it up, just no cup class Pacers around all sold off to the first overseas buyers.... with all stars having 8 of the 18 85+ ranked horses in the country, big race domination looms ......I really hope that the fairytale U may collect keeps going!

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2 hours ago, the galah said:

You say the owners are selling overseas because there are not enough races,thus there is no chance of winning enough money. I don't think that's right.       I think the real reason is the domination of the all stars in the pacing ranks is so great that owners sell before their asset is devalued. Proof of that is simple.Just look at who wins all the feature pacing events.

The trotters have no all star domination and their numbers are good. And they operate under the very same handicapping system.

You say owners of 1 win horses are disillusioned because they have to race the winners of multiple races.That may be true for those used to  the multiple  penalty free wins in particular,,but the reality is the current handicapping system has lead to greater overall retention and participation in the lower grades.  So its doing what it was designed to do is it not? 

The topic is headed  the gradual decline of harness racing.

From a  punting  perspective the industry  needs to look at itself  as a cause. Punters expect honesty from participants.. They expect those who's job it is to enforce the rules to do so without fear or favor.  Since the advent of trackside punters are no longer as ignorant as they used to be. 

Just look to Australia to see how harness racing has declined. I was talking to a bloke today from Australia who"s currently visiting over here. He likes a bet.He said he never bets on the trots as he gave up a few years ago because there were too many crooks in the game over there . I said to him he should follow the trots here as I think they currently are as honest as they have been. He just said no,he didn't trust harness racing because of what he knew from a few years ago. 

Galah, you are correct that the domination does make owners sell overseas, and that is part of the reason that there aren’t enough horses going around in the higher classes, so yes no races and so the owners sell.

Before  the domination there were always plenty of 4 or 5 win races but not now as many of them are racing against one win horses.

Yes there has been a retention of horses in the lower class races due to the points system as an average horse like All Nuts and Bolts who has probably won 10 races or close is racing against one win horses.

NZ harness racing is a lot more fairer and honest than the Ozzie’s, due to the fact that we are Kiwis and the ones over the Tasman are Ozzie’s, so self explanatory!

 

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