Riccarton track

[Ludwig]

Just curious about the state of the Riccarton track for tomorrow? And what are the long term prospects for Cup week?

[Freda]

A fair bit of work has been done, the rain was welcome though; Canterbury at this time of the year firms up very quickly.

Good sole of grass from what I can see.

 

[Shad]

I thought the racing was good there today, interesting reading the stipes report on The Growlers run, rider saying horse needed more moisture in the track, virtually the same comment as his last race, guess the old story punter beware, just wondered why he would race again in unsuitable conditions.

[Freda]

8 hours ago, Shad said:

I thought the racing was good there today, interesting reading the stipes report on The Growlers run, rider saying horse needed more moisture in the track, virtually the same comment as his last race, guess the old story punter beware, just wondered why he would race again in unsuitable conditions.

The track was rated D4,  and grass cover looked good.

Should have suited all horses.

However my first runner stripped all four of his fetlocks - which he has never done before.

Riders reported to me track was hard, rough and full of holes.  I know there has been a lot of work done,  but this just shows the hammering the track took over the winter and how it is next to impossible to repair given Canterbury's climate and the soil composition. 

[Chief Stipe]

29 minutes ago, Freda said:

The track was rated D4,  and grass cover looked good.

Should have suited all horses.

However my first runner stripped all four of his fetlocks - which he has never done before.

Riders reported to me track was hard, rough and full of holes.  I know there has been a lot of work done,  but this just shows the hammering the track took over the winter and how it is next to impossible to repair given Canterbury's climate and the soil composition. 

Have they been putting sand on/in it?

It looked OK on TV but the grass looked clumpy and with the rail out so far they would have been running on the worst maintained part of the track.

Time to deep rip and start irrigating.

[Shad]

29 minutes ago, Freda said:

The track was rated D4,  and grass cover looked good.

Should have suited all horses.

However my first runner stripped all four of his fetlocks - which he has never done before.

Riders reported to me track was hard, rough and full of holes.  I know there has been a lot of work done,  but this just shows the hammering the track took over the winter and how it is next to impossible to repair given Canterbury's climate and the soil composition. 

Sorry to hear that frieda, hope he or she makes a full recovery, looks obviously deceiving, hard enough getting one to the races, let alone having one getting injured, hopeful our boy might get there one day is 7 now, and has a couple of very patience owners, they do say patience is a virtue, we live in hope.Good luck with your team.

[Freda]

12 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Have they been putting sand on/in it?

It looked OK on TV but the grass looked clumpy and with the rail out so far they would have been running on the worst maintained part of the track.

Time to deep rip and start irrigating.

Sand?  not as far as I am aware.

The rail out forced horses onto the area used for galloping, over the winter.   

With another meeting in a fortnight, another a fortnight after that, then Cup meeting, they would have had no choice but to try and protect that inner portion - what else can they do in that time-frame?    Hammer Ashburton again ?  they have their own feature meeting next month ,and no track manager!  I'm sure they are doing their best, and local farmers, if co-operative, would undoubtedly be very competent.  But, not ideal for them, going forward.

Meantime, Rangiora sits twenty minutes up the road, unused and unwanted.

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, Freda said:

With another meeting in a fortnight, another a fortnight after that, then Cup meeting, they would have had no choice but to try and protect that inner portion

But protecting 7 metres isn't going to fix anything.

[curious]

6 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Have they been putting sand on/in it?

Pretty sure I saw sand or something flying up around the finish line in one of the later races.

[curious]

6 hours ago, Freda said:

Sand?  not as far as I am aware.

The rail out forced horses onto the area used for galloping, over the winter.   

With another meeting in a fortnight, another a fortnight after that, then Cup meeting, they would have had no choice but to try and protect that inner portion - what else can they do in that time-frame?    Hammer Ashburton again ?  they have their own feature meeting next month ,and no track manager!  I'm sure they are doing their best, and local farmers, if co-operative, would undoubtedly be very competent.  But, not ideal for them, going forward.

Meantime, Rangiora sits twenty minutes up the road, unused and unwanted.

Probably should switch one or two days to the AWT so they can get it sorted for the Cup meeting.. That's what it's for isn't it?

[Joe Bloggs]

That might upset the natives C.

[Shad]

Interesting I took one that drew one at 1200m start, went back as its general racing pattern, last on the rail at the turn, then rider hooks off the rail to about 6 wide,I know probably looking for a run but to be fair lost about as much as it made, whatever happened to the days of the rail being the shortest way home ,and riding for luck, at the end of the day far better a horse running home on the rail than working extra by racing  wide, and having a tough run.

[nomates]

27 minutes ago, Shad said:

Interesting I took one that drew one at 1200m start, went back as its general racing pattern, last on the rail at the turn, then rider hooks off the rail to about 6 wide,I know probably looking for a run but to be fair lost about as much as it made, whatever happened to the days of the rail being the shortest way home ,and riding for luck, at the end of the day far better a horse running home on the rail than working extra by racing  wide, and having a tough run.

Why didn't D Johnson show some patience on Imperatriz in the Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings , sitting in the trail , horses in front weren't battling but couldn't get off fast enough , gave up the run that the winner took . No patience , and she was last seasons leading rider , what hope the rest .

[Shad]

1 hour ago, nomates said:

Why didn't D Johnson show some patience on Imperatriz in the Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings , sitting in the trail , horses in front weren't battling but couldn't get off fast enough , gave up the run that the winner took . No patience , and she was last seasons leading rider , what hope the rest .

Yep agree, possibly over confident, you do see that quite often, can be different result  when a horse from the 3 back has to come around you as to opposed to traveling inside you, with an uninterrupted run, I thought in the early days jockeys were told never to let there horses drift off the rail.

[Huey]

1 hour ago, nomates said:

Why didn't D Johnson show some patience on Imperatriz in the Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings , sitting in the trail , horses in front weren't battling but couldn't get off fast enough , gave up the run that the winner took . No patience , and she was last seasons leading rider , what hope the rest .

You could possibly put another 4 or 5 riders on the mounts she gets & they would also be country leading rider.

[Freda]

3 hours ago, curious said:

Probably should switch one or two days to the AWT so they can get it sorted for the Cup meeting.. That's what it's for isn't it?

Not yet.

[Freda]

2 hours ago, Shad said:

Interesting I took one that drew one at 1200m start, went back as its general racing pattern, last on the rail at the turn, then rider hooks off the rail to about 6 wide,I know probably looking for a run but to be fair lost about as much as it made, whatever happened to the days of the rail being the shortest way home ,and riding for luck, at the end of the day far better a horse running home on the rail than working extra by racing  wide, and having a tough run.

Pitty would agree with me here - often the rail is NOT the best place to be.  Shorter trip, yes,  but if the rail is off then its the worst place to be.

[Chief Stipe]

2 hours ago, nomates said:

No patience , and she was last seasons leading rider , what hope the rest

Johnson hasn't been riding well for a while.  I think she got too used to riding the good ones that could win from anywhere.

Riddell and Allpress are riding well.  That young Sarah McNab showed some patience, nerve and skill in the Gold Trail.  

Perhaps come Level 3 Opie will build a shack a kilometre down the road and be back riding.

[Chief Stipe]

52 minutes ago, Freda said:

Not yet.

Something needs to happen because they are running out of time.  Timaru still looking good?

They won't race at Rangiora because @Pitman won't go there.

[Ludwig]

It's alarming when riders are saying the track is "hard, rough and full of holes". How does this give owners and trainers any confidence to send valuable horses and riders to a course where this is being expressed? Surely someone in the hierarchy of command must intervene?

[Huey]

47 minutes ago, Ludwig said:

It's alarming when riders are saying the track is "hard, rough and full of holes". How does this give owners and trainers any confidence to send valuable horses and riders to a course where this is being expressed? Surely someone in the hierarchy of command must intervene?

You don't want them intervening , they already have in closing down venues etc. What you need is trainers to step up.

[Freda]

10 hours ago, Ludwig said:

It's alarming when riders are saying the track is "hard, rough and full of holes". How does this give owners and trainers any confidence to send valuable horses and riders to a course where this is being expressed? Surely someone in the hierarchy of command must intervene?

To do what, exactly?

I agree, not a good state of affairs.

But the die has been cast ( as far as Riccarton is concerned ) with firstly, the increase in meetings there, and latterly, the push to reduce racedays elsewhere. 

The AWT will certainly reduce the wear and tear on the grass course proper, but it isn't quite ready yet.  Fulton Hogan have more work to do yet, then trials have to take place.

The bloody place was so waterlogged after National meeting that remedial work would have been very difficult indeed. 

[Shad]

11 hours ago, Freda said:

Pitty would agree with me here - often the rail is NOT the best place to be.  Shorter trip, yes,  but if the rail is off then its the worst place to be.

Maybe a double edged sword I guess, but don't see a lot  sense in coming so wide especially getting around the corner at speed, hard on the horse, you lose alot of ground and most of the time are no better off, interesting debate all the same.

[Huey]

1 hour ago, Freda said:

To do what, exactly?

I agree, not a good state of affairs.

But the die has been cast ( as far as Riccarton is concerned ) with firstly, the increase in meetings there, and latterly, the push to reduce racedays elsewhere. 

The AWT will certainly reduce the wear and tear on the grass course proper, but it isn't quite ready yet.  Fulton Hogan have more work to do yet, then trials have to take place.

The bloody place was so waterlogged after National meeting that remedial work would have been very difficult indeed. 

Once again showing the ineptness of our leadership in this country and that the plan (what plan really) has never really existed, they just make it up and are so incompetent they don't even realise by making changes somewhere it has ramifications somewhere else or further down the line. 

[nomates]

39 minutes ago, Huey said:

Once again showing the ineptness of our leadership in this country and that the plan (what plan really) has never really existed, they just make it up and are so incompetent they don't even realise by making changes somewhere it has ramifications somewhere else or further down the line. 

Exactly Huey , where are the regional plans or a National plan , everything is reactive and piecemeal , and when things are done it's in a disjointed way . 

Going to be interesting to see what they will do if the Waikato goes back into full lockdown today with these new cases .