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Bit Of A Yarn

Riccarton. Blundered at start.


Jenny

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28 minutes ago, curious said:

It's not that it happened that worries me. That's a mistake. It's that those who are supposed to inspect the track on race mornings including the course manager and stipes didn't, that's inexcusable. They obviously didn't even bother to drive around it.

Yes a mistake that should have been picked up BEFORE racing started.  Same as the hole at Ellerslie.

But who does inspect tracks or walk the track on race mornings anymore?  I've told this story many times but I walked Ellerslie early morning on a Group 1 Day about 16 years ago.  The track was appalling but worse there was a hole about 10 inches round and over 3 foot deep half way up the straight and 5 horse widths out.  I went back and got the Trainer and if we hadn't travelled so far he would have scratched.  Nigel Tiley was with us and he scratched because of the track.

We placed a tree in the hole and told the track manager.  Disaster averted.

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5 hours ago, Reefton said:

But the bottom line is mistakes like the cones are easy to make

There maybe an excuse at a once a year bush meeting like Reefton who no doubt rely on volunteers but there is absolutely no excuse at a metropolitan track with a multitude of payed staff.

CEO Mills lives on the property at Riccarton Park, a stones throw from the course proper, how many times would've he walked the course before a race meeting? I personally have spent many hours around Riccarton (mostly track-work mornings) and can't ever recall seeing Mills present but have regularly seen him sitting on a bar stool at the Racecourse Pub !

Although I have little respect for Mills, the buck stops with the stewards in charge of the meeting to ensure all is in order regards track issues etc. and ignoring the fact that a multitude of runners have blundered the start through no fault of their own is unacceptable.

 

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17 minutes ago, billy connolly said:

There maybe an excuse at a once a year bush meeting like Reefton who no doubt rely on volunteers but there is absolutely no excuse at a metropolitan track with a multitude of payed staff.

CEO Mills lives on the property at Riccarton Park, a stones throw from the course proper, how many times would've he walked the course before a race meeting? I personally have spent many hours around Riccarton (mostly track-work mornings) and can't ever recall seeing Mills present but have regularly seen him sitting on a bar stool at the Racecourse Pub !

Although I have little respect for Mills, the buck stops with the stewards in charge of the meeting to ensure all is in order regards track issues etc. and ignoring the fact that a multitude of runners have blundered the start through no fault of their own is unacceptable.

 

Couldn't agree more. Just someone to drive the course beforehand to make sure everything is in order. You would expect it to be standard practice

It shows the loss of the stipes going out to patrol towers - one of them surely would have picked it up.

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1 hour ago, curious said:

It's not that it happened that worries me. That's a mistake. It's that those who are supposed to inspect the track on race mornings including the course manager and stipes didn't, that's inexcusable. They obviously didn't even bother to drive around it.

Good point actually.  On reflection there is of course a penetrometer reading done in the morning.  There was more than one person not doing their job.

Good job Riccarton is so wide and they could swerve to avoid the cones.

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21 minutes ago, Reefton said:

Good point actually.  On reflection there is of course a penetrometer reading done in the morning.  There was more than one person not doing their job.

Good job Riccarton is so wide and they could swerve to avoid the cones.

lol...they didn't...most jumped them.  Lucky Lee Callaway was in front at the time, he kicked up and most of the rest followed.

Edited by Freda
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Jockeys are getting soft. So what, one horse has slipped, that happens in many races. 
 

FFS, it’s a brilliant warm day, just heard Kylie Williams on tv saying grass is wet, yet ground hard???

Well, hello. Give it a wee while and it will burn off, christ the jockeys are making the rules

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This is disgusting….. whoever was talking on trackside said if it wasn’t such a big day of racing, meeting would be called off? What a stupid thing to say, it’s either safe to ride if the race is worth $10k or a million, shit for brains comment. 
I can see this called off, all because of a handful of jockeys that probably have shit rides. My contacts tell me that 90% of jockeys are happy to race

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35 minutes ago, Newmarket said:

This is disgusting….. whoever was talking on trackside said if it wasn’t such a big day of racing, meeting would be called off? What a stupid thing to say, it’s either safe to ride if the race is worth $10k or a million, shit for brains comment. 
I can see this called off, all because of a handful of jockeys that probably have shit rides. My contacts tell me that 90% of jockeys are happy to race

 

36 minutes ago, Newmarket said:

This is disgusting….. whoever was talking on trackside said if it wasn’t such a big day of racing, meeting would be called off? What a stupid thing to say, it’s either safe to ride if the race is worth $10k or a million, shit for brains comment. 
I can see this called off, all because of a handful of jockeys that probably have shit rides. My contacts tell me that 90% of jockeys are happy to race

Think it was Leith Innes making the statement. 

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56 minutes ago, Newmarket said:

Jockeys are getting soft. So what, one horse has slipped, that happens in many races. 
 

FFS, it’s a brilliant warm day, just heard Kylie Williams on tv saying grass is wet, yet ground hard???

Well, hello. Give it a wee while and it will burn off, christ the jockeys are making the rules

H & S rules make it mandatory to call races off if there is a KNOWN problem.  

Don't blame the jockeys.  Do you think they want to miss out on prestige races and great money? 

They know, better than most, how much work goes in, ffs many work these same horses daily.  How many hopes and dreams just got scuttled?   What are you thinking?

The buck stops with who served this tripe up on a Grp One day.   Unbelievable.

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What a total fuck up of biblical proportions. 

I remember reading a month or two back how the NZTR were spouting off big time about how they were going to stop having so many meetings cancelled. They announced that by getting the top track managers to work with the so called "experts MARTIN COLLINS, all track problems would be minimal.

How bloody ironic is that on MARTIN COLLINS NEW ZEALAND CUP DAY, the track is fucked and subsequently abandoned.

You stupid idiots. The one day to make an impression and you blew it.

They will be playing ring a ring a rosie round the Petone pie warmer this week in celebration.

 

Tracks.jpg

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28 minutes ago, Freda said:

H & S rules make it mandatory to call races off if there is a KNOWN problem.  

Don't blame the jockeys.  Do you think they want to miss out on prestige races and great money? 

They know, better than most, how much work goes in, ffs many work these same horses daily.  How many hopes and dreams just got scuttled?   What are you thinking?

The buck stops with who served this tripe up on a Grp One day.   Unbelievable.

So if it was that dangerous, why did they run any races today? Any complaints first race, any complaints 2nd race??? If jockeys were concerned they would never have started the meeting. 

H&S, ha ha your a funny woman. Didn’t seem to have issues with so many horses falling, but if one slips your all over it. 
Once we get more feedback from jockeys that didn’t have issue with track, maybe you will change your mind

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