Don't blame the clubs

[Mark D]

I recall someone saying in another thread (which I can't find at the moment) that it is the club's responsibility to present their tracks in a safe condition and I meant to reply but forgot (dementia).  That is true to an extent but NZTR has taken an overseeing role in the past 20? years and have enforced various things onto these clubs in relation to their tracks eg track WOF and Track people like Gary Foskett so if there is a problem they are also responsible. I recall them imposing conditions on the Waverley club (against their wishes) who felt that they had a better idea on the local conditions being farmers in the area for decades.

Further these clubs get very little funding from racedays to undertake any improvements as they get no commissions on betting anymore which used to be their lifeline.

So don't blames the clubs (who undoubtedly have incompetence running through them eg RACE, Auckland, Waikato, Canterbury) the major part of the blame rests with the NZTR management and boards - past and present.

[curious]

It was probably me Mark. The responsibility lies clearly with the clubs to prepare suitable tracks. NZTR can provide policy, guidelines, advice, whatever but if clubs choose to ignore it, essentially telling NZTR to stick it, there is little they can do beyond what they are in not funding the abandoned days and removing other racedays until they can present suitable tracks.

[Mark D]

11 minutes ago, curious said:

It was probably me Mark. The responsibility lies clearly with the clubs to prepare suitable tracks. NZTR can provide policy, guidelines, advice, whatever but if clubs choose to ignore it, essentially telling NZTR to stick it, there is little they can do beyond what they are in not funding the abandoned days and removing other racedays until they can present suitable tracks.

Yes but if they do follow everything they advise, guidelines, advice etc and it still goes pear shaped don't try to tell me that NZTR are not culpable.

[Reefton]

7 minutes ago, curious said:

It was probably me Mark. The responsibility lies clearly with the clubs to prepare suitable tracks. NZTR can provide policy, guidelines, advice, whatever but if clubs choose to ignore it, essentially telling NZTR to stick it, there is little they can do beyond what they are in not funding the abandoned days and removing other racedays until they can present suitable tracks.

To be fair whilst we listen to NZTR we have not always followed their guidance to the letter of the law but we have kept in touch with them (Gary Foskett in particular) about what we are doing and have always been Ok.  Of course it is easy when you have one day a year but you also have to say it is not often the  Waverley's or Reefton's of this world that have track troubles.  Dummy Myers told me the bloke from Waverley would be one of NZ's best trackmen(and he would know)

I know I have said this before but about ten or so years ago the trotters hammered our course on a wet day.  We had two options - roll it or transfer.  We rolled it with a twelve tonne road roller.  There might have been bare patches come raceday but they were flat bare patches.  It was parked off the track when Foskett arrived - he looked at it, knew what we had been up to, and shook his head.  But he knew Peter O'Malley knew what he was doing so he was comfortable.

I rail against irrigation too close to raceday but last year we were virtually right up to race morning given we had seven days between the two meetings of 30 plus degrees.  Plus it had been verti drained the day after the trots.  You do what you have to do and race morning it was a dead 4 but a good 3 by race time.

A bit ironic but Gary Foskett is coming down tomorrow to help us install our new rail.  We never had a complaint about him - good to work with and never threw the toys out of the cot.  Our track is fantastic but the trotters will pound the life out of it.

[curious]

1 hour ago, Mark D said:

Yes but if they do follow everything they advise, guidelines, advice etc and it still goes pear shaped don't try to tell me that NZTR are not culpable.

Can't think of a case where that has occurred but if it has or did and best practice preparation has been followed, then it's probably due circumstances beyond anyone's control and I would see neither the club nor NZTR responsible.

Edited December 15, 2022 by curious

[Reefton]

37 minutes ago, curious said:

Can't think of a case where that has occurred but if it has or did and best practice preparation has been followed, then it's probably due circumstances beyond anyone's control and I would see neither the club nor NZTR responsible.

Of course that is assuming the NZTR advice is actually good advice in the circumstances

I suspect there has been a lot of advice(and probably a lot of industry money) handed out to clubs for track renovation that has proven to be deficient over the years.

And to be fair on this very very tragic day for NZ Racing the really bad incidents that have happened here have not been attributable to track issues.  Rangiora was probably the last one where it is generally accepted that it was a track problem. 

Very very sad.  Makes me as a Club President shudder and very much reflect on my responsibilities.  At least the last two years I have breathed a massive sigh of relief at the end when everyone has come through unscathed   

 

 

[curious]

It's a big responsibility that you shoulder Reefton. Some other clubs don't seem to grasp the gravity of that.

[Reefton]

17 minutes ago, curious said:

It's a big responsibility that you shoulder Reefton. Some other clubs don't seem to grasp the gravity of that.

I suppose Clubs and track staff get blase.  And by the time everyone pokes their oar in about what should be done with tracks they probably get crankier still.

Neither do a lot of racegoers.  When they have occasionally cancelled Kumara due to safety concerns the moaning from the public!  My comment is always I wouldn't  want one of them(Jockeys) to break a fingernail let alone something more serious.