Closng Tracks

[Reefton]

21 minutes ago, Thomass said:

There's far too much focus on this closing down tracks b/s...

The word in the report is CONSULTATION...confirmed by Bernie and Winnie...

Relax...Bernie will sort it..

Winnie provided a minder or two from his Ministry to help the Messiah out on his crusade...hence 'we'

I wouldn't trust Winnie and Bernie as far as I could kick either of them.  And as far as Messara being helped by Winnie's 'minder's' - well they are another two non entities who have turned up (like the faceless mob on the NZRB and NZTR)

You would be better off getting my brother who(much as it pains me to say it given my relationship with him) at least has a modicum of intelligence, a tremendous amount of experience and an imagination and can put a coherent sentence together(albeit using a lot of big words that nobody can understand) .  It would sure be an interesting report!

[hesi]

4 minutes ago, curious said:

Yep. All of those but primarily the latter.

I'm glad to see you are on the Strathayr wagon, albeit, constructed properly.

Synthetic tracks(Polytrack, Tapeta), would be a bridge too far and a big mistake.  Thoroughbred racing in NZ is turf.

I recall the experiment of night racing at Avondale being an abject failure, because so many trainers would not take their horses to race there at night, so fields eventually became abyssmal

 

[Mooncoin]

9 hours ago, hesi said:

Track closures must be based on a previous report, you can't come up with 190 mil figure to upgrade 28 tracks, 294 mil figure to upgrade 52 tracks, in 3 months.

If the plan is to close tracks to generate cash, then I struggle to see the need to close any rural tracks, because their sale will generate very little cash.  That's assuming of course, that the track is safe, the facilities are adequate, even if outdated(who goes other than the big days and Xmas hols), and that they are not a drain on NZ racing resources.

On that criteria, close the tracks that will generate the big dollars, even though it may be a bitter pill and a contentious land grab issue

Can someone also explain, how can you race at Cambridge in 2019/20, on a synthetic track(work to start Jan 2019), when there are no facilities there to be able to conduct a race meeting, or are there??

And if there are no facilities there, how can Rotorua close, and race at Cambridge

Exactly Hesi, "The Report" is stressing how much $$$ is being wasted and costs to be reduced.I'm still scratching my head over Cambridge !!The track will be a saucer will it not?new facilities at what cost?What will be the new surfaces?Will they stick with one type or choose a track to suit each area?

 

[hesi]

2 minutes ago, Mooncoin said:

Exactly Hesi, "The Report" is stressing how much $$$ is being wasted and costs to be reduced.I'm still scratching my head over Cambridge !!The track will be a saucer will it not?new facilities at what cost?What will be the new surfaces?Will they stick with one type or choose a track to suit each area?

 

And then the plan is to sell whatever it is they have there in 8 years time and move to the Waikato Greenfields project.  Seems like a waste of money to me

[Reefton]

4 minutes ago, curious said:

And there's little hope of his fantasies being taken seriously either. There's no effing horses in Auckland. Why keep a racetrack there?

You have to have the major racing in the vicinity of the people Curious.  Otherwise Messiah would be shutting and selling Randwick and Rosehill and shifting Sydney racing out to Penrith or somewhere.

The horses might be in the Waikato but they have to come to the people regularly if you want new interest in the game.  Otherwise you are never going to get John's 18-44 year olds hooked(and who will Thomass be able to fantasize about if there are no 18 year old girlies about in short skirts?)

[curious]

1 hour ago, hesi said:

What is the point of upgrading Ruakaka, too far away from anything, especially with rising fuel costs

Would you not also need to keep tracks at Matamata and Cambridge as your 2 major training centres in the North

Ruakaka...Well, my aim is to keep racing strong in the regions, but make them more cost effective for owners and trainers by running 3 day events there, not one dayers.

Matamata and Cambridge. No unnecessary and part of the reason for having both a Strathayr and synthetic at the new Waikato and other two new venues so they can also act as the major training centres in the area.

[curious]

2 minutes ago, Reefton said:

You have to have the major racing in the vicinity of the people Curious.  Otherwise Messiah would be shutting and selling Randwick and Rosehill and shifting Sydney racing out to Penrith or somewhere.

The horses might be in the Waikato but they have to come to the people regularly if you want new interest in the game.  Otherwise you are never going to get John's 18-44 year olds hooked(and who will Thomass be able to fantasize about if there are no 18 year old girlies about in short skirts?)

I'd focus on moving  Mohammed to the mountain, not the other way around.

[Reefton]

Just now, curious said:

I'd focus on moving  Mohammed to the mountain, not the other way around.

I'd argue about that but even more reason to abandon the West Coast totally

[Reefton]

1 hour ago, hesi said:

I'm glad to see you are on the Strathayr wagon, albeit, constructed properly.

Synthetic tracks(Polytrack, Tapeta), would be a bridge too far and a big mistake.  Thoroughbred racing in NZ is turf.

I recall the experiment of night racing at Avondale being an abject failure, because so many trainers would not take their horses to race there at night, so fields eventually became abyssmal

 

Trainers are pretty hard things Hesi - they want everyone dragged into the 21st century(including pinching land that belongs to the clubs not the industry) but do not want to adapt themselves.

They could always set up stabling and maybe accommodation in the middle of Avondale anyway and keep the horses there.

If they do not do something to make racing more attractive in terms of timeliness(ie at night) then they will be stuffed regardless. Why build all these facilities everyone is wanking on about if there will be nobody there to use them?(which there will not be if you do not have them close to the people and at convenient times)

[curious]

2 hours ago, Reefton said:

I'd argue about that but even more reason to abandon the West Coast totally

That's a fair point. I was trying to sustain interest in the regions further than a couple of hours from the 3 central tracks though by having racing events closer to home but more sustainable by having a chance for horses to have a couple of runs if they go to the expense of the travel.

[hesi]

40 minutes ago, Reefton said:

 

If they do not do something to make racing more attractive in terms of timeliness(ie at night) then they will be stuffed regardless. Why build all these facilities everyone is wanking on about if there will be nobody there to use them?(which there will not be if you do not have them close to the people and at convenient times)

That's why I said, regarding this whole exercise of track rationalizations you have to be very clear what your objective is and that the rationale for that objective is well thought out

At the moment the logic is closing tracks to generate cash, but lots if holes in the plan, that even a nobody like me can conclude