Hesi Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Much to the dismay of the doom merchants, there are 9 races that should get capacity fields of 12 runners. You would not expect many scratchings(4 so far) other than the ballots, because horses won't be faced with a bog track Going to be interesting, will the racing community in general take to it, or will it be a flash in the pan. With tracks at Riccarton and Awapuni, will this mark a watershed in NZ racing, that sees the decline of the good old fashioned mudders, that we have come to love What will the divvies be like, when the factor of assessing just what type of heavy track, is taken out. Who knows, I guess the thing the racing honchos will be looking at is a dramatic increase in turnover. Not that we will ever know, because data is still not published Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hesi Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 Cambridge Jockey Club ready to host first synthetic track meeting NZ Racing Desk 16 May 2021 A frenetic week for the Cambridge Jockey Club will culminate on Wednesday when the country’s first official racemeeting run on a synthetic track will be hosted at their complex. Construction of the Polytrack surface began in January 2020 and despite some hiccups caused by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown two months later, the Club has been successfully operating jump-outs, trial meetings and morning trackwork on the surface since October. With the final acid test of the surface and facilities less than 72 hours away, Cambridge Jockey Club chief executive Mark Fraser-Campin is excited about the transformation of the entire training complex as it readies to host the historic event. “It’s a cracking day here today (Sunday) and we’re hoping to get the same weather on Wednesday,” he said. “We’re flat out getting everything in shape for the day, including all of the things that need to be ready to host what we think could be a pretty decent crowd. “We’ve got two large marquees set up for the public and industry participants and we’re working on the last-minute items that can get overlooked at times, including the parking plans and traffic flow options. “To be fair if you had been here two weeks ago you may have been a little worried, but all the new concrete has gone in, the jockey rooms have been upgraded and over the weekend we have put new linoleum in the kitchen, painted the floors and completed a number of tasks like that. “I guess the hardest thing is knowing how many are going to turn up to a mid-week meeting although from what we have heard there could be a pretty big crowd if the weather plays its part.” Cambridge Jockey Club Chief Executive, Mark Fraser-Campin. Photo Credit: Trish Dunell While Fraser-Campin is making sure the creature comforts for all participants will be up to scratch, Wednesday’s meeting will not mark the official opening of the track as a racing surface. “We’re treating Wednesday as a soft opening and we’re looking at having an official function and the like at our racemeeting on July 28 where we will have our $40,000 races in play,” he said. “By that stage we will have five meetings under our belt and it makes sense to do it then to close out the season. “That way we can host our dignitaries and the people who have helped make it all possible, in the appropriate manner.” With jumping trials on the Cambridge grass surface scheduled for Monday and a full day of trials on the Polytrack on Tuesday, the Club has more than just the racemeeting on its plate this week. “It’s going to be a pretty full-on week with all the activity over those three days,” Fraser-Campin said. “The good thing is that we know the Polytrack will cop the workload as it has been doing that since we kicked off on it last year. “We are likely to have around 170 horses at the trials and we have capacity fields for Wednesday, but our track manager Derek Collett has no concerns even if the weather packs it in. “I think the beauty of it all is that the track has been designed as a winter racing option and what we have achieved over the spring and summer is only the prelude to the main objective. “Once this first meeting is out of the way I think we will see the benefits over the coming months and even though we will learn a lot from the day, I’m confident that the Industry will embrace what the surface has to offer to us all.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turny Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 (edited) Interesting Hesi, my observations of Ballarat and Pakenham is some definitely handle it and some don't, a pure watch for me but agree you will get very few scratchings on this surface - I am interested to see if a front running bias is presented one of the complaints Mlb trainers often table But I have little doubt it is definitely a key to the future, the winter bog tracks are gone..... Edited May 17, 2021 by Turny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hesi Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 Add into the equation a Strathayr at Ellerslie, which if done properly will see better Winter footing. What will happen? Will we see a better class of Winter galloper, that will not need a bog track to win races. Will we see less connections/trainers prepared to run their horses on the known bogs at Rotorua, Tauranga, Matamata etc, therefore see field sizes dwindle there. Or does it become a white elephant like night racing at Avondale became Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turny Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 I think the bog tracks will go, provided horses do not break down on synthetic which is the big issue in Mlb, some top flight trainers do not start their ponies on synthetic due to injuries, that is the big issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardigras Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Hesi said: Who knows, I guess the thing the racing honchos will be looking at is a dramatic increase in turnover. Not that we will ever know, because data is still not published That won't happen. Meetings don't cover costs of stakes etc anyway, and that won't change with AWTs. And I'm clearly not as big a fan of Strathayr as many seem to be. It's predominantly just a drainage system. You don't need to buy Strathayr to implement a decent drainage system. And they suffer like a decent turf track suffers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turny Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Very true Barry, but it is our best track down here for delivering a good surface 12 months of the year, and Oamaru is good too. But premier Riccarton and Wingatui deliver bog tracks July and August. The new track at Riccarton is well sited for sure and needed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hesi Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 1 hour ago, mardigras said: That won't happen. Meetings don't cover costs of stakes etc anyway, and that won't change with AWTs. And I'm clearly not as big a fan of Strathayr as many seem to be. It's predominantly just a drainage system. You don't need to buy Strathayr to implement a decent drainage system. And they suffer like a decent turf track suffers. Agree with you on Strathayr, too many latch onto it as the latest buzz word and saviour, without actually finding out what it is. A bit like the way the news media latch onto the term 'lockdown', and not the Covid type. Don't forget Strathayr has the 100mm square plastic mesh elements incorporated in the top turf layer when it is seeded. I guess they have to do something to get those wagering figures on NZ racing going up, such that ultimate the reliance on subsidisation reduces. Subsidisation can't last forever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hesi Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 Why 4 970m races??, can understand it for the 2 year olds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardigras Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 3 minutes ago, Hesi said: Why 4 970m races??, can understand it for the 2 year olds Getting more and more like Oz everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LookingForValue Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 (edited) RacingZone.com.au Comment of the year... The meeting at Cambridge in New Zealand on Wednesday 19th May consists of nine races ranging in distance from the 970 metre sprint in race five to the staying race over 2,000 metres in race nine. Track conditions for the meeting are firm 0 and a total prize purse of $83,700 is available from all races on the card. The Magnum Industries Maiden (a set weight with allowances race over 1,550 metres) is the feature race of the day at 9:22am, offering $9,300 in prize money for the horses taking part. Racing & Sports had Te Rapa up but notice they have changed to Cambridge. Sportsbet have FO betting up all around the world except...Cambridge Edited May 17, 2021 by LookingForValue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardigras Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 I guess it's the feature - based on taking the races with the highest stake and selecting the first one with that stake on the day. They're all features! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hesi Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 34 minutes ago, LookingForValue said: RacingZone.com.au Comment of the year... The meeting at Cambridge in New Zealand on Wednesday 19th May consists of nine races ranging in distance from the 970 metre sprint in race five to the staying race over 2,000 metres in race nine. Track conditions for the meeting are firm 0 and a total prize purse of $83,700 is available from all races on the card. The Magnum Industries Maiden (a set weight with allowances race over 1,550 metres) is the feature race of the day at 9:22am, offering $9,300 in prize money for the horses taking part. Racing & Sports had Te Rapa up but notice they have changed to Cambridge. Sportsbet have FO betting up all around the world except...Cambridge That would be because the TAB as per usual take so long to get prices up, which I presume are just copied by people like Sportsbet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LookingForValue Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 10 hours ago, Hesi said: That would be because the TAB as per usual take so long to get prices up, which I presume are just copied by people like Sportsbet Still nothing, usually done well before now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LookingForValue Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 45 minutes ago, barryb said: Why would they mate? The NZ TAB will take a bath tomorrow, look at the huge movers, the Aussies are not thick. They will wait till the market settles. Yes and I won't be having a bet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 12 hours ago, mardigras said: I guess it's the feature - based on taking the races with the highest stake and selecting the first one with that stake on the day. They're all features! yep, all features ...like Ballarat last week, 9 races incl 4 maidens, all but one race for $38,000; the other for R78 for $54,300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hesi Posted May 18, 2021 Author Share Posted May 18, 2021 2 hours ago, barryb said: Why would they mate? The NZ TAB will take a bath tomorrow, look at the huge movers, the Aussies are not thick. They will wait till the market settles. That last race, which 6 have to come out of, based on opening prices is set at 172%, which if you take out the bottom 6 comes down to 137%. Why would you bet into that race with so much uncertainty of where your price might end up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardigras Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 6 hours ago, Hesi said: That last race, which 6 have to come out of, based on opening prices is set at 172%, which if you take out the bottom 6 comes down to 137%. Why would you bet into that race with so much uncertainty of where your price might end up It's abysmal - since if you back something and a horse out of the non ballots comes out, you could get a price reduction from that market that is likely to still be at 137+% when the first ballot gets included in the market %. It is one of the worst market framing techniques and is an indicator of incompetence and stupid rules. The market place is far better off by setting a complete market to whatever percentage they would normally, and making the rules that any removal can reduce the dividend based on market share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hesi Posted May 18, 2021 Author Share Posted May 18, 2021 Opening market after scratchings is 128% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hesi Posted May 19, 2021 Author Share Posted May 19, 2021 I note there is a pronounced camber on the final bend, and a few seemed to make their move from the 500-400m mark to be in a position to slingshot off it, Champagne Princess in the first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hesi Posted May 19, 2021 Author Share Posted May 19, 2021 No so pronounced, but a bit like a velodrome, where the rider gets high up on the track on the final bend, for a final assault on the finish line Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardigras Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 On 5/19/2021 at 8:31 AM, Hesi said: Opening market after scratchings is 128% Yes - after two of the non ballots scratched. So possible deductions if you bet pre scratching, from a market that is set to a very high % because of the ballots. The top 12 were likely not set to lower than 128%. If you bet pre scratching, you got a reduction against a market that is still 128%, even though the available price after scratchings likely didn't get the same change that your bet would have got. e.g. if you took 10s pre scratching, and received a 10% reduction, I'd go close to guaranteeing that the price available after scratchings was higher than 9s, and probably still at least 10s. And if the prices for the two ballots were lower than the prices for the two horses they replaced, it's likely your 10s would have gone out, to bring the market % down to their 'norm'. It's a mental way of pricing a market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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