NZ Harness Racing's Future: Follow the Aussies

[Happy Sunrise]

It is time to sell up everything and follow the Aussies as in Melton and Menangle. We might as well do what they have done and are doing and spare the NZ industry some pain.

In the Canterbury region,

Addington is sold, along with every other track which can provide $ such as Rangiora. 95% of the rest are jettisoned.

A new complex based on the Albion Park alternative model is built somewhere south of Christchurch (preferably in a not so windy spot) so it is in a central place for trainers. Will have training and stable facilities (Hong Kong gallops model?) which may help reduce costs for everyone. It should be built properly with decent viewing eg stands (one floor only spaced along home straight, grass embankments with an actual winning post and camera angle that is in line with the finish. This place will allow racing several times a week so owners get more opportunity to race their horses for admittedly limited stakes. It will have its own vet, onsite testing regimes, RIU and HRNZ can be based there. Again, reduced costs.

Every other track in Canterbury is gone except for Methven and Motukarara which will alternate Sunday grass track racing between October to April.

If trainers are too far away, they move to be closer to the action. 

In the deep south,

Everything is gone except for Invercargill, any profits from closure can upgrade Ascot Park to a second class citizen status and see how they survive. If not, move to Canterbury.

In the North,

Palmy gone, Auckland gone (it is beyond resuscitation, lets be honest - the bigwigs are only protecting their salaries before retiring into the sunset) , everywhere else is gone too, no grass racing whatsoever, everything is out of Cambridge. Any profit (😂) from the sale of Auckland goes to upgrade Cambridge and we will see if it survives, if not, move to Canterbury to continue to be involved in harness.

The only debate would be whether the summer holiday destinations of Central Otago and the Coast and maybe Tasman survive.

Why? 

Reduced stakes next season is a sign of hard times coming, super low Cup Day crowd, really soft crowd numbers yesterday for the best racing of the year, weak crowds at country meetings, ageing and totally unacceptable facilities eg Methven toilets, Mot grandstand covered in bird poo or Ashburton stand seats covered in dust, undersized fields, seemingly poor turnover figures, limited and self serving leadership from HRNZ (they didn't even know the reduced funding was coming? Goodness me) and a list of crooked and corrupt trainers in recent times who do the game no good at all. 

Harness is stagnant at best and facing an enormous challenge with being spread so far and wide. The ownership game makes no sense as an owner unless you are one of the elite with the All Stars, not everyone is wiling to chuck money down the drain for 'fun' and big syndicates can only put a few horses on the track at a time. Time to face up to the fact harness is not widespread like football, or even rugby, harness is rugby league but should aspire to be something like Aussie rules - localised but popular.

Isolated solutions and band aid remedies will not fix anything.

I am not even sure I support what I wrote, as I would be the first one to champion the little clubs but from what I witness it is time to get radical and go full 'Messara'

 

 

[Happy Sunrise]

This article, taken from HRNZ shows perfectly why the industry will continue to struggle in this country. Hard to believe there is no place for the likes of Arabian Blue in NZ. 

Can sharper minds tell me why we don't just copy the Aussie model?

7,9,8,10,10,6,9,10,10,9,10 field size for Addington on Friday for reasonable stakes, field sizes should dictate stakes I reckon because I am not sure how much betting there will be Friday night. They should be lowered accordingly on a sliding scale.

What was the turnover on Grand Prix Day?

Australia beckoning Arabian Blue

6 December 2022 , Punters Info

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk

Australia is beckoning Canterbury pacer Arabian Blue, but trainer Steve Dolan is hoping that he can eke out a few more wins from the four-year-old gelding before he heads across the Tasman.

En route to Auckland, the son of Auckland Reactor is making a pitstop at Manawatu Raceway on Tuesday where he will contest the T Market Fresh Mobile Pace (2000m).

It is a big drop in grade for the gelding and Dolan is expecting a positive result from the meeting.

“He will be super competitive, he has raced against much better horses. He is quite a nice horse,” Dolan said.

The Russley horseman has plenty of time for Arabian Blue and said it will be a shame to lose him offshore, however, he has to do the right thing by his connections and believes the handicapping system in New Zealand has forced his hand.

“He’s heading to Manawatu with a view to heading to Australia,” Dolan said.

“He probably won’t stay there for long, but the long-term plan for him is to go to Jack Trainor at Menangle.

“It is a reflection of programming and handicapping in and around Canterbury."

“I just can’t find suitable racing for him. He is up against horses that are really seasoned and much higher in the ratings, or he can’t get a mobile on a lesser day.

“It is really tricky to place a horse like him. Once you get into R55 or better, next thing you are up against horses that are very good.”

A number of stable predecessors are plying their trade across the Tasman and Dolan believes Arabian Blue has the potential to bank plenty of money for his connections in Australia.

“A couple of horses we have sent to Aussie are doing a fantastic job and their handicapping system allows them to earn quite a lot of money,” Dolan said.

“I would say he is very capable of winning a lot of money in Australia. It is unfortunate that I will lose him, but I am just trying to do the right thing by his owner Les Purdon.

“Les is really enjoying racing him and I just want to get him a return.”

[Happy Sunrise]

It is time for radical action.

See original post.

[Globederby19]

Im in Melbourne (Sunbury) for 5 weeks , so am going to go to Melton to check the place out and have a play, as its just down the road. Will give a report ,for those that haven't visited the track. 

[Royal Nod]

Went to Melton in 2018 and underwhelmed by the place.   It has nothing on Addington. It would be a big mistake in my opinion to go down that road here.   Also any funds from selling Addington would be eaten up by a green field development of a new facility, so not much to be gained and plenty to lose.  

[Happy Sunrise]

1 hour ago, Royal Nod said:

Went to Melton in 2018 and underwhelmed by the place.

It is very non-descript and in the middle of nowhere. I can't imagine many folk from Melbourne going to the trots.

1 hour ago, Royal Nod said:

It would be a big mistake in my opinion to go down that road here.

If Addington stays, how do you think the rest of the tracks in the region should be managed? Do you think the same applies to Alexandra Park?

I am blown away by the lack of response to the 10% reduction in stakes, if one looks at Guerin or Knight on twitter they say nothing. Nothing in the Herald. Nothing pretty nothing anywhere which surprises me since it affects just about everyone in some shape or form. 

[Royal Nod]

40 minutes ago, Happy Sunrise said:

Addington stays, how do you think the rest of the tracks in the region should be managed? Do you think the same applies to Alexandra Park?

I said years ago there should be a stock take done of all the tracks and how much they are worth & who actually owns them.   I think we don’t really need both Mot & Rangiora but one estimate I heard was that selling Rangiora would only bring in about $ 4 mil.  If it was sold though money could be invested in developing a training centre & community at Mot where young trainers could set up relatively cheaply.  As for Auckland I think if they can get out of their difficulties in time it would be best to stay put.  Addington get good crowds to Christmas at the races and other functions during the year.  That revenue stream would largely disappear if they shifted out of town. 

[Happy Sunrise]

3 hours ago, Royal Nod said:

Addington get good crowds to Christmas at the races and other functions during the year.  That revenue stream would largely disappear if they shifted out of town. 

Does that money contribute to Addington stakes or straight into Addington coffers and not HRNZ?