Firstly Midfrew I find your insights to the NZ side of things really interesting so thanks for posting them.
From what I understand here in Australia 12 is roughly considered the near optimal level of runners in a race. Personally I think 12 is too many, 10 for mine but if the general punting public vote with their dollars it must be closer to 12. I just don't get these 14-15-16-17 horse fields. I really don't. Where's the good for the sport in the eyes of the punter if your horse is buried 8 fence?
I have said it so many times before over the years but the biggest failings of harness racing has been the simple neglect of keeping owners in the sport or enticing new ones.
The only time people hear about harness racing is when there is scandal like whats going on in NSW. Its the only time people hear about it. The problem with promotion is that the local papers now seem to demand payment for carrying printed material related to racing. A massive change from the olden days where if your paper didn't carry a form guide, then its popularity would diminish. Apparently TABcorp pay for the racing supplements and so forth to appear in the major papers. Thats why harness racing gets so little coverage, it is a backwater and the TAB seem to revel in promoting it as that (because they love the churn and burn of greyhound races at every available second).
Harness racing has failed to play to its great strengths - affordability and proximity to the races. The fact that the horses go slower due to their gate means you can actually catch the last 400m and revel in it against the gallops that start as blips on the horizon and go past you so fast you barely know whom has won (live on track that is).
Harness racing as part of the sporting and social landscape has diminshed so so quickly. We have to realise that. I think foal numbers reflect that, the massive drops in registered people (about to get bigger in NSW ) and drop in the numbers of owners is simply a sign of the times. Problem is - as the report suggests with the foal drops - is that it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy if things are not arrested on all fronts.
The brilliant increases in prizemoney at Menangle only paper over the cracks in the greater harness racing fabric. If the sport did not own Harold Park, it would be dead and buried in NSW within 30 years.
I think we all have to wake up and realise thar harness racing simply isn't as popular as it was, it is clearly and ageing sport with no overtures to entice younger people into the game and with the competition for the entertainment dollar the ability to entice new people into it is rapidly diminishing.
This is why anything that potentially decreases the possiblity of ownership has to be opposed. I sympathise with the breeders plight, I have made that known on more than one occassion. But when you have an avenue - that I will stake my life on has brought more people into the sport than the purchase of yearlings, being partially shut off, it quite simply cannot be good for the sport.
I was not born into the sport. I fell into it by accident. The amount of people that happens to these days is rarer than an iceberg in the Sahara. The greatest shame is, when you showcase it to people whom haven't experienced it before, greater than 90% say how much they love it. Biggest problem - and I lay the blame squarely at the feet of the sports administrators - is the failure to capitalise on those initial impressions. Its left to current owners themselves to do all the work if they can be bothered.
This very subject grates me badly......
Well done big fella, there's hope for you yet!
Nearly 2 years ago I convinced 3 new people to get involved in a horse, he was a yearling that had broken in nicely so a few hurdles were jumped. Needless to say he then developed breathing problems and after a couple of enforced lay offs he has finally got to the point of trialing, 1 month short of turning 4.
There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that when getting new folk involved you want an up and ready to run horse, preferably at the races. I took a chance, not that we're not out of the woods yet, but had he not shown us what he can do in his latest trials I would have lost all three them. Thankfully it seems to be turning out OK and one of them has already brought along his in-laws and interest is being shown. I know for certain if they want to buy one it will have NZ next to his name!
Regards
Mark
Here's a thought
Import fee $1200 x 700 = $840,000 ( $2500 for short stay horses not included in import no )
Foals Born 7000 x $50 = $350,000
Fillies Born 3500 x $25 = $87,500 (extra on top of foal payment )
Fillies Raced 3500 x $50 = $175,000 (to be paid by whoever races the horse must be paid for filly to be eligible for bonus )
= $1,452,000
Shortfall to be made up from industry fund's from each state
This was just a thought as a breeder and owner who races i would be happy to pay the above fees to support mare's and fillies first win bonus races on 2,3,4yo races for horses bred in Aus
these are only guesstimates on the number of fillies raced as being half of the foal's born and yes people who breed and race fillie's will pay more than other's
Have whoever you want on but don't ever have yourself on
i think breeders crown would fight you on the import fee that way greg, they'd lose every single nz horse from nominations
a VERY simple solution, allow breeders to use sperm sorting to breed the sex of horse they want - if you race your horses and like colts surely you will breed more if you are 90% sure of getting a colt and vice a versa for fulltime filly breeders/retainers... some drawbacks obviously with increase cost and not everyone has the technology that was designed for dairy cows and would also be a concentration of families
maybe its better having less fillies bred over all ; if a higher % of those fillies race for 5 years and then have 10 foals??/ thoughts people
It was just a thought as i haven't seen any other suggestion's and was just putting it out there to see if their was any other possibilities to raise fund's.
These were just number's to see where it was possible to raise the fund's from to support the mares bonus scheme if something isn't done to try and help promote our breeding industry we will be in trouble in a few year's timePeople seemed to think that the short stay horse's were the one's taking all the money any that come for the Breeder's Crown would be able afford the fee at whatever price.
Their has been a steady decline in number's bred for the last 20 year's i know of probably up to 25 people who no longer breed and that is just in my area because of poor return's not only from selling horse's but also from prizemoney we won a race in 1989 and got $1400 first money and still don't get that at graduation meeting's and just a touch more at restricted meeting's if you win. I know just in my immediate family their is at least 15 foal's not being bred due to the return's versus outlay.
Last edited by Greg Hando; 08-15-2011 at 01:05 AM.
Have whoever you want on but don't ever have yourself on
Hi Greg
Return's versus outlay's that can be a worry, but i also think people's selection in stallion's play a big part in this problem. To many people want A- Major, Bettor's and M 3's and there expensive they should be looking at tried and proven or up comming stallion's at the $3k-$4k mark where it's not a huge outlay and they still have a great chance of a return, there is some value there with horses as Armbro Operative, Village Jasper, Aces, Live or Die, Changeover, Santanna Blue Chip, Art Official, Alway's A Virgin and the list goes on. Some time's you just have to go to the one you can afford and not the one you want.
Mainly talking about prizemoney return's
Have whoever you want on but don't ever have yourself on
[VVV] Who gives a bugger? At the same time the Kiwis have steadfastly made it virtually impossible for an Oz owned/performed horse to get into the Jewels...and they continue to block the use of Oz made racebikes. Nice. It's a two way street Trooper. At the moment it is ALL one way Traffic.
[VVV] Right now I reckon that Artistic Fella is by far & away the most BANG you can get for your $. You get a Hell of a lot of horse for not a whole lot of $. This time around he's only $4,000 less multiples...and his weanlings just about to turn yearlings look really good too.