Why aren't owners revolting over $4,500 races in Vic

[aussiebreno]

You have got that completely wrong Breno

EVERYBODY USED TO RACE FOR THE SAME AND STILL DO IN NSW BUT THEY DECIDED TO ROB SOME PETERS TO PAY PAUL IN VIC

Now when I say it is time to go back to the way it was eg All racing for $7k not some for $4.5k and some for $8k or $9k, you say I am robbing them LOL

Owners, breeders, trainers are not happy about it - I can see you have never been a reader of the Australian Harness Racing Industry facebook page

Let's imagine you are a Carlton member and all members used to get a pie and coke when they came to games, now half don't get anything but half get chicken and champagne

You asked what should have been done so don't go labelling the answer emotive rubbish. The administrators should have done better/not stuffed up and necessitated Vic having to cop this

Then you wouldn't be writing rubbish like:
Harness racing as a product is inferior to the general public. Track size, track location, marketing etc isn't going to make standies run faster than throughbreds.

Harness racing was not inferior and we do not want 'standies running faster' - we want to take back some market share (from the Dogs actually)
It is still the premier code in many European countries and they could be a template for improvement

I often think we are fighting a losing battle - you seem to have given up
All this is an aside from how prizemoney is distributed at meetings
You are a New South Welshman who likes the Vic model
I am a Victorian who likes the NSW model

Maybe some of our difference is ideological and we may have to beg to differ
You do not see it as a hangable offence but it is a pretty big - well small deal really ($4,500 is a 36% wage cut)

Horse racing through grades with ability getting the same reward as horses already with multiple wins who are out of form is robbing one horse. Equality doesn’t necessarily mean equal.

I do follow that facebook page and have seen stuff. Doesn’t mean I agree with it. People in the industry complain/ed the $7K racing doesn’t match the $9K races in NSW. In fact there is border hopping up to Wagga with good horses whereas it used to be the other way. I wouldn’t imagine HRV would want their in-form horses crossing the border too often or being sent to train elsewhere so having these $8-$9K races would be vital in that.

It wasn’t all that long ago most of these horses running around in these races wouldn’t have even had a race to run in, or would have been Restricted on even less cash. If you have the starting point of $7K you can say its gone backwards, but go back to a starting point of $2-$3K Restricted for these horses and its still an increase. Using what someone else is doing or what happened in the past as a marker is a fallacy though, the decision needs to be made somewhat free of that bias.

I would imagine when I’m having my pie and coke that a high performer like Pat Cripps gets paid more financial reward than a low performer like Corey Durdin.
I asked what else they could have done in the context of at the time and landscape of making this decision. Not going back and changing plenty of other prior decisions and happenings that led to the point of making this decision.

[aussiebreno]

In my backyard of Wagga today there is about 5 <NR47 races. I won't look twice at these race or do the form because with all due respect its pus racing pus. To end the card there is a couple N55 and a N60 race - theres some form about and worthwhile reading the formguide to have a punt and tune in to watch. Not surprising these 3 races were given quaddie status.

[Messenger]

If we were going to start a meeting with a Restricted Class race it would be R1 at Charlton today
It is a 4yo+ Maiden

We have an Odds On favourite with career form of

11 - 5 - 8 - 10 - 3 - 9 - 9 - 10 - 8

With his 4th trainer in his 10th start, no doubt he will grow another leg for Alex Ashwood today

https://www.harness.org.au/racing/fi...22#CHC05092204

The race includes a 7yo first starter

[gutwagon]

After all that it's scratched Kevin ! The 2 first starters could also go in the bad name section !

[aussiebreno]

I think it was really on show why lesser money races can have a place in the industry at Wagga yesterday.

7/10 races the winners were trained by non-locals (mix of Vics and trainers from other areas within NSW). 2 others going to the leading local trainer (with a combined margin of just 1.5Necks to visitors). So only one race (which was restricted to NSW trained horses only I believe) going to a bread and butter local trainer but that was largely due to a 10/10 drive by Victorian N Jack (albeit an ex-local).

100% of $4500 beats 0% of $9000.