Prizemoney

[The Form Student]

Also, they have generally bigger fields, so runners need to get on their bike to have a chance....their are often several runners 3 & 4 deep taking off at any time during a race!

[The Form Student]

And then you watch Meadowlands on a Sunday morning and you see more moves in one race than you did the whole meeting at Menangle.
Gloucester Park is GREAT to watch.

Listen have you got all your client's BAS statements completed for the December quarter!

[geoffkel]

Gloucester Park get very good crowds on a Friday night. They promote the product very well.

[hillbillydeluxe]

Gloucester park and prizemoney as well as trainings fees all make sense in W.A. as a recent crossover from the gallops in NSW (origin was harness in the 80's) the racing is doomed in other states as an owner I phoned up several NSW country trainers to be told daily rates -$40 to $45 a day, the same as what most of the trainers charge in and around the city tracks of Perth. Back when the prizemoney did not vary from today it was $27. country gallop trainers charge $40-50 a day which makes sense as they race for minimum $6500 for first not $1500 to $3000, do you get what I am saying???????????? great to see Menangle with it's great prizemoney but only few get to race there. Also look at what pacers are being sold for sa well, inflated prices compared to gallopers.....................the prizemoney has alot of relevance, harness needs to adapt....

[aussiebreno]

Listen have you got all your client's BAS statements completed for the December quarter!

Hahahaha, yes boss all completed. This is my reward

[teecee]

I wonder if the close up shots of the NZ trots races have had any effect on betting turnover over there?

in what way????

[teecee]

Everybody seems to forget, all we had in the "old days" was small tracks and that was the attraction, people went to meetings, in their thousands, I remember in the 1970's there were over 100 bookmakers at Bankstown trots, now it looks like it is on borrowed times. We had bigger pools than what we have now........too much competition from other forms of racing plus sports betting, Sky channel to watch the races and footy etc. The Business Plan to have bigger tracks, cut away rails etc. is a load of rubbish........Where the cutaways now exist(thankfully not in NSW) the races are run differently altogether, drivers know the horse behind will get a free shot after the turn, and must balance this against the swoopers coming home out wide......I see more horses get a free rails run at Menangle than anywhere else!.........I am off the topic......but I think it is time there was an industry referendum and consultation process from the participants........as to where we are going.........not to be dictated to!......We have the beautiful big track at Menangle, the ghost town!...........At least at the gallops they have young people going for bucks or hens nights etc........what promotion does Harness Racing Do? No.1 club is a good initiative..........but we need more!!! I am off subject but I can't help it!

I don't know or think that you necessarily are off topic.
there are a number of threads going on here that are intertwined and have common viewpoints.
Where Nsw harness racing is going is IMO directly related to , marketing, Prizemoney, , turnover both TAB and fixed odds, sales results and tying all these together...INTEGRITY in the sport at all levels.

[The Form Student]

in what way????

They show a close up of the horses in running plus the long view........does this make people more in touch with what is happening in running as they get a close up view of the action?

[teecee]

My 2 bob worth..
1.. We have big tracks here. As well as Addington (1200) and Ashburton (1500) down where I am in the polar climates we have 2 x 1500m tracks including my local where i do all my work. People say the tracks are too big and the crowd (for want of a better term is too far away from the horses who only pass twice in a race.(home straight beginning and end.) while the tracks provide for fast racing that is good for the couch potatoes watching at home at the records of the horses. Winton..my home track rates faster for maidens than Addington on Cup day. People like to see horses going round and round.
i can remember the moans and groans about Melton being built 1000m and how silly they were not to follow Menangle to 1400 / 1500 whatever its true circumference.
2.. Boring racing is generated for two reasons.
Horsemen still tyring to get to grips with the size of the track and hence the tempo of races. When I moved from Christchurch area with my own 900m track to here with 1500m, I copped a lot of rubbish for how I drove my horses in fast work. I couldn't get the tempo of the track.
3. the rule that penalises pacemaking horsemen for not running time to the satisfaction of some behind the curtain bureaucrat. This rule is IMO purely designed to stifle competitive and exciting racing. the end result is what you see. Each time I watch a reace at menangle I thank your lucky stars for your commentator and that we don't have such a silly rule.
That rule is also IMO an impediment to clean racing and from the views of ozzie punters I know who wont touch Harness racing punting.
By its very existence it cuts at drivers being able to give their horse every opportunity to win or finish in the best possible placing.

It gets to integrity. the rules don't encourage it, those in power abuse it.

[mango]

The sectional rule is a farce, if you give your horse every possible chance of winning and run a slow sectional so be it. You should not be fined for it.