Cowra Harness Racing Club

[Mitch]

And for the record I do genuinely hope the Cowra meetings is extremely successful tomorrow for all involved.

[Danno]

Mitch,
at least you are thinking mate, as a matter of fact, there is merit in some of your "controversial" views, but without going into a long winded reply, I believe one of the biggest things that has hampered our game in the last 25 years is the demise of our free news coverage, think about this mate, the thorougbreds are getting heaps of coverage like they always have, once upon a time trotting ( thats right the "red hots") had similar space in our dailies and similar numbers of specialist writers/journos.

Sure the gallopers are not imune to the battle for the entertainment/punting dollar, but they are travelling a bucket load better than we are!!

Have the gallopers introduced rules banning amateur jockeys?

Have they changed the distances, starting methods, qualification criteria etc for their feature races?

Have they adopted dog style numbers for even one millisecond??

No mate they have done none of these things, because they are still getting plenty of free coverage, which in itself generates interest and the income that flows from that.

a bit of food for thought Mitch,

Cheers,
Dan

[gregcattell]

Mitch,
where do you think these so called professional drivers learnt to drive, same place as hobby drivers on provincial & country tracks

[gregcattell]

Cowra had a fantastic day of racing today...the sun was shining...the crowd was plentiful...& the track was on fire, with 2 track records being broken...BIG thank you goes out to all the industry participants who supported our meeting today...We had a lot of first timers in the crowd, who had such a great time, they were asking when the next meeting was happening, because they would most definately be there....A lot of hard work goes into putting on a meeting that caters for more than just TAB turnover...a country event that involves the whole community, gets them away from the television, out into the sunshine to enjoy a day out with family & friends

[Mitch]

Mitch,
where do you think these so called professional drivers learnt to drive, same place as hobby drivers on provincial & country tracks

And that alone keeps the game going? C'mon Greg! Anyway I get your point and its a valid one. I absolutely agree that one of the important roles country racing plays is the recruitment and development of new talent, both training & driving.

Glad your meeting went well today.

[eliteblood]

I absolutely agree that one of the important roles country racing plays is the recruitment and development of new talent, both training & driving.

More than that, it is the involvement of new people and the potential attraction of new owners. A strong presence in the country is critical for the overall health of the industry IMO

[broncobrad]

Those of us who live in the bush or rural areas know exactly where you are coming from Greg. Hard working committees, volunteers, family and friends provide community events that bring both racing and non-racing patrons to these meetings. Sure, you can measure the success of such days by turnover if the numbers need to be crunched, but the mere fact that crowds turn out in their droves for more than just the punt is a better measure. If you were to compare the crowd numbers with the entire population of the district to the metrop meeting crowds versus the metropolitan area you would gain a better understanding of these meetings and their importance and value within the local social calendars.

My last recollection of a Cowra meeting was loading up a couple of slow conveyances from Parkes back in the 90's that duly ran accordingly but their presence helped the club field a good card. We knew we had no chance but we were still supporting the club. That's community spirit.

Glad to hear the day was a great success.

[Greg Hando]

Hi Greg, I'm curious to understand a bit more about how the 'bush connection' is keeping the game going? Last time I checked wagering turnover kept this Industry going.

Mitch go to HRNSW website and check out the premiership standings so far for this season and have a look at how many trainers and drivers cut their teeth west of the mountains or are still training/driving from the country areas, now take them off the lists and see what you have left. Not many at all. This is what i mean by keeping the game going. Also horses to race take the little people out and you don't have an industry.

[Greg Hando]

Brad which leach do you belong to Rawson or Dick ? or neither.

[Mitch]

Mitch go to HRNSW website and check out the premiership standings so far for this season and have a look at how many trainers and drivers cut their teeth west of the mountains or are still training/driving from the country areas, now take them off the lists and see what you have left. Not many at all. This is what i mean by keeping the game going. Also horses to race take the little people out and you don't have an industry.

Fair point, agree. I interpreted 'keeping the game going' more from a commercial perspective.