Sprint Lanes - Albion Park

[2minuteman]

I think we should take the best of what's available everywhere to enhance our sport and not copy anything but use our local strengths, knock the edges off with some new thinking and protect our image/brand ( which REALLY needs to rebuilt)
Cheers,
Dan

Hi Dan,agree but this would require some original and forward thinking and the chances of that would be???

[Danno]

Yeah Ron,
no doubt it is a hard ask to "come up with" original/forward thinking, but don't you think of all games this is the one that has proven itself time and time again to be creative?

think about it...the various wierd shoeing to overcome gait issues, the bits of harness we take for granted these days, like spreaders, go straights,knee boots and suspenders,scapling boots,various widths of sulkies, pull down blinds, hopple shorteners........etc,etc, can someone please tell me why the new thinking cannot come from within....Harness trainers and people who have involved themselves in this game are amoung the most innovative thinkers on this planet, they just need some incentive to air their thoughts and some filters to channel the thinking into actionable, digestible, plans.

Cheers,
Dan

[broncobrad]

Can only describe last Saturday nights experience at Albion Park as less than stimulating. As the thread alludes to, the style of racing is at best boring and predictable. If you are not on the pace or trailing your chances are almost nought. Bar the Claimer and the last race (where they went too quick early) every other race was taken out by a horse at the pointy end. How frustrating it must be to owners with horses not gifted with any early brilliance who are at a distinct disadvantage, when as someone else said, it is Rocklea all over again but at a metropolitan track.

Whilst it was a run of the mill meeting at AP with the winter carnival just around the corner, I would like to know if the committee members are happy with the way these meetings are run. Since the appointment of the CEO Ross Dowd, from a SPECTATORS VIEW only I haven't seen one innovation to make the experience more enjoyable for the punter. Nothing that makes me want to run back for more. No bookmaker. A small make shift betting and viewing area that becomes a bottle neck for committee members and punters alike. Seriously, it is a disgrace and only makes the choice easier to stay at home or go to a club or pub that has a better set up. This is YOUR product and this is how you treat YOUR own customer? Someone is not earning their money. As I said earlier it was only an ordinary meeting but what incentives are in place to get even the hardiest of fans to come to the track. The staff do a great job and the tuckers okay. But there are only a handful of people in the scattered in the stand...and its a metropolitan track, with the atmosphere of a cemetery. On the other hand, tiny little Peak Hill (population around 1,000) in central NSW would have had more people on track for their Sunday meeting...and the racing was a lot more exciting, wouldn't you say so Greg.

Its a different time and I know AP is trying to claw back lost ground from the previous racing regime, the grandstand issue is a huge problem, there is a lot more rivalry for the entertainment dollar but what are you doing to get some arses back on seats? As bad as the situation is, you can still work with what you already have to improve things in the interim.

Found a couple of clips from back in the late nineties of a younger Peter V'Landys who was starting to make a name for himself. You have got to admire his drive and attention to detail and his attitude to succeed. Hopefully someone gets the message. If not, then enjoy the nostalgia of Harold Park. The Gamblers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y30C1j610NI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCLW1KjZJjI

[HISGEN65]

& to add insult into injury Brad,in regards to making going to the trots attractive,we are losing arguably QLD's best harness racing facility the Gold Coast..

[HarnessFan]

Thanks Brad, I can remember going to Rocklea every Saturday afternoon.
Rocklea delivered a tremendous experience to the punter and offered participants with excitement and atmosphere that enticed involvement in this wonderful industry.

I think the Albion Park experience, does not go close to replicating the old Rocklea entertainment.

I realise that there are legislation issues regarding multiple metro venue concurrently, but if Albion Park metro was held on Sky Channel 2 on a Saturday afternoon, they would triple the attendance and the turnover.

[Toohard]

& to add insult into injury Brad,in regards to making going to the trots attractive,we are losing arguably QLD's best harness racing facility the Gold Coast..

Gold Coast is a great facility. Son and I went twice when on holidays up there recently. Sit behind the glass and have a feed and watch the races. Great grandstand (with roof) and the racing was terrific.

Where we were staying was about 2 mile from the track and the people there didn't know it existed! Two of them didn't know what harness racing was!

Guess one the reasons for the 'attendance'. Check out the crowd in the betting ring.
phone 4-6-13 283.jpg

[Danno]

Found a couple of clips from back in the late nineties of a younger Peter V'Landys who was starting to make a name for himself. You have got to admire his drive and attention to detail and his attitude to succeed. Hopefully someone gets the message. If not, then enjoy the nostalgia of Harold Park. The Gamblers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y30C1j610NI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCLW1KjZJjI

Thanks for that Brad, it's unfortunate that we lost Peter to the thorougbreds, they could see the talent and bought it, gotta say his office looked too much like mine!

disappointing report about AP,someone needs to take charge before the game disappears up there, I have no idea about their deeper problems, but it hasn't looked good for a long time, one of our former posters thought that the change of state government would fix things up there, but maybe they sacked too many public servants to create the necessary change!

cheers,
Dan

[broncobrad]

G'day James, whats the timeframe and plan for the GC track? Tweed Heads gone, Rocklea gone, give me some hope James.

[HISGEN65]

Time for a "Packer" type intervention...."World Series Harness Racing"..Build it & they will come...seriously mate who knows,I am to the stage where I am happy just to have a place to race each week where ever it is.
I trialed one at the GC yesterday & thought man this place is awesome...one of the best nights Ive ever had at a race meeting EVER was ID at the Gold Coast..its a crying shame.I tell ya one thing Brad,alot of hobbyists like myself never underestimated the damage the demise of Rocklea was going to cause to harness racing QLD...it was the entry level vehicle that has been sadly missed...so many new owners,drivers,trainers started at Rocklea..I know I did..if it wasnt for Rocklea I would be doing something else..IMHO it's no co-incidence that the slow decline of the sport in QLD started around that time.

[HISGEN65]

I might add that breeding in QLD declined,IMHO,because of the demise of Rocklea & the demise of true weekend racing for the hobbyist..the local QLD based stallions at the time were serving their fair share of mares because breeders knew if their offspring werent stars they had a good chance of going around week in week out at places like Rocklea..as is it is now if your off spring cant run sub 2 min as a 2yo they have no-where to go..hence why less breeding in QLD to "value" QLD based stallions..