Trots Returning to Wayville Showgrounds October 27

[Messenger]

It has been mentioned in other threads but is now only a couple of months away. This was the release in case you missed it

http://www.harness.org.au/news-article.cfm?news_id=33881

The drivers were announced last week:

http://www.harnesslink.com/News/Drivers-for-Historic-Wayville-Race-Meeting?highlight=Wayville

and now the prices (I hope they are not being too greedy)

http://www.harness.org.au/news-article.cfm?news_id=34526#.WZZR360z2RY.email

As Ray Chaplin suggested - "Would have been interesting to see the crowd if it was free"

[Amlin]

Might have to fire up Gower Park again Kev

[Messenger]

Warringal Park (Heidelberg) would be better - very pretty (football ground now)

[Amlin]

I read online that Gower Park is actually bigger than Wayville (apparently) - I reckon this could be a goer!

[Amlin]

There is Wayville in the old days and a more recent picture of what the venue looks like

[Messenger]

Wow it sure looks small. 550 yds (503m) according to this old newspaper story. That would just be ridiculous

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/36355363

The Melbourne Showgrounds was 670 yds (612m) according to this

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Showgrounds

[Showgrounds]

Gower Park was a good track. Melbourne Showgrounds was 600m, 660 yards or 3 furlongs in the old currency and is now gone. When I first started going to the trots many of the best horses hailed from SA; horses like Adios Court and his stablemate Deep Court being two of the best. Drivers like Bill Shinn and Dick Webster were among the very best - I still remember Dick driving Pewter and having the whole field stacked up behind her inside the final 400. Horses and drivers all handled Wayville. One of my favourites, Greenwald, could never master the Showgrounds, unless he led, but handled Wayville OK.

Weigall Oval, in the Adelaide Suburb of Plympton, was a very popular training track of similar size to Wayville. I note the oval is being redeveloped at the moment and the training track is being removed. Sad.

I think the aerial photo hold the secret to Wayville; it's pretty symmetrical whereas the Showgrounds was pear-shaped with that bloody tight turn out of the straight. Tracks like Wayville and the Showgrounds were deemed to be front-runners tracks. I bet those behind the decisions to abandon them never envisaged tracks like Menangle - the numbers of winners which lead and win (and I don't know the stats.) seems pretty high.

[Messenger]

I wish they weren't charging admittance for Wayville as it would be really interesting to see how many they can pull.
I am hoping that this can be the renaissance of the small track. Went to Horsham for a couple of races today, a 1,000m track inside a gallops track = Zero atmopshere

[Showgrounds]

The megaphone effect of the booing from the A G Hunter Stand as the beaten odds-on favourite returned to scale at the Showgrounds.............ah, the theatre of it all!

Now, nobody cares because only 2 and a dog go. And the dog can usually be found in the dining room; not a jam donut in sight.

[Fan of Jate]

What is the reason for the meeting? is it a one off to raise money or is it going to be regular feature?

[Fan of Jate]

Burnie in Tasmania is 606m and the Busselton track in WA is in the low 6's, both are enjoyable for the crowd.

[Messenger]

The megaphone effect of the booing from the A G Hunter Stand as the beaten odds-on favourite returned to scale at the Showgrounds.............ah, the theatre of it all!

Now, nobody cares because only 2 and a dog go. And the dog can usually be found in the dining room; not a jam donut in sight.

I have only been to Melton on 2 occasions on my way back to the Gap and to be fair both times were beautiful summer evenings but each time there was a very good crowd there - so it can still happen

[Messenger]

What is the reason for the meeting? is it a one off to raise money or is it going to be regular feature?

It would be good to know Pat. South Australia (and Queensland is nearly as bad) do not even have a calendar up on HRA for October much less next year

[Mister JayKO]

I will not be missing this for quids, the posts from the races at the Ekka in Brisbane look awesome, I've been to show meetings in Sydney (now Fox Studios) the Melbourne Show, Noorat Show and Bega amongst others, the crowds make the racing so I hope they get a good one. The closest thing to this type of racing these days is Mount Gambier and I highly recommend that to anyone close enough to go.

[Showgrounds]

We tend to turn up our noses at SA trots and, by all indicators, it is on life support. Has been for a long time.

However, the passion runs thick and they can put on a show! Anybody who has been to an ID Grand Final at Globe Derby will attest. Wayville will be a great spectacle and a lot of fun.

[KTQ]

Burnie in Tasmania is 606m and the Busselton track in WA is in the low 6's, both are enjoyable for the crowd.

Busselton pulls a great crowd each week too. Lots of fun

[Messenger]

Is this Wayville meet a Centenary celebration?

[Amlin]

Not sure if there is a significant occasion behind this event but workouts were held at the Adelaide Show last year and were well received, and are scheduled again for this year

[Amlin]

The old Newcastle Showgrounds track was probably similar in dimension to Wayville


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch6cRRIoDjU

[David Collins]

Am lucky enough to have attended meetings at Melbourne Showgrounds. The atmosphere was tremendous and akin to a VFL game with spectators around the entire track. Trotting was big! Unfortunately I never got to see a Wayville meeting. What a great idea putting this meeting on. It will be very interesting to see what times modern bred horses will run around this track. Looking forward to being there October 27th.

[Messenger]

Am lucky enough to have attended meetings at Melbourne Showgrounds. The atmosphere was tremendous and akin to a VFL game with spectators around the entire track. Trotting was big! Unfortunately I never got to see a Wayville meeting. What a great idea putting this meeting on. It will be very interesting to see what times modern bred horses will run around this track. Looking forward to being there October 27th.

Same here David - the Melbourne Showgrounds is why I am a harness fan.
I fear that no matter how popular small tracks prove they will be out of favour because of the obsession with times nowadays.
Surely time relative to each tracks records should be enough without the obsession of having to run 1.50

[Danno]

The old Newcastle Showgrounds track was probably similar in dimension to Wayville


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch6cRRIoDjU



The Newcastle Showground track was indeed like Wayville, in fact the same circumference 550yds, Dad and I trained on the Showground back in the 70's and early eighties, as did many participants that are still in the game today, the current Newcastle club President Jim Bell, Cheryl and Dally Atkins, Steve Allars and Brian Elder, just to name a few, the Showground had something like 120 boxes and they were all mostly full. If you couldn't get a horse away from a standing start or shoe them well in those days you couldn't win a race.


The original track at Tamworth was even more difficult to negotiate, it was 502 yards around with an eleven foot drop ( approximately 3.3 metres) from the winning post to the commencement of the back straight, needless to say if there was a prang it was a good chance it was on the turn out of the home straight. I drove my first two winners there on Easter weekend 1975, I had just turned 17 and was lucky to be driving a horse that was a) better than those he was up against, and b) not only handled the track but thrived on it, he eventually had 5 starts on the track for 3 wins, 1 third and an unlucky 4th in the Tamworth Cup a couple of years later.


I made enquiries about the Wayville meeting as I was keen to take a couple of horses down just to relive some of the old stuff, but they told me they were restricting the driving to a group of "Professionals", the excuse being it would make the racing safer. No way I'm going all that way to let someone else drive my horses so I'm holding off a few months and going to WA, in particular Busselton for it's track and standing starts and also Broken Hill and others along the way and way back.


Thanks for sharing the clip Kyle, the old track was still pulling good crowds in '87 but still about half the people were getting in the late 60's and 70's, you could not fire a shotgun and hit nobody like you can today.


cheers,


Danno

[Amlin]

All this nostalgia reminds me that I have heard from two sources (and have been told that others have heard) about a possible return to Moonee Valley when the gallops track is "turned around".

I have heard that it is happening, is not happening, that it should happen and that it needs to happen. Has created some discussion anyway.

[Messenger]

City venue but a trots track inside a gallops track is always 2nd best

[trish]

http://www.harness.org.au/news-article.cfm?news_id=34628

[trish]

All races will be Drivers Invitational Races.

[trish]

I would say your invitation is in the mail Danno . Mark is waiting for his , he will go to the mail box everyday .

[Messenger]

No Mark or Dan there ;)

http://www.harnesslink.com/News/Drivers-for-Historic-Wayville-Race-Meeting?highlight=Wayville

with fields of 8 these 12 will even get a rest.
Penalty free races but you will need horses that can get away from the stand

[Danno]

I would say your invitation is in the mail Danno . Mark is waiting for his , he will go to the mail box everyday .



Hahahahah........busting a gut......tell Mark going to the mailbox every day doesn't work, I've already tried it....but! on a serious note, does driving 1000's of races a year on 800/1000 metre tracks and zero lifetime on tracks less than 600metres make you more qualified to drive at a venue like Wayville? A bit of a toss in my opinion.

[Excursion]

Yes Kevin, all the best trotting tracks are stand alone jobs. I wonder if any thought has ever been given in Australia to having a sand track that both codes could use. I believe Hollywood Park was dual code (and maybe Vincennes in Paris?).

[Messenger]

Hahahahah........busting a gut......tell Mark going to the mailbox every day doesn't work, I've already tried it....but! on a serious note, does driving 1000's of races a year on 800/1000 metre tracks and zero lifetime on tracks less than 600metres make you more qualified to drive at a venue like Wayville? A bit of a toss in my opinion.

Maybe they should have invited Neville Welsh, Dan. He was a favourite at The Showgrounds and I think he is still driving

Noel would know who has the most experience on the little tracks and who is still going around (apart from your good self of course)

[Messenger]

http://www.harness.org.au/news-article.cfm?news_id=34627

A Wayville winner returns to Wayville

Tactile was good enough to conquer the opposition in the Minor Derby Free-For-All but Cameron was hooked on Wayville.
“The atmosphere was something you couldn’t believe. So many people right around the track, the noise was deafening.
“With such tight racing, you needed to have great horsemen and South Australia did with the likes of Stan Messenger, Kevin Brook, Bill Shinn, Dick, Lloyd and Joe Webster – they were all great, hard men.”

[Fan of Jate]

Looks like tickets for dinner packages in the grandstand have sold out so it may be be a corker.

[Messenger]

http://www.harness.org.au/news-article.cfm?news_id=34676

I wonder why they can't just roll up and show their licence?
Maybe they need a better estimate of numbers - in case it becomes a sellout

[Messenger]

http://www.harness.org.au/media-room/news-article/?news_id=35165

Only a few days to go - could the grandstand be sold out?

[Amlin]

All races on Sky2

[Amlin]

What a great night of racing. Can't help thinking that there was a lot of empty space in the grandstand at the back which probably cost them another 1000 or so patrons. Were tickets sold on the night?

[Adaptor]

What a great night of racing. Can't help thinking that there was a lot of empty space in the grandstand at the back which probably cost them another 1000 or so patrons. Were tickets sold on the night?

Looks like all of the drivers could count laps...or did they use the numbers for laps to go like the bike races.
They certainly got a crowd.
Great initiative.
Looking at the crowd at Moonee Valley today, and the trotting track so evident from the overhead shots, makes you wonder if a return of trotting races there is at all possible.
Oh for the hype of Winx.

[Pittsburgh Phil]

Wow ... that was an absolute blast last night. It had it all. Good crowd, massive by today's standards. A mini pile-up in the first ... not quite as spectacular as the 1963 Interdominion final ... and fortunately no injuries. Incredible atmosphere. Could have done with a few more bodies in the old flat enclosure, but the main stand was absolutely buzzing all night. Some great showmanship from the winning drivers. And a lot of young people in attendance, I suspect many of whom had never been to the trots before.

The only thing that could have made it better would have been actually backing a winner. Everything I backed either missed the start or galloped or both. But I had an absolute ball reliving my mis-spent youth.

Seriously, this must not be a one-off. I'm a bit too old to wait 44 years for the next one. Surely, after the excitement of last night, this should become an annual event.

[Amlin]

Great stuff...the coverage overall was good on Sky, although splitting the screen while the race was on to see dogs walking to the boxes is completely unneccessary

[Amlin]

Looks like all of the drivers could count laps...or did they use the numbers for laps to go like the bike races.
They certainly got a crowd.
Great initiative.
Looking at the crowd at Moonee Valley today, and the trotting track so evident from the overhead shots, makes you wonder if a return of trotting races there is at all possible.
Oh for the hype of Winx.

We still have our old lap number boards and easel in storage at Warragul

[Excursion]

What a great night of racing. Can't help thinking that there was a lot of empty space in the grandstand at the back which probably cost them another 1000 or so patrons. Were tickets sold on the night?

Tickets were sold on the night Kyle. I believe that area is called 'The Flat'. We attended the meeting and watched the racing from various points around the track. The Flat was our favourite vantage point. The view back to the main grandstand and the noise generated from there - particularly when Greg Sugars drove Heza Presidente to victory was absolutely magic! Full marks to HRSA for their initiative. I haven't seen so many people enjoying themselves like that at the trots for a long time. It really seemed to put the fun back into our sport. I hope it is done again.

[Messenger]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LsMDXXaSLI

a video summary

[KTQ]

They should incorporate a short season into the summer. They just need 6 meetings.

[Messenger]

It would be worth a try Katie but I would be more confident of it being a success if they had got 10k+ last Friday

[Mister JayKO]

The best meeting I have attended in years, crowd was around 8,000 and if they don't make money out of it then they never will. Everyone had a smile on their face. Proved a few things, it's not about times, it's about competitive racing and the intimacy between the crowd and the racing was the entertainment. Bookies were flat out all night. Spoke to Kate Gath straight after the presentation of the Trotters Cup, she said it was a bigger event than winning the Hunter Cup - just process that! A massive success on all fronts, Congrats to HRSA, I'll definitely be going again. Had the feel of a NZ ID GF night.

[Messenger]

I hope you don't think I was putting it down Stu - I do think small/intimate tracks are our best chance. It is just that the idea of multiple meets may struggle there at first (while establishing themselves again) for I do not think 8,000 was exceptional considering the guests, interstaters, promotion and novelty factor this meet had.

[Danno]

The best meeting I have attended in years, crowd was around 8,000 and if they don't make money out of it then they never will. Everyone had a smile on their face. Proved a few things, it's not about times, it's about competitive racing and the intimacy between the crowd and the racing was the entertainment. Bookies were flat out all night. Spoke to Kate Gath straight after the presentation of the Trotters Cup, she said it was a bigger event than winning the Hunter Cup - just process that! A massive success on all fronts, Congrats to HRSA, I'll definitely be going again. Had the feel of a NZ ID GF night.

Great points Stu, the same stuff I have been saying for decades, mobile starts and big tracks are for breeders to put false values on their yearlings, they have done nothing for the popularity of our game except make the racing boring and predictable, the punters in the USA have been betting on barrier draws for eons...why? because all mobile racing means the barrier draw is an essential ingredient to success. We have been making the same mistake when the evidence was there to support NOT making the mistake, why? because for too long the commercial breeders in this nation had a disproportional influence on administrators who had insufficient intimate knowledge of what they were administrating and were relying on "expert" knowledge that was being provided by these "lobbyists"

I'm sure there are some longer term contributors to this forum saying. "here he goes again" but sorry I can't help myself it annoys me no end that very simple things get lost in all the bulldust.

Post #1001, and I promised myself I would stop at 1000!


cheers,

Danno

[Messenger]

You always know how to cut to the chase Dan. Love it. If you stop posting I am out of here

[arlington]

Great points Stu, the same stuff I have been saying for decades, mobile starts and big tracks are for breeders to put false values on their yearlings, they have done nothing for the popularity of our game except make the racing boring and predictable, the punters in the USA have been betting on barrier draws for eons...why? because all mobile racing means the barrier draw is an essential ingredient to success. We have been making the same mistake when the evidence was there to support NOT making the mistake, why? because for too long the commercial breeders in this nation had a disproportional influence on administrators who had insufficient intimate knowledge of what they were administrating and were relying on "expert" knowledge that was being provided by these lobbyists

I'm sure there are some longer term contributors to this forum saying. "here he goes again" but sorry I can't help myself it annoys me no end that very simple things get lost in all the bulldust.

Post #1001, and I promised myself I would stop at 1000!


cheers,

Danno


http://www.harnessracingforum.com/images/icons/icon14.png

[strong persuader]

Great points Stu, the same stuff I have been saying for decades, mobile starts and big tracks are for breeders to put false values on their yearlings, they have done nothing for the popularity of our game except make the racing boring and predictable, the punters in the USA have been betting on barrier draws for eons...why? because all mobile racing means the barrier draw is an essential ingredient to success. We have been making the same mistake when the evidence was there to support NOT making the mistake, why? because for too long the commercial breeders in this nation had a disproportional influence on administrators who had insufficient intimate knowledge of what they were administrating and were relying on "expert" knowledge that was being provided by these "lobbyists"

I'm sure there are some longer term contributors to this forum saying. "here he goes again" but sorry I can't help myself it annoys me no end that very simple things get lost in all the bulldust.

Post #1001, and I promised myself I would stop at 1000!


cheers,

Danno

;)