Queensland Harness racing future.

[barney]

Anybody got any clues on the future of Harness up here.Story in todays mail
indicates that the Deagon option is dead and Greyhounds to go alone but what about Harness not a mention.
With the grandstand at Albion park condemend and needs to be knocked down and rebuilt where is the money coming from.
I suppose we can only hope that Cantdo will give the money but must remember who was responsible for the shonky building at the start.The minster for everything Russ Hinze and Cant do sounds more and more like Sir Joh every day.

[Big Max]

Hi Brian,I think you'll find that the condemned grandstand was pulled down quite a while ago and the latest news i have heard via a television program called "Blinkers off" hosted by Chris Barsby and David Fowler (which is also uploaded to youtube which is great IMO) is that there is talk of a new grandstand being built and racing to stay at AP.

I hope this helps,time will tell i suppose if this happens.

Best wishes

[barney]

Hi Brian,I think you'll find that the condemned grandstand was pulled down quite a while ago and the latest news i have heard via a television program called "Blinkers off" hosted by Chris Barsby and David Fowler (which is also uploaded to youtube which is great IMO) is that there is talk of a new grandstand being built and racing to stay at AP.

I hope this helps,time will tell i suppose if this happens.


Best wishes

Hope this is right but the Deagon option seemed the way to go both sports at one venue

[langlands]

Harness racing in Qld has been going backwards for over 20 years,
after training and driving for most of my life I could no longer see any future in the sport that I loved, trainers work long hours 7 days a week for little money.
A lot of the top drivers and trainers like Kevin Thomas and many others either quit or moved interstate.
The biggest problem was a lack of good honest stewards,
the head steward at that time addressed a meeting of high profile bussinessmen to promote
harness racing in Qld and told them that harness trainers and drivers where all scum an could not be trusted.

If the trainers and drivers where treated like other sports ( put on a pedestal ) instead of in the rubbish bin the sport would have developed like other states of Australia.

The only way back now is promotion and I think the best person for this job is David Fowler because he knows and understands what is needed and is not frightened to speak out

[Drivemecrazy]

Hmm Tricky question. Future in harness racing. I think that they need to address the grassroots of the code, to build up a racing stock base, and then move quality upwards and outwards. When you have full fields in the lower classes, you move the better ones up and out, in a rotaion .. we dont have any lower grades really any more .. so the good ones are not being "discovered"

As for Deagon, nah, never personally liked the idea. to far in, to hard to get to, traffic a nightmare. Build out logan, way or south towards ipswich off the motorway somewhere (ok ipswich motoway sucks .. I know) But you get the idea ..

Albion park is not a bad option. They will just need to develop it a little better. which will take time and money, and plan for those charming king tides. The track its selve if fine, its the punters amenties that is the downfall. happy punter is a comfy punter.

True that a lot of trainers have moved intersate, but a lot of room for them to come back, and for the local young guns to take up the challange and rise to the occassion.

the will is there - we just have to weave a way around those knockers, and those that do not want the sport to succeed. For some reason the other codes are scared of harness racing??

plenty of ways to work together - but then they have to WANT to ..

I knew a gentleman that made a fortune every week in summer with a mini bus, would kart those from eagle farm etc to albion park on sat afternoons so they could keep punting.. punters dont really care, what they back, as long as they win. and to win they need to understand what they are backing. so education?? how the races are rn, what to look for?? (face it punters $$ will keep it alive)

Botra is trying at least, and i see enough young people trying to keep it going.