New track

[kung fu man]

Probably shouldnt have but drove in a had a quick glance at the new Bathurst track about eight weeks ago what we saw before we were told we had to leave looked great hope it doesnt turn out a concrete jungle. Its a shame there arent more progress pictures posted im sure owners and trainers would be interested ,the amphitheatre layout will make for great viewing of races from start to finish and im sure there will be full fields every week ,looks like this one will be job well done.

[Alcyone]

262

[Alcyone]

263

[Alcyone]

265

[Messenger]

Thanks Adam you're a great source of info. The track has a scenic outlook - almost like my old Yarra Valley

[Richard prior]

Looks fantastic and plenty of protection from the wind.

[kung fu man]

Thanks Adam

http://www.westernadvocate.com.au/story/2490208/its-the-recipe-for-a-speedy-surface-photos-video/?cs=331 (http://www.westernadvocate.com.au/story/2490208/its-the-recipe-for-a-speedy-surface-photos-video/?cs=331)

Take no notice of how they describe the surface as its incorrect.

Posted for pictures and the video.

[Amlin]

Looks a little like King Island, where the pavilion is up on top of hill the looking down, only a lot higher! (I also recommend a visit to the races there for any follower of the sport)

[trish]

Looks fantastic. Good job.

[HISGEN65]

Thanks for the update Adam - I have been reserving some annual leave to make the trip to the opening meeting - looking forward to it

[Race For Fun]

It is all looking very impressive. Well done to all concerned.

[Messenger]

Just took the first lap video drive, I am surprised the bends do not have more camber. They would have to have good drainage along the home straight fence, I imagine.

[kung fu man]

Its actually a bit decieving looking at the pics , in person it seemed like you were a lot higher above the track

[Plunge Punter]

Looks brilliant, as a Victorian Im jealous! The facilities looks to be very well planned. I can't wait to see the finish result on Sky Racing!!

[Messenger]

http://www.harness.org.au/news-article.cfm?news_id=24553

Bathurst Set For Grand Opening

[kung fu man]

Should be a big day for all enthusiasts over the hill, hoping to get a run if his forms still good enough i think there will be a lot nominating for the Sunday meeting

[kung fu man]

Should be a big day for all enthusiasts over the hill, hoping to get a run if his forms still good enough i think there will be a lot nominating for the Sunday meeting
11 races and 13 in each race, the sport is alive over the hill

[Race For Fun]

Looks like a very good program for the first meeting for the new track, good to see. Prizemoney is first class; It would be good to see the prizemoney level stay somewhere around the $10,000 mark. I wonder if they got any snow the other day, hope the weather is sunny for all concerned.

[broncobrad]

Thought the racing there last night was very competitive, a very different look for the Bathurst of old with most horses getting their chance now. Only one horse, Zirconia, in Race 6 took any real advantage of the sprint lane but came up short. What troubles me though is the finish line. In the same race, Artistic Reba to the naked eye clearly wins the race in the middle. Uh uh uh. Tictoctuck gets the nod (and pretty quickly too from the judge) in a finish where even Kevin got it wrong. Shades of Melton...we might have to send Toohard and his lad out to Bathurst with set square in hand to clarify the finish line angle.


http://www.harnessmediacentre.com.au/trotstv/replays/16095

[Greg Hando]

Just at the finish if you pause the video you can see the finish post marker on the outside fence and yes the camera is not in line with the winning post yet again.I hope they aren't going to use them shitty looking black marker pegs in the video in back straight you can't see them properly. Also in stewards report Amy Day has had a sex change reprimanded for whip use he applied to horse over concluding stages.

[The Form Student]

Does anyone think you could have success in protesting about the whip use of another driver affecting the result!! Interesting thought! Or is this rule just for RSPCA purposes of hurt to the horse??

[The Form Student]

Greg, Great comment, in this day and age there is absolutely no excuse for not having the camera/video not sitting directly in line with the winning post! It is a disgrace of the highest order............to build a new track and not have the one thing that counts the most correct..............the administrators should hang their combined heads in shame and disgrace!.....poor Kevin Thompson called the race as he saw it, as did everybody else......yet the winner was a different horse!............................ What a joke!!............FIX THIS NOW!!!.....Please tell me this was an interim location! Otherwise just the pull the winner out of a hat, because that is what it appeared to everyone!

[gregcattell]

something must be wrong at Bathurst next Wednesdays meeting noms extendered till
9.30 am Monday not good for new track or is it the new handicapping

[kung fu man]

something must be wrong at Bathurst next Wednesdays meeting noms extendered till
9.30 am Monday not good for new track or is it the new handicapping
Its definately not the prizemoney way better then Penrith, think we need to return west

[Race For Fun]

Can anyone give a report on the meeting at Bathurst yesterday as to crowd and how the track was?

[Amlin]

From the photos I saw on Facebook there looked to be very few there. Maybe they were early in the day, with 11 events it was a long program so perhaps the crowd built later on.

[jimmy777]

Can anyone give a report on the meeting at Bathurst yesterday as to crowd and how the track was?
I watched most of the races on Sky and it looks to me to be a leaders track. Didn't see what the crowd was like.

[Amlin]

Western Burner after winning the second at Bathurst yesterday


https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/1901316_743222375715712_595991625735315141_n.jpg?o h=82fadc05a94a51e534b34fa971f73b45&oe=54F35420&__gda__=1425449164_08280597bae9512d0edd3d1aee32ed7 5

[kung fu man]

We were there for the first 5 races the track looked a bit soft will probably settle down after a while, the horses that won leading were pretty fair animals so deserved to lead and win Second Major came from back and won and beat the leader.The crowd was average at best a lot stayed inside seated,all in all probably a bit dissapointing for the opening.Saying that i thought the track and facilities were pretty good

[Messenger]

"Average at best" for an opening is a worry Warren. Was there competition elsewhere on Sunday?

[Race For Fun]

What caused the last race to be abandoned?

[broncobrad]

A horse was prone on the track 50 yards passed the post...they had no choice but to call a halt Toni

[Race For Fun]

Thanks Brad, I didn't see any races just saw the results.

[strong persuader]

I was there, I think in time it will come to be as accepted as the old Showgrounds. The last race was abandoned due to My Cheeky Heart collapsing and dieing around 1100 from home, hence 50 metres or so before the post. I suspect it had a heart attack.

I thought the crowd was fantastic, probably around 1500 and have heard some reports putting it at 2000 so very strong for an opening meeting.

The racing was great, 1:54.6 for the 1730 and 1:56.1 for the 2260 being the marks set on the day, so it augers well for when the track settles and consolidates.

Criticisms: the prices for food in the main dining area are ridiculous, they think they have the thoroughbred mob coming along; The home straight got a little bit like a roller coaster during the day, obviously some parts of the track are consolidating quicker than others; Why pay for security when they don't even check the credentials of people entering through the gates they are manning; Dani Im was poor value, arrived, sang maybe four or six songs and left, why wasn't she around to meet and greet more.

I think in a few months time, we'll all be on the bandwagon of why didn't we do it years before.

[kung fu man]

The horse that collapsed was My Crazy Heart, Ashley Siejkas horse what a shame, the namr says it all

[Race For Fun]

After reading the Stewards Report from Bathurst on Sunday you may be entitled to ask the question; was the track ready to race on? Was someone in a rush to get the track open? Seems some drivers were not happy with the state of the track after race three. It's easy enough to have horses damage legs without racing on soft shifting tracks. Stewards handed out six parking tickets and 10 horses had tired in their steward's comment. If the track was soft it's no wonder horses were dropping out in the races, maybe the stewards could have used a bit of discretion. It remains to be seen how keen outside trainers are to race at the track until it has had time to settle in.


Following the running of Race 3, a number of drivers addressed concerns with the Stewards regarding a soft patch on the track within the final 50 metres. Stewards noticed that the track had deteriorated throughout the day but was of the belief that the surface was safe to continue racing. The track staff was notified and additional work was undertaken.


Due to ongoing track maintenance being carried out in the home straight, Stewards ordered that Race 7 be rescheduled to commence at 4.39pm to follow Seymour thoroughbreds.

Even with a sprint lane two horses in the first race failed to get clear runs down the straight. Can't say that I'm a fan of sprint lanes but I think its only a matter of time until most tracks in N.S.W. have one.

Bad luck for connections of the horse that died in the last race but no one could blame the track for that, that's racing.

http://www.harness.org.au/stewards-reports-detail.cfm?mc=BH191014&fromstate=nsw

[aussiebreno]

After reading the Stewards Report from Bathurst on Sunday you may be entitled to ask the question; was the track ready to race on? Was someone in a rush to get the track open? Seems some drivers were not happy with the state of the track after race three. It's easy enough to have horses damage legs without racing on soft shifting tracks. Stewards handed out six parking tickets and 10 horses had tired in their steward's comment. If the track was soft it's no wonder horses were dropping out in the races, maybe the stewards could have used a bit of discretion. It remains to be seen how keen outside trainers are to race at the track until it has had time to settle in.





Even with a sprint lane two horses in the first race failed to get clear runs down the straight. Can't say that I'm a fan of sprint lanes but I think its only a matter of time until most tracks in N.S.W. have one.

Bad luck for connections of the horse that died in the last race but no one could blame the track for that, that's racing.

http://www.harness.org.au/stewards-reports-detail.cfm?mc=BH191014&fromstate=nswBathurst abandoned tonight. Not sure of reason, maybe track related?

[Messenger]

Bathurst abandoned tonight. Not sure of reason, maybe track related?

Spot on Breno

[Greg Hando]

The track surface was exactly the reason soft patches on it. I have seen 3 other track surfaces done up this year and they all have been a balls up. Who is in the wrong we will never know.

[The Form Student]

Did the stewards get it wrong on Sunday when in spite of the soft patches, they deemed it fit for racing,.........3 days later it is not.........did anybody do anything about it since Sunday.........it seems like a repeat of the Bathurst 1000 car race, where they stopped the race for an hour, did a bit of repair work, and away you go!

Does anybody remember racing on the Richmond grass track.....there runners were "going up and down hill and dale".......but they still raced!

[Messenger]

With that viewing hill rolling down to the home straight - I expect they would have spent heaps on drainage

[kung fu man]

Did the stewards get it wrong on Sunday when in spite of the soft patches, they deemed it fit for racing,.........3 days later it is not.........did anybody do anything about it since Sunday.........it seems like a repeat of the Bathurst 1000 car race, where they stopped the race for an hour, did a bit of repair work, and away you go!

Does anybody remember racing on the Richmond grass track.....there runners were "going up and down hill and dale".......but they still raced!
Actually had a couple of drives at the Richmond track it was our local track got a bar on my horse for breaking, when in the room after the steward asked why ?my reply was horse didnt know which surface he was on and got confused and galloped there was grass dirt bluemetal up hills down hills you name it result was still 1 trial.Back to Bathurst I wonder if the TAB vehicle parking in the freshly filled waterpipe trench and breaking the pipe had anything to do with the holes in the track? probably not but just a thought

[kung fu man]

Drainage should be perfect as there is a valley behind the home corner that drops away steeply we commented on that while standing past the winning post

[Amlin]

Meanwhile, down south in Wagga (courtesy of the Wagga Advertiser)


http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/2646383/flood-of-concern-over-proposed-harness-racing-facility/?src=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter