Stawell Today

[Messenger]

R1 on this windy day saw Ava May have the sit on the fav ZBB who led and despite looking like she might drop out at the 600, hard driving from that point on saw Ava zoom up the sprint lane and win by 1.5m. Zoom is an exaggeration as they only rated 2.05.4 coming home in 62 with a last Q of 31.2 with the wind at their backs!

I noted that Angel Falls dam is a full sister to Manifold Bay but she showed nothing at her 2nd start

[Messenger]

The leader has won the next three races but the Death seaters have run impressive 2nds in the last two
Just Call Me Mac and One Wise Man staged a 2 horse war in the 5th and although the wind miraculously disappeared they came home in 27.9 which is fast at Stawell

[Messenger]

Home from a stormy Stawell. After complimenting the final Q of R5, I felt obliged to add an update.
In R6 Keayang Mercedes (and Cardon Merger) came home in an even faster 27.7 and although not as strong, the wind was definitely into their faces

[Messenger]

It is not a huge room but it was good to see the recently renovated lounge quite full (pretty miserable outside) and there was considerable interest in the race replay screen which was on a largish screen today (after somebody reminded them to tune it in ;) ) Every track should have a replay screen in their lounges

[Messenger]

Not many here today. BUT it is building
Two races down and we have had a $1.10 and a $1.20 fav beaten
Less than $7k in the Win pool in both races (more in the First 4 )

You would have had the winner of the 2yo going on its warm up

[Messenger]

Amazed to see Chris Alford come all the way to Stawell for ONE drive for Emma Stewart - Machida. It was a heat for a $10k final which is not all that special
I guess that is why he has driven over 6,000 winners.
He is now in Kilmore as he 2 drives there including Poster Boy in a Crown heat

[Fan of Jate]

Yes , won on Machida and 2 winners at Kilmore. Great effort.

[Messenger]

Yes , won on Machida and 2 winners at Kilmore. Great effort.

The man is Everywhere - no wonder he features on 6 of the 12 months of the HRV calendar LOL

[aussiebreno]

Kev,

Have you thought about volunteering in some capacity at Stawell?

[Messenger]

Congratulations to Stawell for putting on not just a meet but an event for Fathers Day today.
I only called in on my way back from Melbourne but I was impressed to see the carpark full (admittedly it is a smallish one)
and a full bistro lounge and so much going on outside and under cover
There was laser tag, a mechanical bull, model trains, a car display, a band, ...
Unfortunately the weather/wind was not kind and destroyed any chance of the band having an audience and bigger numbers attending
but it can only get bigger and better with an exit survey table set up for feedback

Personally, I might be inclined to rethink the band and instead get a pro MC to have a bit of fun and a punters club with the lounge crowd

[Fan of Jate]

I have never been to Stawell track and have always wondered about the slow times there, even the track records are not that flash.

[Messenger]

It was always regarded as a tight little track and therefore not a preferred/regular venue for all stables but the track was upgraded this year and the banked bends should not worry any horse now so maybe things will slowly change.
A 3yo holds the track record at present and give it a while and some good horses at the venue and like Warragul saw, I think the Tk Rec will fall by a second to about 1.55 which is not shabby for an 800m track.
The gale blowing today along with some lopsided fields saw the MR's the slowest I can remember for some time

[Messenger]

Write up of event:

http://www.harness.org.au/news-article.cfm?news_id=34693

[Fan of Jate]

Interesting activity where they gave away two homebrew kids especially on Fathers day. Did the 2 kids eventually find their way back to their original fathers? Watch this space.

[Messenger]

Although 'not for profit', Stawell is a profitable well run club and last time I went I noticed the lounge/bistro makeover and today even more

Starting at the front entrance - the brick front fence that hid the place (and made it look a bit like a school) has gone

Half the undercover area outside the bistro has had a nice large viewing deck installed - helping flatten it out and giving it the feel of a sports bar BUT it could be so much better

I have chosen this image (excuse poor quality) as it shows the deck from inside the bistro
That lattice just had to be cables or glass so that people sitting on the deck and even in the bistro can still see the track or at least part of it. It is only cheap plastic stuff so rip it off and get one of the above

You cannot really see it in the pic but the top of the railing/lattice is a 200+mm surface that people who sit on the stools (sorry missed them in this angle shot) can put their drinks etc on
The problem is how this has been installed. You know how it is when you sit at a breakfast bench and there is not enough room for your knees because there is not enough overhang, well that is what we have here. It is totally fixable because although we only have 30mm of overhang on the deck side, they got it back the front and we have 150mm of overhang on the other side! It isn't a fancy timber bench top but even so much of it may be reusable as all they have to do is rotate it 180° and put the 150mm of overhang on the stools side

One other thing is the fact that there is piece of black steel sloping from the black deck to the shaded bistro entrance (as the deck is a little higher than the bistro floor). It needs some immediate Yellow Safety tape or paintwork for if you forget it is there or are wearing Sunnies - you could do a header into the glass doors

Really Good improvements Stawell but let's make it great

[Messenger]

One other thing is that there is obviously something planned for the infield
It is essential that this is nothing high enough to even partly obscure the view of the track in the back straight and bottom bend

[Showgrounds]

There used to be a drive-in theatre in the middle of the Stawell track with the screen on the outside of the bottom turn.

[Messenger]

Yeah I think there is pic of that at the club, maybe even the big pic in the passage on the way to the bistro toilets

[Messenger]

Stawell in the news for doing their own version of the Great Southern Star but for pacers
2 heats and a Final all on Good Friday
I am not sure about the conditions - they seem to be rewarding mediocre to the nth degree

five years and older who have not won more than three lifetime races (and none in their most recent five starts). Preference in field selection will be given to horses with the highest number of starts since their last victory.

https://www.thetrots.com.au/news/articles/pacers-to-run-twice-on-good-friday-as-unique-race-gets-the-nod/

It is a strange coincidence that it is to be called the Pleasant Creek Plate as I stopped at the Historic marker of where Stawell first sprang up on my way home from Stawell trots on Monday (it is a couple of km west from the current site, down the Halls Gap Rd)

[Messenger]

I hope Stawell's meeting today is not in danger. They had 17mm yesterday (mostly overnight) and the rain seems to be hanging over the area rather thant moving on but with only a mm falling every 2hrs you would hope they should be right

[Messenger]

Stawell's Mark Percival is doing his best on fb

"From stormy skies to a sunny day we are ready to play Stawell Harness Racing"

This was 50mins ago - we are 20mins away and it has got heavier here :(

[Messenger]

I think it stopped just before the first
Still drizzly out in the Gap - we have had over 40mm

[Messenger]

Good Friday meet is a big day for Stawell harness and I must say they did so many things right - fashions for young and old, jumping castle, face painting, coffee van, BBQ, clerks of the course stopping for children to pat their horses, etc
But one thing they got wrong was food.
I took 4 of my grandchildren aged 4 -7 today - arrived just in time for R.1 at 1.29
At 2.20 they were hungry (yes, they had had lunch!)
I go into the bistro to get them some chips - sorry we are closing.
This is 50 minutes after the meeting started
I quizzed the president about it - he more or less said "So?"
They don't even get it. Stop serving meals - fine but keep doing snacks, even just non-meat snacks if you like (as there was a BBQ)
You have got a crowd - one of the 2 or 3 meets of the year when you do so CAPITALIZE on it - Stawell clearly make too much money out of Pokies

I bet I won't have the same problem at The Gift tomorrow or the Gallops on Sunday.
Like I said, they did heaps right but little things count

[trish]

Wow . What you have to have to understand Kev is they are probley not used to having many people there.

[Messenger]

No Trish, Stawell have about 3 meetings a year that attract a decent crowd - off the top of my head: Good Friday, Fathers Day and their Cup.
Plus their bistro is probably the number one eats place in town (even if they are a little way/long walk from Main St) - there is not a true pub in Main Street anymore.

[trish]

No Trish, Stawell have about 3 meetings a year that attract a decent crowd - off the top of my head: Good Friday, Fathers Day and their Cup.
Plus their bistro is probably the number one eats place in town (even if they are a little way/long walk from Main St) - there is not a true pub in Main Street anymore.

Did not realise that Kev. But food for your grandkids should have been easy to obtain , even chips!!