Brendan has logged off the forum, I hope he has gone to bed because the next two races are 2yo trots :DQuote:
Originally Posted by aussiebreno
Oh I really hope Brendan did not see the start of those two races
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Brendan has logged off the forum, I hope he has gone to bed because the next two races are 2yo trots :DQuote:
Originally Posted by aussiebreno
Oh I really hope Brendan did not see the start of those two races
Yep Pies hitting the front and 2yo trot races programmed it was definitely bedtime for me!
Rc3 was not much better than Rc2 either.
I cannot see 1200m racing of average class horses creating much excitement and thus new fans.
In the main these horses are not good enough to put any pressure on the leaders and therefore these races are potential processions
6 races at Melton last Wednesday and 3 so far tonight - 7 leaders have won and the other 2 were won via the sprint lane by the horse on the leader's back
The next two leaders won but the last of the 1200's was a good finish
12 races for 9 leaders winning
....and times nothing special. The fact that 400 metre splits have been run in slower than 30 seconds makes a mockery of the concept.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
FAIL!
R3 The 3yo Classic at Melton tonight is what is wrong with harness racing
Races like that win us ZERO fans/converts
https://www.harness.org.au/racing/fi...23#MXM19082306
I know that the Stewards column is very descriptive but after missing last night's racing at Melton (Go Blues)
if it wasn't for a couple of protests to check out, I don't think I would need to watch the replays as they tell me what happened as one can see that there were very few positional changes
Maybe this is why people say our racing is boring
We need a more exciting product
https://www.harness.org.au/racing/fi...s/?mc=MX080923
A little over 48 hours out from what would be a general consensus 2x Top 5 horses in the state going head to head and we don't have Fixed Odds up.
You can say "greyhounds races are only 15 mins apart so they can run more and thats why they have upward trajectory on their TAB turnover" which is partly true, but the problem runs much deeper when we are obviously so insignificant 2 of the top 5 horses in the state racing in a Cup doesn't gain Fixed Odds 48hours out from the race.
Just like the dogs, I would be surprised if 1% of the population could name you a current harness horse or dog.
But then it occurs to me that probably not much more than 1% of the population could name you a current galloper.
The gallops product is perceived to be better but I am not so sure.
Maybe like Brendan is suggesting, it is the favourable treatment they get from the betting agencies and media that puts them front and centre and seems to have cemented them at the top
Maybe lack of recognition of the participants is is why Sports Betting is so popular - I expect a ¼ of the population have a team and sport that they follow
I do think the favourable treatment is a bit cause and effect though.
If I went to the local footy tomorrow I reckon a lot of blokes could name Mr Brightside and Alligator Blood unprompted and I'd be lucky to get 2 know who Act Now and RNR Who are even if prompted.
25hrs until our Saturday night Metro meet at Melton and the TAB only has a market up for 2 races
Rest assured you can get on Fixed Odds for a Maiden at Grafton on Tuesday!Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
Edit: or Horsham for your neck of the woods.
We have 9 Trots races at Melton tomorrow night for $236k of prizemoney
and 12 Pacing races at Mildura for $75k of prizemoney
It will be interesting to see how they compare for turnover, although Sky1 for Melton would be a huge advantage
The stats available by clicking on drivers or trainers have been a good addition
BUT they need a tweek. When a new year/season ticks over the 'current season' stats are pretty meaningless for some time
How about we show last season's until Feb (or longer) by which time everyone has had some time to get some form on the board
What brought this to my attention is that seeing Brian Kiesey and Brett Shipway train winners tonight, made me think that they have been going well of late so I click on their names to check this but the current stats are only for the last 5 days so they do not confirm/show what I was after
It's good for harness racing when Brian and Brett have winners, in my opinion.
I was not sure where to put this
My roving reporter has told me that the carpark at Geelong was full before the first race last night
The Daschund Dash
I am not sure how I feel about concerts, fireworks, etc etc to pull a crowd. If they make 1 or 2 harness converts they would be justified - otherwise we are simply going into a different business. The plus side is that it gives genuine attendees something to watch in between races
Back in the day when Vince Silvestro was fireworking around Harold park with his trusty horse , a lot of harness trainers hated the noise even though they were up the hill.
And my dad always was in a rush to get the horses off the show grounds before any fireworks started. Got caught out a few times & the horses went crazy.
Saw some dreadful accidents & horse deaths near where we lived with horses going through fences when the local school thought is was a good idea to put on fireworks in farm/horse country.
Good to see this announcement from the CEO - I was starting to worry he was going to be a phantom
https://www.thetrots.com.au/news/art...nes-apg-sales/
10 vouchers will be drawn
Each voucher is worth $4000 to put towards the purchase of a horse
Two draws will take place – one lot of five before the first sale and another lot of five before lot 160
To win you must be registered and approved by APG and on-site at the time of the draw
The vouchers can go towards the purchase of any Vicbred horse during the sale
You would hope that to be fair, they will be doing the same thing for the Nutrien Sale
and the marketing department marketing
BUT I cannot believe that this banner has disappeared when CA is on the cusp with just 2 winners needed!
https://harnesslink.com/australia/vi...unch-petition/
Victorian harness racing representative bodies say the sector is in crisis and are urging participants and stakeholders to throw their weight behind a petition calling for intervention from the Racing Minister Anthony Carbines.
The key issues among the bodies’ worries, and outlined in the petition are:
Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) recorded a loss of $6.7 million in 2023…after a loss of $4.1 million in 2022.
HRV received $28.1 million in State Government grant revenue in those two years.
In 2023, HRV had 103 full time employees costing $15.7 million…compared to HRNSW with 50 staff costing $7.1 million.
Employment costs at HRV have increased nearly 30 percent in the past two years.
Stakemoney in Victoria was cut by $3.9 million effective October 1, 2023…at the same time, WA, Qld, SA and NZ have all announced increases.
In 2022-23 the number of foals born in Victoria was down 13.3 percent on the previous year, and the number of mares served down 21.7 percent…in NSW foal numbers were up 1.2 percent and services up 1.3 percent.