Imagine having a 2yo and being in the same region as the Stewart stable (and throw in the Stanley, Tubbs ...), it is a pretty hot region. You cannot travel to avoid them so your opportunities are greatly reduced
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Imagine having a 2yo and being in the same region as the Stewart stable (and throw in the Stanley, Tubbs ...), it is a pretty hot region. You cannot travel to avoid them so your opportunities are greatly reduced
"Generally, a 1 week suspension will equate to a 1 race meeting suspension".
So why the hell are they bothering to make a change
http://www.harness.org.au/media-room...?news_id=43501
Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
I presume because there may be an occasion where for example, both Ballarat and Melton race in the same week and that would be two meetings.
Surely the stewards have the race calendar at their finger tips and can see how 'harmful' x weeks is
Sometimes regions have twice as many meetings as another region in a 2 week period
What about the small trainer/driver who does not race that often.
He gets rubbed out for 2 meetings, only misses a week thanks to say a busy Bendigo schedule, a week that he wasn't going to race in anyway
And is back the next week - no real penalty
While the Stawell/Terang replica of this trainer gets 2 meetings and misses 2 weeks
These examples can be found in the April calendar
It is unfair if they are not checking the calendar to make the penalty a fair penalty and therefore whether they state the penalty in weeks or meets is somewhat irrelevant - just saying they could have left it as it was
5 wins and 2 placings to Greg Sugars at Melton tonight (only 3 were Stewart horses)
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...s/?mc=MX180420
How is it that Menangle can still be NSW's 'metro' track - aren't there metro class horses outside that region who are missing out?
There are trainers with Trotters who cant get to Menangle now , at least 8 in hunter valley ,some of which are now in paddock as they will not put races on at Newcastle for themQuote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
Paul Campbell has posted the drivers' colours for Bendigo on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/29835693765...394172736/?d=n
Elliminyt is in the West region because it is only an hour from Terang (1½hrs to Ballarat was the alternative, I suppose) but it was worth the 2½hrs trip to Stawell (paired with Terang) for Julie Brimacombe as her infamous Hook Eye Joh (see link) notched up his 2nd win in fine style
https://www.thetrots.com.au/news/art...-saves-a-life/
The disaster ot the world wide Spanich Influenza epidemic of 1919 had repercussions:
From John Peck:
Back in 1919 when they first tried to create Anzac Day it was cancelled due to the Spanish influenza.
Trotting in Victoria was also cancelled for a couple of weeks:-
BALLARAT TC 08-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
COBRAM 08-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
GUNBOWER 12-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
CHARLTON 13-02-1919 cancelled due to flu epidemic
KIEWA 14-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
DIMBOOLA 19-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
BIRCHIP 19-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
KERANG 19-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
NATHALIA 19-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
SPRINGHURST 19-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
PURRUMBETE SOUTH 22-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
SEBASTIAN 22-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
CONDAH & DISTRICT TC 22-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
KATAMATITE 22-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
AVOCA 26-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
WARRACKNABEAL 26-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
DOOKIE 26-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
ROCHESTER 27-02-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
COBDEN 01-03-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
HORSHAM 01-03-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
ORBOST 04-03-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
ST ARNAUD 05-03-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
GIPPSLAND TC (MORWELL) 06-03-1919 *cancelled due to influenza ban*
I think in 2 more weeks it will be time to go back to normal race programing. Keep the hygiene practices and no crowds of course. Lets not ruin the feature races like the Vicbred and breeders crown.
Might be worth looking at having 2 or 3 regional races on every card just to give local trainers and drivers a chance at getting some prize money. It has to be better for the future of the industry to spread the money out more evenly.
Ray Chaplin has produced an analysis of Regional Racing in Vic so far which includes:
Inner West (Melton& Ballarat) $676,000 stakes allocated (including 15 x $12,000 races)
Central (Bendigo) $495,500 stakes allocated (including 5 x $12,000 races)
East (Kilmore & Cranbourne) $440,000 stakes allocated (including 3 x $12,000 races)
North West (Shepparton) $355,000 (including 4 x $12,000 races)
North West (Mildura) $321,000 (including 4 x $12,000 races)
West (Terang & Stawell) $319,000 (including 6 x $12,000 races)
The top 3 regions have been allocated $1,611,000 or 62% of the total $2,606,000 stake money allocated for April 2020 whilst the bottom three regions have been allocated $995,000 or 38%
The top 3 regions ran 23 $12,000 races (62%) whilst the bottom three ran 14 (38%)
One of the key concerns is that many participants are unable to race their good horses for many of the $12,000 events due to the regional racing model and its restrictions which prohibits same
Possibly the regions should not be all the same as these geographical groupings may have very different size horse populations and very different classes of horses
(A bit like Council Shires eg Horsham shire is half the land size of neighbouring Yarriambiack shire but Horsham has twice the population)
The above figures are only up until April 24 so that after last night and projecting to the end of the month (Regional racing started on April 2)
Inner West will have had 19 $12k races
but the West (who is last for prizemoney in the above article) will have had 8 $12k races (second most)
This is wrong - Ray's figures were until the end of the month
Let's trust there is method/reason behind these differences
Yes the regions would have to include every track, and probably 4 regions. I think we need to stop the top 10 trainers taking around 80% of the money.
I think we could have got away with 3 regions Rick
1 Inner Central and East: Melton, Geelong, Kilmore, Cranbourne and Warragul
2 Ballarat and everything West but only as North as Horsham
3 Bendigo and everything North of it along the Calder all the way to Mildura plus Shepparton
It would have created the possibility of strong meetings/races in all 3 regions and therefore a more even spread of prizemoney
At the time it would have been criticized for the potential loss of one third of the state for a couple of weeks if a Covid case presented but as it turns out there has been none (that we have heard of)
I agree with you that regional racing could be all over soon and I could see June 1 being a likely date provided the virus stays under wraps in Oz
It is too late to change the regions, as I have suggested above
BUT not too late to combine some to make 3 stronger regions
Let's combine
1. Bendigo + Stawell-Terang + Mildura (Central + West + North West)
2 Shepparton + Cranbourne-Kilmore (North East + East)
3 Ballarat-Melton (Inner West) stays as is
It would be easy to do and could be brought in almost immediately as a preliminary step towards a return to normal racing
Not a criticism of anything in the slightest because its just the situation we're in but LOL @ NR70s in Shep having to race Lochinvar Art every week! Not that connections would be laughing.
Noel has been keeping stats on his beloved Bendigo
For the month of April Bendigo hosted 7 meets and 56 races
53 races were won by 29 different Bendigo district trainers (3 by Maryborough district trainers)
Other than the Disqualified One (my words not Noel's) who won 9, no other trainer won more than 4
16 different Drivers (15 from the Bendigo district) won races but Ashwood, Tormey and Lakey won 29 of the 56
It does seem that Regional racing is spreading the winnings here
And apologies from me..so much racing at Bendigo that I left out the whole of the meeting stats for April 27.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
So
For the month of April Bendigo hosted 8 meets and 64 races
61 races were won by 29 different Bendigo district trainers (3 by Maryborough district trainers)
Douglas won 10, no other trainer won more than 4
Shaun McNaulty 4
Kate Hargreaves 4
Gary Donaldson 3
Keith Cotchin 3
Trevor Patching 3
15 different Drivers won races but Ashwood, Tormey and Lakey won 32 of the 56..Ashwood13, Tormey 10, Lakey 9.
Sorry for the confusion....
Very small fields at Melton tonight
6, 7, 6, 5, 8 (max), 8 (max), 7, 6.
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...s/?mc=MX020520
While at Menangle 10 in every bar one which has 9
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...s/?mc=PC020520
HRNSW are reducing prizemoney by 20%
I wonder whether they considered just reducing Menangle instead
http://www.harnesslink.com/Australia...ost-reductions
Menangle prizemoney is largely derived by NSWHRC not HRNSW.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
Not having one funding body is far from ideal IMOQuote:
Originally Posted by aussiebreno
(Hey Brenno are you watching Trots Vision tonight - fantastic)
I've barely ever watched it tbh. Multi tasking a couple things on my laptop like last minute form reading and wanting to watch Wagga and Menangle so it doesn't really suit me. Even with the gallops I will just watch Sky 1 rather than the other dedicated channels.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
It just goes to show why we need choices, I hate Sky 1 (it may be ok if they got rid of the dogs)
There is certainly plenty of form info being aired on Vision
Michael Guerin on NSW's prizemoney reduction referring to Club Menangle:
CM cut stakes by 20 per cent and reduced the stake for the Miracle Mile from A$1million to A$600,000 for next season.
They will still retain a A$30,000 race at every Saturday night meeting because that triggers a higher Race Fields percentage from corporate bookmakers for the whole card, which means CM make more money having that $30,000 race than reducing it by say $10,000 to add $2000 to five other races.
Menangle boss Bruce Christison was as disappointed as anybody in announcing the cuts to stakes and said while the Miracle Mile deserves to be A$1million his club couldn’t maintain that and then cut lower grade stakes more.
http://www.harnesslink.com/Internati...SW-stake-money
I am assuming they have the figures to support this. I find the stated benefit of a $30k race somewhat surprising, I thought about keeping an eye on their turnover (particularly the $30k race) but they are talking about Corporate Bookmakers
Answer found in earlier article: "The retention of the $30,000 race is important as the race meeting is then classified as premium status, which attracts a much higher return through the racefields revenue.
http://www.harnesslink.com/Australia...ct-of-COVID-19
https://nationaltrotguide.com.au/req...-championship/
It seems a month or two too early to cancel in my book
The Inter was not due to start until November 28
I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I have serious doubts as to how well Menangle is travelling financially and its ability to fund the series. Stakemoney for run of the mill races there have effectively been cut since the day the track opened.
Vic field size to increase to 10 and more news later this week (I hope it is reducing regions to 3 - see post 134)
https://www.thetrots.com.au/news/art...from-thursday/
They didn't pick the same regions but we are going to 3 regions on May 24Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
https://www.thetrots.com.au/news/art...ing-to-resume/
And the 19/20 season is extended until the end of the calendar year
http://www.harness.org.au/media-room...?news_id=43718
Inter Dominion 2020: all is not lost as organisers confident event can go ahead despite NSW call to postpone the daily Telegraph reported on 13th May:
All is This year’s Inter Dominion has a heartbeat again.
Just days after NSW officials formally requested harness racing’s marquee event be postponed for 12 months, the Inter Dominion Event Committee (IDEC) has vowed to do “everything it can” to ensure the series is run this year.
“The Inter Dominion is the biggest brand the sport has and vitally important, it’s absolutely IDEC’s want to have it run annually rather than postpone it,” IDEC chairman Michael Taranto said.
“Yes, Harness Racing NSW and the NSW Harness Racing Club have requested a postponement, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be an Inter Dominion in 2020.
“We have options, starting with talking to the other two parties involved in the current hosting roster, Harness Racing Victoria and Harness Racing NZ, to see if they have interest in hosting it instead.
“Beyond that, we can go outside of those in the current roster … we’ve had interest expressed from Racing Queensland and other parties in WA.
“Even NSW may not be out of the question because we could look at other funding options.
“The key is, it’s premature and maybe even erroneous to say there won’t be an Inter Dominion this year. IDEC will do everything it can to see if we can have one.”
Under the current roster, NSW was host this year’s series in November/December, but cited the “impact and uncertainty of COVID” as driving reasons for requesting a postponement.
Harness Racing Victoria hosted the series in 2018 and is due to do so again in 2021.
Taranto said IDEC was due to meet again this week to further explore options and added a deadline of cementing Inter Dominion of June 30 was likely.
“Some may say that’s too late, but it’s still almost five months before the series is due to be run and, given the circumstances, still plenty of time for everyone to plan around it,” he said.
“I don’t think this is something we can make a snap decision about, the Inter Dominion is too important to the industry.”
It will be good when we can get back to normal - some serious offenders are winning way more than they should in their little regions
Like Bendigo?Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
Both today's meets
The 3 regions begin at Bendigo tomorrow night
Brian Gath has as many drives as Chris Alford (6 each)
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...s/?mc=BN250520
A holiday tomorrow.
What happened to the scheduled Ballarat meet?
Lack of nomsQuote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
Really - that is a worry for a central location like Ballarat (or were there Stewart noms scaring others off?)
We need to open up the Mildura region so that Asbestos Anderson stops collecting $6,840 a week
Since April 24 Bernie Winkle has won $34,200
Small fields and only 7 races again at Melton on Saturday night (and no morning meet stealing them this week)
Maybe stables want bigger stakes to give up their Saturday nights?
There was some talk of NZ or another state putting it on but it is definitely offQuote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
http://www.harness.org.au/media-room...?news_id=43889
Such a pity