Originally Posted by
triplev123
G'day Dan,
There's a very big difference between a half-baked bluffing of someone as you're suggesting I am trying to do...and making a reply to them citing facts that attempt to refute their statements.
Of the 7 points of reply that I made, you've also gone and zero'd in on those 5 where I didn't agree with you and skipped over the 2 points you made where I totally agreed with you (the game not being just about punters & turnover) and (re-educating the punters). Perhaps in your haste to tell me I had my head up my arse... you missed those ?
The statistical analysis I referenced was an official study specifically into wastage and the effect that 2yo racing was having on the racing population, one that was commissioned by National & State bodies and one that notably essentially set out with the assumptions you've made, that 2yo racing was somehow bad for the sport.
To their significant surprise it showed the exact opposite to that which they thought would be the case and that which you claim above of 2yo racing.
It not only showed that there was no evidence that 2yo racing had a negative effect on racing longevity but that those horses who had started earlier tended to have more starts per year and race to a more advanced age. It was a study that was very widely known of at the time & it was also widely distributed. I am sure there is a copy lying around somewhere. Someone would have it filed away. I will do my absolute utmost to get hold of it and then reproduce it here on this forum for your perusal.
The facts are that here in Australia whilst annually we are breeding fewer foals than ever before, more of them are getting to the track than ever before, more of them start as 2yos than ever before & once having made the track & a start those horses have more starts per horse per year and per career than ever before. The above cited study came to exactly those conclusions.
Now even if you still don't believe me, just ask yourself how it is that we as an Industry manage to conduct just as many races as we did 10-15-20 years ago with almost half the number of foals produced per year.
There's no escaping the fact that today's Standardbred is a more precocious, sounder, better gaited horse than those of 10-15-20 years ago and the assertion that 2yo racing has a negative effect on racing longevity is a complete and utter furphy.
The main reason for the above is without doubt the vastly increased quality & quantity of the sires that are now available to Breeders in Australia...& coupled with that, while there has been a large reduction in the total number of broodmares being bred to those sires, the results have been greatly enhanced by the hugely improved quality of those active mares.
As for the respective business models of US Harness Racing and Australian Harness Racing, what I said was right.
The revenue streams of AUS & US Harness Racing flow from two entirely different sources.
US Harness Racing does not operate on a TAB turnover basis like we do here. None of the racetracks in this country are similarly reliant upon and so rise or fall on the back of money which flows from a % of Poker Machine revenues legislated to be carved off from the turnover of an associated Casino.
So...no, forgive me but I can't see how we have copied the US business model. 2yo futurity racing over the mile from a mobile start is not a business model.
Moving right along...
You keep banging on about this (influence wise) allegedly over represented group of Commercial Breeders who's wants & needs you believe come at the expense of the Industry.
Ok. So now I'm interested to know what your definition of a Commercial Breeder is?
Is it someone who derives part or all of their income from their breeding activities?
Is it someone who simply breeds to sell either at a sale or as a going concern?
Is it perhaps the Studs and Stallion owners that you're dark on?
To some extent one of those 3 groups has, IMO, a little too much input in the Industry decision making processes & directions.
As an example, I cite the absurd assertion in that HRA Report that here in Australia "we need to breed more horses"....... while at the same time largely ignoring the fact that we need to provide reasonable racing opportunities for 50% of the foals we breed each year...Fillies & Mares.
If that "we need to breed more horses" conclusion did not have significant active Stud & Stallion owner support then I'm Mother Theresa.
There is a HUGE amount of wastage in the Australian Harness Racing Industry but it comes not in the form of broken down horses resulting from excessive 2yo racing.
Rather it comes in the form of fillies & mares that are never tried and so never make the racetrack because having considered their earning potential, their breeders/owners decide they are not viable racing propositions.
That HRA report stated that around 30% of the currently active broodmare population did not race & of those that did make the track, 30% of them did not win a race.
If you want to get angry about something get angry about the disgraceful official resistance there is throughout the entire country to backing enhanced racing opportunities for fillies and mares.
Regards
Jaimie
