Victoria suspends more meetings following NSW report
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday suspended
https://www.thetrots.com.au/news/art...ng-nsw-report/
WA suspended last night's meeting
http://www.harness.org.au/media-room...?news_id=43276
Greg Sugars was a Champion harness racing person
I don't know if people have heard the proposal to Quarantine 60 horses at Melton, with some trainers and drivers in the Motel . Run races there with the same 60 horses up to 3 times a week.
Let me guess who the first trainer would be . E Stewart . Oh great an odds on fav in every race !
Either keep it all open or shut it all down. How could you give all the prize money to 60 lucky owners ! Imagine how many would leave the industry in disgust.
Don't die wondering !
I don't see how its a problem for owners who miss out if they are going to miss out anyway. Just seems like sour grapes and pretty juvenile to crack the shits if you would be missing out anyway.Originally Posted by gutwagon
Where I do see a problem with this concept is it can open up a lot of negatives and the gain is only actually quite minimal. The rest of the world has stopped but here we are flogging horses 3 times a week so people can spend whatever money they still have on gambling as we head into a probable recession.
With nothing else to do animal welfare groups and anti-gambling groups would have a field day and with not much else happening in the world many normal people would potentially be more in-tune with their do-gooding causes.
I see it as a great way to get even more of the community off-side when life does return to normal.
A shutdown will test how many owners are animal lovers as there will be bills without any possible return
To be fair there will be some owners feeling the pinch with unemployment skyrocketing every day
The same was suggested in an article in The Age
"The horse still needs to be fed and watered, preferably exercised. You've got so many other elements you need to consider."
Among those elements are the bills that inevitably mount in caring for animals.
If racing stops, prizemoney is not distributed; jockeys are left sidelined and owners are forced to provide for their horse's upkeep. If owners lose their jobs, the bills could be left to the trainers. Many hobby trainers, too, own large shares in the horses they train.
"I'm concerned about the financial ecosystem, that small owners, the impact of the pandemic means smart people will look at their discretionary spend and look at what they can afford and what they can't," Nichols says.
"That could have an impact on owners and their ability to remunerate the trainers."
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/raci...24-p54dhz.html
Greg Sugars was a Champion harness racing person
But shouldn't every owner be given a chance to have his horse selected as one of the 60?
Greg Sugars was a Champion harness racing person
The world isn't always fair to begin with and in this unprecedented time in our lives I think people just have to live with decisions that aren't always fair on everyone.
I can see the merit in a random draw but see more merit in having the trainers most affected be first picked; Stewart, Gath, Aiken, Tubbs, Stanley, Asbestos, Lee.
If you end up with 60 trainers thats a lot people at the motel and more chance of the infection reaching there.
Stewart and Gath would likely be missing out on 6 figure income here heck potentially 7 figures by the time this is over, its a bit different to someone with a few horses in work on half share missing out income.
You would think that you could quarantine/house Xnumber of trainers and drivers (they have to volunteer of course) and rotate the horses every month without any contact between horse transporters and those quarantined (we're dreaming that it can happen at all, of course)
Greg Sugars was a Champion harness racing person
https://www.harness.org.au/media-roo...?news_id=43282
Today, Harness Racing New South Wales (HRNSW) confirmed the official who worked at the Penrith harness racing meeting last Thursday, March 19, has tested positive to COVID-19.
Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) has suspended harness racing immediately as a precautionary measure
WHY?
How would a Penrith official threaten Victorian racing !
Greg Sugars was a Champion harness racing person
Trainer driver at Penrith could have been in contact with a trainer or driver at Menangle or Bathurst who is or who has been in contact with a trainer/driver in Vic.
Willie Pike caused the abandonment of Perth today.
The extrapolation and snowball effect of the 6 degrees of seperation theory is massive. I have a normal flu at the moment but got to thinking of the people I was in a room with in the past week, then the people theu have been in a room with, and then in turn the people they have been in a room with. The number could easily be over 10000 people at risk of infection just because of my limiited interactions. The responsible thing is to stop racing and a truck load of other activities so life can return to normal asap. OR just let it be a complete FFA but that appears to be against the vast majorities moral compass.
I understand your scenarios Brendan but have they contacted all concerned and determined this to be the case?
There is good reason to name people, forget an exaggerated need for privacy, naming people can help people determine if 'they' have been in contact with that person
I understand that some would favour erring on the side of caution but we are also talking about the potential to destroy people's livelihood. It is like the PM saying that all jobs are essential and the reason why he is not jumping into a total lockdown, not that I want him going down the Trump path - someone who does not have the patience to fight the fight past Easter (what a *&%^#$ idiot). Oldies like myself are putting themselves in total lockdown anyway
Willie Pike has gone from Melbourne to Perth and I assume been in contact with Perth racing people. If the Penrith person or any of his contacts have travelled to Vic and/or been in contact with any Vic harness people, I fully understand HRV's actions
Greg Sugars was a Champion harness racing person
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