The ASBP Report: How can they be serious? Bad news for harness owners

[mightymo]

oh dear. breno your attitude is part of the problem the industry faces. Rather do nothing and watch the industry die. With your view we would be racing for ribbons in 10 years

PS - do you actually own/breed any horses

[aussiebreno]

Somewhere in this thread it was mentioned that studs should be contributing more. Well therein lies a very big part of the problem. Of the $16M odd dollars spent on service fees each year, a HUGE proportion is simply going back to the US stallion owners. As things stand, the Aust studs are not making a whole lot of money as many of the deals to get the top class stallions were done on significantly unfavourable terms.

Flipping through the trotguide this week I read something simple but brilliant. The current Menangle Club was congratulating its forefathers who had the nous to BUY instead of LEASE land at Harold Park. Buying > Leasing goes for everything. Studs probably don't get access to farm management loans; but if they do they should use them if not they should lobby to get them. They will be so much better off if they have the money to buy stallions rather than rent.

[gutwagon]

Ummmmm because they are to different entities.

Your spell check didn't work very well there aussiebreno, two not to .
I think you just pointed out one of the major problems here. Unless all the states and bodies work together and join together we face an uphill battle.

[aussiebreno]

oh dear. breno your attitude is part of the problem the industry faces. Rather do nothing and watch the industry die. With your view we would be racing for ribbons in 10 years

PS - do you actually own/breed any horses

What part of if racing fields drop off it encourages people to buy/breed more horses as winning become easier do you not understand? Numbers will not go down long term.
Imports are a strength for the industry. Why do we have to lose strengths to support a weakness?

No I have never owned or bred. Because I understand it is a hobby and for entertainment; not to make a quid. At this stage of my life I don't have the money to enjoy such entertainment.
Harness racing will never be a business for the majority of participants; the only thing that can make it a business is big prizemoney from outside sources (TAB, a brainwashing campaign that turns Gen Y to harness racing), not taking money from one set of participants and sharing it with another set.

[aussiebreno]

Your spell check didn't work very well there aussiebreno, two not to .
I think you just pointed out one of the major problems here. Unless all the states and bodies work together and join together we face an uphill battle.

A national controlling body that actually controls; or the states all coming together has one. Are you new to harness racing!!!!!
But yes it would provide unison, consistency and a stronger force. Harness racing seems the only thing in Australia still seperated into states.

[gutwagon]

@ aussiebreno less horses means less races and less prize money paid out and less turnover. They dont just run races with smaller fields, they scrap the race ! Small fields = less turnover.
If punters see a field of only 5 or 6 runners they just move on to the next race.

[aussiebreno]

@ aussiebreno less horses means less races and less prize money paid out and less turnover. They dont just run races with smaller fields, they scrap the race ! Small fields = less turnover.
If punters see a field of only 5 or 6 runners they just move on to the next race.

I don't. That way I'm guaranteed to finish in the top 5 or 6 rather than 10th as I usually do.
If this situation was to arise it would pick up again within the next 3 or 4 years. We are no where near that situation though.

[smithy]

oh dear. breno your attitude is part of the problem the industry faces. Rather do nothing and watch the industry die. With your view we would be racing for ribbons in 10 years

PS - do you actually own/breed any horses

but with your solution mightymo the breeders will be rich for 5/6 years and by the then the owners will be broke or left sick of supporting the broodmare funding and there will be the same problem again

i suggested that pay ups to schemes that already pay out 1 win bonuses to owners AND breeders were increased in size... but i havent heard anyone comment on that, maybe because breeders would have to foot the bill equally with owners

[smithy]

@ aussiebreno less horses means less races and less prize money paid out and less turnover. They dont just run races with smaller fields, they scrap the race ! Small fields = less turnover.
If punters see a field of only 5 or 6 runners they just move on to the next race.

don't start on puntiing - we'll be here all year

[gutwagon]

It takes 3 years from when you send your mare to stud until you have a 2yo ready to race. If services are down this year it wont effect racing for 3 years. Services have been droping , if they continue to drop we will have a shortage of horses in 2 or 3 years. We can't just sit on our hands and do nothing just because things seem fine at the moment. I am pleased they are trying something now before it is a major problem.