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What Would You Do?

Harness & Greyhounds

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  • aussiebattleraussiebattler    277 posts
    Markovina said:

    @PictureSon1973 my saying in regards to getting rid of tracks will never change - "short term gain, for long term pain".

    With the exception of the big races at Menangle which do like, can't get to the remote fast enough to turn off the other one lap rubbish.

    Outside barriers come across and lead nearly every race - then again they've got nowhere else to go!

    Got to agree with you Riders - Menangle is the worst and by a long way - devoid of any interest - and i dont watch or bet on it 

    Getting back to the thread topic - a few things i would do

    With both the Fremantle Cup and the Pacing Cup - both races were on too early in the night - the Freo Cup was on before 8pm - i know you have got the E/States but who cares. And i think 10 races is far too many - with such a stupid early start 

    Id have a 8 race program - 7pm start = and the feature race would-  be race 6 at about 9.30pm

    When i use to attend - those summer  meetings -( and my letter box would have free GP tickets in it often - do they do that these days )  youve had a hot day - people - not just keen Trots followers - would go out their - you had the beautiful lawns  - their was a heap of things to occupy the kids - rides etc . I can remember one night out their - they had a match race between Fred Kersley with one of his top pacers on a huge handicap - against this top line 1600 metre athlete - and it was a thrilling finish - they actually did things like that to entertain the crowd

    Dr Ernie Manea and the Pinjarra president bloke ( who actually bred the frog ) they were top notch administrators - they new if there were prizes for the kids - bmx bikes - then the parents would have to tag along 

    No more Eastern State administrators please 
    Roy Adam ,had the pleasure of meeting him and we leased a horse called hogans helga  (of the frog breed) from him gave me my first win as a driver in the esca nu flame sprint heat at Albany and second win in the final at better odds than the heat win .
  • PictureSon1973PictureSon1973    138 posts
    RWWA i'd say doubt TABCORP would justify increasing turnover for WA Juristictions.
    With Gareth leaving we lost a well known conduit to the East for all 3 local Codes.
    Its a Double Edged Sword do we insulate ourselves from the East meaning no exposure
    on Sky ( Then again live Streaming on say GPTV in reality is the Future and we Control
    it ) or have Brit & Adam from Sky trying their best and I believe they did a good Job but
    with E/States Daylight saving I doubt many would be watching after the Feature Race.

    VillageKid likes this post.

  • tonytony    2,361 posts
    RWWA would have footed the bill for Brittany Graham as they invited her to give the keynote address to the women in racing forum.

    Sky would have paid Adam Hamilton's costs

    VillageKid likes this post.

  • MarkovinaMarkovina    2,889 posts

    Markovina said:

    @PictureSon1973 my saying in regards to getting rid of tracks will never change - "short term gain, for long term pain".

    With the exception of the big races at Menangle which do like, can't get to the remote fast enough to turn off the other one lap rubbish.

    Outside barriers come across and lead nearly every race - then again they've got nowhere else to go!

    Got to agree with you Riders - Menangle is the worst and by a long way - devoid of any interest - and i dont watch or bet on it 

    Getting back to the thread topic - a few things i would do

    With both the Fremantle Cup and the Pacing Cup - both races were on too early in the night - the Freo Cup was on before 8pm - i know you have got the E/States but who cares. And i think 10 races is far too many - with such a stupid early start 

    Id have a 8 race program - 7pm start = and the feature race would-  be race 6 at about 9.30pm

    When i use to attend - those summer  meetings -( and my letter box would have free GP tickets in it often - do they do that these days )  youve had a hot day - people - not just keen Trots followers - would go out their - you had the beautiful lawns  - their was a heap of things to occupy the kids - rides etc . I can remember one night out their - they had a match race between Fred Kersley with one of his top pacers on a huge handicap - against this top line 1600 metre athlete - and it was a thrilling finish - they actually did things like that to entertain the crowd

    Dr Ernie Manea and the Pinjarra president bloke ( who actually bred the frog ) they were top notch administrators - they new if there were prizes for the kids - bmx bikes - then the parents would have to tag along 

    No more Eastern State administrators please 
    Roy Adam ,had the pleasure of meeting him and we leased a horse called hogans helga  (of the frog breed) from him gave me my first win as a driver in the esca nu flame sprint heat at Albany and second win in the final at better odds than the heat win .
    Roy Adam hey - i can see him out on the Pinjarra track now ( when they ran night meetings ) enthusiastic  as ever = drumming  up  the interest - he had FRK beside him  drawing out the winning ticket for a kids BMX bike . I tell ya - Fred never use to smile much back then - he was very poker face - when he drew out the  kids winning ticket 

    Ridersonthestorm33 likes this post.

  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,809 posts
    edited January 2020
    @PictureSon1973 from memory and don't forget could only scrounge up stories from newspapers and radio back then, but just reading between the lines at the time whilst Alford was "ok" about it, their may have been a fraction of ..but make no mistake I'm Australia's best driver...I mean look at the blokes competitiveness today...Lewis too, and they were every inch as competitive back then in there youth, if not more so.

    Now what annoyed some over east was that Menagle meeting, and back then we are talking Kellerberrin type horses on a tight little track - think it was the very very very last meeting of the calendar year.

    Insinuating well Chris Alford's not doing that and it's a bit unfair of Chris Lewis to do so, created a bit of a short term stir. Imagine it today with social media - In The Gig etc.

    Can recall NSW trainers and owners saying in the press- we don't like the Vics hahaha and will help Chris Lewis out no worries, but they also sent a warning to WA punters - he maybe driving some chances but these are pretty ordinary horses!

    Before the days of full on Sky and WA Tab to their great credit - bet on the whole Menangle card that night and a crackly broadcast came through the radio - but it was exciting too - and typically this bloke Lewis did it.

    PictureSon1973 likes this post.

  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,809 posts
    edited January 2020
    Both of those drivers should write books one day and perhaps there memories of Lewis "stealing" the most winners in an Australian season by a driver will be brought up.

    Funny thing was all the bloody meetings Alford drove at - all his winners - all of Lewis's winners probably around a Village Kid dominant year - it boiled down to a non descript NSW middle of nowhere cold winters night meeting, a place I'd certainly never ever heard of - Menangle.

    Lewis obviously thought - I'm going for this - typical of him at the time - he got it. Both of them would've been just late 20's then, if that.

    PictureSon1973 likes this post.

  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,809 posts
    edited January 2020
    I'd also bet despite how Menangle has become in it present day, Lewis has never been back to the place.
    He came, he saw, he conquered! Never to return.

    It was strange stg having the eastern staters fly over and tell us about the same horse's we see go around every week, did Ron Dufficy come for the Perth Cup ? Oh well at least it's a bit different.

    They talk about marketing - who runs their biggest two races in summer before 8 o'clock ? Dictated to by the puppets from over east and Sky Channel - great interest in the race on the eastern seaboard - with not one ES horse here - most wouldn't have even known the race was on!! Then they have the gall to talk about turnover - pullllllllllease.
  • PictureSon1973PictureSon1973    138 posts
    Ridersonthestorm33
    I love hearing these stories keep them coming .
    love the current news / controversies but those old stories/ nostalgia related events give me
    a buzz.
  • savethegamesavethegame    2,786 posts
    A.C Lewis has he drove a winner at Busselton
  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,809 posts
    edited January 2020
    I'm saying Chris Lewis has never driven a winner at Busselton - but knowing Lewis - yes he has.

    Now as far as the eastern states won't be able to watch OUR big race with OUR horses because on too late for them...go tell it to the marines!

    Too bad for them, stiff cheddar, most are over 18 they can stay up on a Friday night until one in the morning if interested, this pandering to the eastern states um why ?

    Please don't say turnover!! F the turnover for once...give a little and gain a lot...we give a lot and gain little.
  • curmudgeoncurmudgeon    2,417 posts
    Brittany Graham...a current licensed and active driver is about 3 miles ahead of any other harness presenter on SKY in terms of her actual on track experience and across the board knowledge. If only she could deliver some commentary of her own instead of getting bumped to Sky 2 by her mug employers.

    Ridersonthestorm33, sonny, VillageKid likes this post.

  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,809 posts
    edited January 2020
    Not too many more stories to tell @PictureSon, have told some not once but thrice! Repeated the Lewis/Menangle one a few times at least haha.

    It's good to go retro sometimes with new posters and readers, the horse's/drivers/trainers/ and of course the punting stories...several tragedies along that line :-<
  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,809 posts
    edited January 2020
    She's outstanding curmudgeon. If they were dinkum they'd have a channel for races - a channel for the trots and a channel for the 42,000 dog races they have from around the world.

    More English greyhound racing please! Ireland dogs - Scotland Dogs - should be arriving and betting on soon, woof woof.

    Those hurdle dog races from Tasmania were the best! Good old Tassie.

    curmudgeon likes this post.

  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,809 posts
    edited January 2020
    You want experts talking - races.
    Experts like Brittany Graham talking - trots.
    Experts talking - greyhounds.

    Three channels - in the year 2020 - too hard ?

    What you don't want is Brittany Graham talking greyhounds and pretending she knows something about them, on the trots no need to pretend - she knows her stuff.

    It's not sending a space ship to look for life on Mars - just commonsense.

    curmudgeon, VillageKid likes this post.

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