Cam Brown interview.Harness & Greyhounds

Swampgas

So yea have had a look at the discussion paper and the distances that trainers travel and the horse location.

So if this is such a big concern for Racing WA then this would go across both horse racing codes surely?.. You can't just focus on Trainers who have to travel 250km in the harness code and then in the same breath say that thoroughbred trainers traveling from the Perth area to Esperance, Kal and Geraldton.. and the North West that there is no problem, otherwise this discussion paper is straight out gunning for outer country clubs(harness) to lose meetings or be shut down. I believe there is a couple of the eligible bodies that have been wanting this for a while.. now it looks like rwwa are helping out by solely focusing on harness. Speaking to a few trainers the ones that complain about travel are the ones that don't really travel but just want more racing on their doorstep and the ones that do and support the country tracks are set up to do so.. can take up to 10 horses in 1 vehicle. Quite simply nominations tell you where people want to race their horses. Country Clubs and  tracks that are given less stakemoney per race via the hierarchal system who cater for so called lesser horses, who provide opportunities for all participants, especially hobbyists and junior drivers are being targeted in this discussion paper.

JayJay

I have raised those exact concerns in a submission I am forwarding in response to the Issues Paper. The purple tail once again wagging the dog perhaps. there is no talk of "rationalising" thoroughbred dates for Kalgoorlie, Geraldton or Esperance on an OHSW basis. I am hopeful that the Issues paper was not produced simply as a justification for further "rationalisation" to simply prop up a failing concern but the cynic in me is starting to think this may be the case. I hope I am wrong.

Someone tell me what previous rationalisations have achieved for turnover and Industry participation (absolutely zero for turnover and disastrous for licensed personnel) and tell me what the "cherry on top" stakes money model has achieved. Surely, if we want to sustain the industry we must build from the base up. Throwing another $50,000 in stakes at "Gold Ticket" races, running the weekly $31,000 paid trial Free For All for 5 or 6 horses when the genuine FFA horses are in the spelling paddock, throwing $1.25 million at a slot race, hopelessly programmed five horse 2 year old races for $21,000 as race 10 each Friday when everyone is in bed ....or .....put in a base community stake of $8,000 and a base country stake of $10,000 by trimming up the excesses on Friday Night stakes?. Which will help the Industry survive? A short lived sugar hit or long term sustainability?

Markovina

Mr Brown and Mr Radley want to read what Barry Howlett a top flight trainer said after Sugar Shake won last Frid night at GP - and what he says i knew all along , you can forget all about changes to handicapping , just a waste of time , its all to do with the biased 40 year out of date 800 metre screaming leaders track 

He thought his horse would lead and win , and this is what he said " He was a level 6 horse racing against  level 7,8,9,10,11 and 15 horses, but it makes it easy when you draw barrier 1 " 

Any form student who even has half a clue knows if you run that Sugar Shake at AP , a proper track it runs 5th or 6th , it couldnt cop that pressure , plus at AP , the $1.20/$1.30 faves at GP - well on a proper track like AP , they are $1.80- $1.90 . And Mr Brown said in that public meeting said the $1.20 faves are a disaster for WA Trots turnover 

Pretty simple solution if they are fair dinkum , Brown and Radley get 5-6 top class engineers to look at the GP Track , and surrounding land , can they legally design a 950-1000 metre track , if they cant then you sell GP  lock  stock and barrel , and who cares about the ridicuous rabbit warren articles of association that club has got , if you sell GP  the proceeds will eventually flow back into WA Trotting 

You then install lights at Pinjarra , improve the cambering , youve got a top class track , 2 meetings a week , , and Pinj is central to most of the participants , very good , just like Qld choosing the Gold Coast for their new track , because most of the trainers are based their 

And forget all about handicapping , that is like putting a band aid on a chain saw cut 

savethegame

W.A. had the best track engineer ,Ken Kelsell he was the one that took G..P. from 724m.,Crowd sizes 26,000, didn’t allow wriggle room back then. ,
Nowdays with brains trust allowing for maxium of
4,000 couldn't the fraternity stand be demolished
with the 24million, if you believe in a bigger track RWWA are prepared to give 24mil. so they can G.P get 2 million back each year for five years.

Yet to find a geniue harness lover in agreement with what's happening to the 90 milion block.

Ken Kelsell was probably W.A best Engineer, in his field but also had strong interest in Harness Tracks took Kalgoorlie from 649m to 800m .

G M T C Fair was on Rock drilling championship a drum of diesel leaked into track near winning post the soil wouldn't bind and stained, it didn't improve, so they got Ken Kelsell to come just prior to the round.Was relayed to me it was like watching a heart Surgeon at work how he cut a square to a fair depth, with walls dead square,every four inches on the way out he wacker packed it.

He eventually changed the whole composition  of the track because  it was clay, he went everywhere  around Kalgoorlie  finding  soils   that binded suited  all scenarios.