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Saturday fields

West Australian Racing
The fields for this Saturday's racing,are nothing more than a glorified Midweeker.
It's the same every year after the Westspeed finishes for the 3yo(now turned 4yo). There are only 9,4yo's running this Saturday,hence the drop away in field sizes.
The 2yo races on a Saturday over the past 6 weeks or so have struggled for numbers yet this week there are 2 x 3yo races with a total of 13 runners of which 6 are maidens.
If RWWA are intent on increasing field sizes, why is it at the same time every year we have this situation.
They should look at ways of boosting field sizes
1 run 4yo races only,for the months of August and Sempember (before the current 2yo's start)
2 Introduce an all aged maiden or a class 1 ( during August and September only)run as the first race on the programme with a total stake of $30,000 then you will attract the best horses around at the time
3 Look at the Westspeed bonus's for 4yo's being introduced for the sprinters for the months of August and September
They are just examples of what can be looked at.
The introduction of the barrier draw after acceptance,to increase field sizes is somewhat clouded by the 3yo's attempting to gain a Westspeed bonus before they turn 4.It will be interesting watching the field sizes for the next 2 months or will Saturday racing be like the upcoming one

+1 -1

TheDiva, Ridersonthestorm33, frenc11 likes this post.

Comments

  • ChelseaChelsea    1,369 posts
    I
  • DamienWyerDamienWyer    7,660 posts
    Has anyone ever canvassed Perth simply having a break for a couple of months in Winter ?

    H-BOMBER, BobbyDavis likes this post.

    jum dislikes this post.

  • BobbyDavisBobbyDavis    916 posts

    Has anyone ever canvassed Perth simply having a break for a couple of months in Winter ?

    Not a bad suggestion Damo. Sure to inspire some discussion I'd say.

    Roadblocks would have to come from the industry participants who would have their income removed or severely reduced thru those months though.


  • H-BOMBERH-BOMBER    10,235 posts
    Horses would still be trained say if there was a 2-3 month break. Prizemoney "would" be increased in the existing meetings, may mean the usual suspects then get more of the pie though? Its a good discussion point
  • DamienWyerDamienWyer    7,660 posts
    You could still race elsewhere but perhaps ditch the last existing month at Ascot, go to Belmont earlier and finish up ten weeks before the mid October opening day at Ascot again. Instead of mid week, give the clubs who currently race in that period, stand alone Saturday events between them. Set the stakes at between say 60 & 75% of a prime meeting, and just by that move alone you would have an increased focus on the new season.

    FreoHitman likes this post.

  • jumjum    3,512 posts

    You could still race elsewhere but perhaps ditch the last existing month at Ascot, go to Belmont earlier and finish up ten weeks before the mid October opening day at Ascot again. Instead of mid week, give the clubs who currently race in that period, stand alone Saturday events between them. Set the stakes at between say 60 & 75% of a prime meeting, and just by that move alone you would have an increased focus on the new season.

    I disliked your original suggestion Damo. But after reading this. It has quiet a bit of merit and the idea should not be dismissed.
  • FreoHitmanFreoHitman    426 posts
    Re align the schedule and perhaps run the country cups on the saturdays to maximise crowds ??

    DamienWyer likes this post.

  • AquanitaAquanita    566 posts
    Are you forgetting how Perth Racing carried on when RWWA wanted to grant Kalgoorlie a stand alone meeting for their Cup.

    FreoHitman, jum, RIO likes this post.

  • DamienWyerDamienWyer    7,660 posts
    Aquanita said:

    Are you forgetting how Perth Racing carried on when RWWA wanted to grant Kalgoorlie a stand alone meeting for their Cup.
    They are no longer relevant.

    RIO likes this post.

  • DamienWyerDamienWyer    7,660 posts

    You could still race elsewhere but perhaps ditch the last existing month at Ascot, go to Belmont earlier and finish up ten weeks before the mid October opening day at Ascot again. Instead of mid week, give the clubs who currently race in that period, stand alone Saturday events between them. Set the stakes at between say 60 & 75% of a prime meeting, and just by that move alone you would have an increased focus on the new season.

    By focusing on what is the real aspect of our calendar, those events that lead into the 'carnival' the standard of the sport would be raised. Our associate Clubs would get a much needed injection of funding and most likely a following from those diehards who would travel anyway, and their local communities who were finally being recognised.  Local sponsors would get more bang for their buck and everyone would be happy with the end result and coverage.

    I can't see a downside at all quite frankly.
  • LeglessLegless    5,108 posts
    edited August 2016
    Country tracks struggle to stand up with the amount of traffic they get now - they all look very tired at the end of their seasons and I doubt they would stand up to much more of a workload.

    You are suggesting additional wet meetings at which tracks?

    RIO, frenc11 likes this post.

  • H-BOMBERH-BOMBER    10,235 posts
    I'll get ridiculed for this, but what about a period of NO racing for say, 3 months in the middle of the year. I only ask because racing areas such as Hong Kong dont race year around do they? How do they susteain things by racing in a dedicated season. Seems as though they have the right idea...?
  • thefalconthefalcon    19,949 posts

    there would be mass suicides h-b. lol...:)

    seriously, in other words jocks, trainers etc would have no income..

    come off it, mate....

  • H-BOMBERH-BOMBER    10,235 posts
    Is it that cut and dry, I mean NO INCOME? Maybe not 3 months, how about 6 weeks? You can have a pretty nice holiday over 6 weeks?

    Just trying to understand how other jurisdictions do it? What ever the case, surely somewhere someone has thought, what if there was no racing tomorrow for an extended period of time...If it isn't sustainable then it will end at some stage, right? Then what happens? 

    Maybe only the bigger stables can handle it, maybe thats a good thing? Maybe only the best jockeys cope, maybe thats a good thing? Or maybe its all a bad thing? Just posing the questions to understand. Certainly not saying it should happen, just extending what others have mentioned on this thread. 

  • TiversTivers    7,720 posts
    Turn your pay off for 6 weeks and see how you go.

    Get your point, but if suggesting that then maybe a week off every now and then 6 times a year would be preferable to 6 weeks at once.

    But I don't think either is realistic nor necessary.

    H-BOMBER, thefalcon, Piston_Broke likes this post.

  • H-BOMBERH-BOMBER    10,235 posts
    Yep agree with that. How do the trainers in say Hong Kong go about it, I know a lot of the jocks ride elsewhere in the off season
  • NgawyniNgawyni    738 posts
    Small fields and more races are an opportunity for some owners to win the races they need to stay in the game. 

    Having no metro meetings in order to encourage bigger fields at other times of the year will just make it harder and more likely that you will run into a BP horse. 

    The option of racing in the country for 60-75% of the metro stakes doesn't help - that's just a stakes cut. Everyone would be up in arms if Perth Racing or RWWA announced a stakes cut like that for Saturday meetings - so how does running Saturday meetings in the country for 60-75% of the stakes help owners - or trainer or jockeys?
  • DamienWyerDamienWyer    7,660 posts
    Perth Racing have already adjusted downwards the number of meetings held each year, they have just done it in small increments so it is less noticeable.

    The problem is the product. It is watered down to the point where it has lost it's wider appeal and only the converted are attending.

    It's hard to create superstars in an environment that is so bland. Superstars is in short the only saviour on the horizon for our sport. People love a hero horse and you have more chance of creating one with a concentration of racing so that the best of the best compete.

    If you honestly assessed even our highest level of racing in Perth, the three Gr 1's, we struggle to get one genuine event out of the three. From there it just goes downhill.


  • ChariotsonfireChariotsonfire    2,829 posts
    Historically the trots shut down for about 6-8 weeks in winter with the first meetings on resumption at the Kalgoorlie round.

    I don't think that would be an option in current times given the reliance by so many people from an income perspective.

    RIO likes this post.

  • TiversTivers    7,720 posts
    H-BOMBER said:

    Yep agree with that. How do the trainers in say Hong Kong go about it, I know a lot of the jocks ride elsewhere in the off season


    totally different model as I understand.
    Turf club supply / fund all the overheads efc.

    H-BOMBER, thefalcon, RIO likes this post.

  • thefalconthefalcon    19,949 posts
    just out of curiosity, when HK has its break, where do the horses go? they could not spell in their stalls.
  • FastmoneyFastmoney    4,912 posts

    just out of curiosity, when HK has its break, where do the horses go? they could not spell in their stalls.



    They do
  • ChelseaChelsea    1,369 posts
    Get ready for another sub par Saturday.Nominations extended for all races
  • TiversTivers    7,720 posts
    There's some virus going around - has knocked out whole stables.
    Can't exactly blame that on PR / RWWA.
  • RIORIO    14,882 posts
    Tivers said:

    There's some virus going around - has knocked out whole stables.

    Can't exactly blame that on PR / RWWA.



    Why not???? Some of us o here have blamed them for more stupid things in the past!!!! haha

    If that is seriously the case why isn't it reported on RWWA's webpage?? Lack of information like that, only leads to people second guessing about things.....and they never guess that it is a problem that cant be fixed!!

    Seriously wouldn't you want your customers (punters in this case) to know why things are the way they are??

  • TiversTivers    7,720 posts
    They wouldn't necessarily know.
    Although we, for one, had numerous nominated but have now withdrawn (all), so they'd be starting to get an idea something is going on.

    Also a lot got injured in the storm/s over the weekend.

    RIO likes this post.

  • LeglessLegless    5,108 posts
    edited August 2016
    H-BOMBER said:

    I'll get ridiculed for this, but what about a period of NO racing for say, 3 months in the middle of the year. I only ask because racing areas such as Hong Kong dont race year around do they? How do they susteain things by racing in a dedicated season. Seems as though they have the right idea...?


    :-?

    Sack PR and give control of racing in WA to RWWA.
    Get rid of all bar 2 tracks - lets say we keep Belmont and Ascot and have only about 700 races in total for the year. Zero racing anywhere else

    Licence say only 25 Trainers, only allow 1200 or so rich people to become owners and allow 35-40 different Jockeys to ride.

    Cap the total number of horses that can race in a season to say 1400 and we too can be like HK.  :)

    frenc11 likes this post.

  • RIORIO    14,882 posts

    I know they wouldn't, but if they had some nommed and then withdrawn, you think they would be on the phone about it.

    I mean they scour the trial results when the fields are short and ring around trying to get you to nom, so thought they would be doing the same in reverse...

    I hope you didn't get too many hurt in the storms, especially that promising rising 6yr old we have with you!!!

    ;) :D
  • FastmoneyFastmoney    4,912 posts
    Similar numbers to last year.

    23/8/15 meeting last year only had 64 runners.

    Bigger issue is race programming.

    Proper analysis of previous years poor numbers (which regularly repeat) and a modified race program to address the issue would do more than the current initiatives.

    Interestingly the total number of starters is up on 5 years ago, yet the number of Metro starters is down by 700 or 8%

    Ridersonthestorm33, RIO likes this post.

  • H-BOMBERH-BOMBER    10,235 posts
    Legless said:

    H-BOMBER said:

    I'll get ridiculed for this, but what about a period of NO racing for say, 3 months in the middle of the year. I only ask because racing areas such as Hong Kong dont race year around do they? How do they susteain things by racing in a dedicated season. Seems as though they have the right idea...?


    :-?

    Sack PR and give control of racing in WA to RWWA.
    Get rid of all bar 2 tracks - lets say we keep Belmont and Ascot and have only about 700 races in total for the year. Zero racing anywhere else

    Licence say only 25 Trainers, only allow 1200 or so rich people to become owners and allow 35-40 different Jockeys to ride.

    Cap the total number of horses that can race in a season to say 1400 and we too can be like HK.  :)
    Point taken  :\"> :-$
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