Poor Fields? Solutions?

Frodo I think with the current world fiscal problems another course will be a disaster - I suspect that there is already an oversupply of horses and a lack of new owners to take up the slack - i have heard stories of breeders culling mares and weanlings - i think what the industry needs now is a consolidation of assests not an expansion - I might be wrong but I think many small breeders and owners have left the game - I doubt if you can justify a large spend on a new course in a recession and an industry that seems to be dying - to this last point I cannot fathom why shareholders should receive dividends when the cash would better serve the industry if it was reinvested (Milking a dying cow?)

mr hawaii Wrote:

---

> Frodo I think with the current world fiscal
> problems another course will be a disaster - I
> suspect that there is already an oversupply of
> horses and a lack of new owners to take up the
> slack - i have heard stories of breeders culling
> mares and weanlings - i think what the industry
> needs now is a consolidation of assests not an
> expansion - I might be wrong but I think many
> small breeders and owners have left the game - I
> doubt if you can justify a large spend on a new
> course in a recession and an industry that seems
> to be dying - to this last point I cannot fathom
> why shareholders should receive dividends when the
> cash would better serve the industry if it was
> reinvested (Milking a dying cow?)


I realize that Mr H; that's why I said 'pie-in-the-sky'; however your original question was how we should solve the problem of poor fields; so I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't think there is a practical solution; a theoretical solution would be to get another track. And the recession will pass (hopefully) but your other point about the dying industry sadly will need a miracle to be turned around imo

sometimes i just wonder if a reality check is not needed - years ago i remember as a child many folk had pidgeon lofts in the back garden - i used to marvel at the large floks that used to be sent out for an afternoon flight - I hardly see this nowadays so perhaps we should realise that racing will never get back to the levels of popularity it once reached unless a whole new cycle of addiction can be grown( I personally have tried my level best not to get my daughter involved in racing in her 12 years on the planet as the merits of fostering a gambling addiction do not sit well with me)

mr hawaii Wrote:

---

> sometimes i just wonder if a reality check is not
> needed - years ago i remember as a child many folk
> had pidgeon lofts in the back garden - i used to
> marvel at the large floks that used to be sent out
> for an afternoon flight - I hardly see this
> nowadays so perhaps we should realise that racing
> will never get back to the levels of popularity it
> once reached unless a whole new cycle of addiction
> can be grown( I personally have tried my level
> best not to get my daughter involved in racing in
> her 12 years on the planet as the merits of
> fostering a gambling addiction do not sit well
> with me)

Some people still race pidgeons - but I get your point.

Regarding involving the kids is I guess a personal choice; I believe in the opposite - expose the young ones to as much as possible (with the appropriate guidance).

And it really gave my spirits a lift to see the young guys up from KZN being interviewed after race 3 - we need MANY more young enthusiasts:)-D

I have NO problem with any adult entering the world of racing however addiction on any level(drugs, drinking, porn , gambling etc, even wholsome addictions like religion and sport) often starts at home so we have to be careful when we pass these on to our kids - Once they have reached 18 let them do what they will and perhaps that is the only way to grow the sport but that is another story entirely - back to the topic at hand i actually think in 3-4 years time we may not have enough horses to race more than once a week as the cost of general living will cause massive shrinkage within the owner ranks(similar to the Zimbabwe scenario) - It will be difficult to justify feeding a horse at perhaps 7-10K per month while your child's educational needs and medical costs are far less - Gambling may not suffer as a whole but ownership will revert back to the super rich.

Thought i would bump this thread after yesterdays showing,punters will be driven away in a Ferrari if nothing is done about horses improving with no explantions asked for or given

Isn't the problem that too many "bad" horses are being bred?plain and simple......

What's a "bad horse"? Anyone know? Has the breed gone up or down - in general, I mean, there's no accounting for "freaks" - in the past 50 years?

It does seem a shame to say "bad horses" would rather say lots of "unlucky owners"

Better to say horses bred from poor mares and sires then?

Sorry,so let's rephrase...Too many horses being bred that turn out to race badly........easy enough to work that out.

Frodo

How many horses and stakes comparison in a SA v UK scenario is not worth a bean. The real facts are as follows, the SHIttest trainer in the UK is FAR FAR better than the BEST trainer in SA. Now before everyone goes mental , let me qualify this.

Forget the trainers that run their horses in Maidens to obtain a handicap mark (3 runs in the UK) EVRY other trainer in the UK has an option to run his/her maiden in 100's of maiden races. The value of these races range from peanuts to macadamia's but nevertheless they still race for nuts. The HUGE difference is a tranier in the UK MUST know his/her horses true ability, then the correct maiden race can be targeted. A maiden is not a maiden is not a maiden in the UK. SOme maidens are contested by horses that will ALL be listed class or at least a huge majority of that field.

This once again highlights how far behind the rest of the world SA trainers are in CORRECTLY HANDICAPPING their horses and KNOWING the competitions strengths and weaknesses.

I visit quite a few stables in the UK and sometimes watch work, these guys really have it sussed, a horse that works with a 68 rated horse is entered into a maiden at Brighton or Bath and a horse that works with a 88 rated horse is entered into a maiden at Newbury.

The issue we have in SA is the old chestnut raised MANY times, A 10 TIME WINNER , can still be rated 78 and a horse with 0000 for its last 4 starts can be rated 100.

Self handicapping is the only way, and the Americans have it sussed even better, thier system although different from the one proposed still forces trainers to run thier horses for the correct CLAIMING tag and if they get it wrong they could lose a horse.

FOr me the solution is even simpler than the one at the start of the thread. Make the programme FULL with claiming races, you will see how quick SA traniers learn where and how to enter their horses.

ALL IT WILL TAKE IS SOME GENIUS TO ENTER A HORSE IN A R40 000 CLAIMER , it gets claimed and wins the JULY........