Greyville Friday 22/11/13

that storm u talk about was 24 hours before the event..the decision taken was taken 10 hours before the event...was no consideration given that if the right condiotions previled thru the day(which it eventually did)...that there was a chance of racing...in 10 hours a lot can happen and in fact a lot did happen...i just think it was a hasty decision

RACING GURU Wrote:

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> that storm u talk about was 24 hours before the
> event..the decision taken was taken 10 hours
> before the event...was no consideration given that
> if the right condiotions previled thru the
> day(which it eventually did)...that there was a
> chance of racing...in 10 hours a lot can happen
> and in fact a lot did happen...i just think it was
> a hasty decision


correction the storm was 48 hours before the event it was on wednesday night

RG if it had been going to be really hot and not a cool 23/24 degrees then they would waited. They wanted to race and so did the trainers and jockeys but as we saw the pen was an average of 36 at 3pm. Absolutely no chance. They stuck between a rock and a hard place because we as trainers and also the catering staff,security and many others,want to know early if we are racing. If they abandon early it saves a lot of money rather than waiting and then abandoning at the last minute. In the end, every cent we can save makes the company better off to increase stakes for the owners and trainers. I could be wrong but I was told last year that when a meeting is postponed and is not in the new racecard in its proper place then the operators lose R300000+. Not sure if that still stands but probably does. Anyway it is history now so lets look forward to the Cape today and Scottsville tomorrow.

I heard from the 'horse's mouth' that it goes the other way.. R300k saved when a meeting is cancelled. That was about 3 or 4 years back but hard to believe KZN racing has gone from losing R300k to making R300k per meeting in a few years. Perhaps this has changed due to international trade agreements since then?

I don't know about the financials - but from an outsider's point of view, the impression that I get is that the rain was used as an excuse to cancel the meeting as the track was unraceable due to the laying of the pipes - if so poor planning (and why not just come out an admit it - looks much worse when you are showed up later) - as pirates says, once again the owners have drawn the short straw :

Those drains are on the outside of the course not where the horses run so would not have come into play. You really don't think ANYONE would have dug up the course like that and hoped it would rain so that they could cancel the meeting and fix it so as not to loose face? What just now some people will be saying that GC seeded the clouds just to cause the rain and so had an excuse to abandon! It rained/stormed, the pen was 35 at 3pm, by 5 pm it might have been 34, it was dangerous to horse and jockey and rightly the abandoned it. Full stop. How can people sitting behind a computer(and pseudonyms) probably not even in the same province(Pirates accepted) tell 4 people who were there and the whole of GC ground staff that they are wrong?:S Maybe it is my favourite saying on a forum" I am entitled to my opinion, no matter how little fact I have to back it up!" I am going to watch the Cape racing now.

Yes I am not in the 'province' and yes I'm sitting behind my computer - but I have no reason to doubt what pirates is saying - so I have stated my PERCEPTION (and if it's my PERCEPTION, I'm sure others will come to the same PERCEPTION) from what is written on this thread - the fact is the meeting was cancelled and from what can be gathered on this thread, there is disagreement from people 'in the province' on what actually caused the cancellation - whether I (and others like me) choose to comment or not, does not change the facts, or the OPINION of other knowledgable people 'in the province' - no skin off my back - enjoy the racing (tu)

and one last thing it might have been 23 degrees in hillcrest yesterday but it was closer to 30 degrees in durban with major winds...why anybody would take a pen reading when racing has been abandoned is also beyond me but who the fcuk cares i had a great evening anyhow...enjoy the racing from africas strongest racing province,,,cape town><

wrong thread

Hi Frodo, as you say it is a perception but not a fact but anyway it is one of the biggest problems with a forum where people don't use their proper names and can say what they want without being held accountable for their opinions, lies, perceptions etc. The fact is that it was too wet to race safely. People often run down the operators from behind their pseudonyms and it is one of the reasons that the operators don't try to really come on board engage with posters. Many posters want all the inside info and operators to take notice of what they say but will not come out in the open. It really would help and lend credence to their complaints and arguments if they were prepared to stand by what they said and disclose who they actually are. Pirates, you for one should know we are not racing in KZN today!<

Wow - watch the last race in Mauritius - looked liked they were running in a bog

Craig Eudey Wrote:

---

> Hi Frodo, as you say it is a perception but not a
> fact but anyway it is one of the biggest problems
> with a forum where people don't use their proper
> names and can say what they want without being
> held accountable for their opinions, lies,
> perceptions etc. The fact is that it was too wet
> to race safely. People often run down the
> operators from behind their pseudonyms and it is
> one of the reasons that the operators don't try to
> really come on board engage with posters. Many
> posters want all the inside info and operators to
> take notice of what they say but will not come out
> in the open. It really would help and lend
> credence to their complaints and arguments if they
> were prepared to stand by what they said and
> disclose who they actually are. Pirates, you for
> one should know we are not racing in KZN
> today!<


Craig, I have nothing against you and I actually respect you for coming on here and stating the facts - and your opinion - as you see it; however I think there is one point where we can't seem to reach agreement (and that's ok in my view) and that is that you (and the operators?) seem to go out from the standpoint that just because people do not put their names to their posts (and you can see who I am under the 'Who are You' thread - not that it matters much, as I am a 'nobody'), they are automatically assumed to be idiots and therefore can not contribute in any meaningful way to any issue; I think that standpoint is wrong - you will find many reasonable/valuable contributions from the 'unknows' just as you would find utter hogwash from people electing to post using their own names - and also the other way around.