Is NSW Harness racing better ???

[peteboss4]

Bulli (Linden Huntly), Leeton (Breeders Plate) and Bathurst (Crown) hope and pray nothing gallops on the first turn.

Yep and isn't that bad you have to hope and pray nothing gallops on these outdated tracks. I personally would never even think of putting a young horse around them.

[Mark Croatto]

Goulburn looks like a good track but most races the result is in the first 2 or 3 around the corner. Most runners are off the bit at the 400 and rarely does anything come from back in the field there.

Some of the commentary on this forum astounds me at times; quotes like the above and Peteboss' "Goulburns straight it too short for the sweeping bend at the last turn, nothing can make up ground" are so uninformed to be laughable. I suppose I have a bias given my involvement with Goulburn but really, how do you people come up with so much crap?

Since the re-development of Goulburn we have had 3 race meetings and a total of 23 races. In ten of those races the leader at the top of the staight won the race, however 3 of those 10 were actually last or near enough to last during the run having made moves leading up to the bell. Interestingly, of the 13 remaining winners 11 were in 4th place or further back at the 400m mark, and yes, because of its long sweeping bends drivers aren't holding up, they're not all waiting to go and hence races are genuinely run affairs, thus horses are off the bit at the 400. All you need to do is look at the stewards comments and you'll see that of the 202 runners that went around in these 3 meetings there is the grand total of 10 horses who were held up or had no clear run. What else can you possibly want from a race track? Minimal congestion, truly run affairs and horses battling it out without interference.

Just to add, Luke McCarthy commented publicly at the track and in private that Goulburn is the equal to any 5/8 ths track he has raced on in the world. Not NSW, not Australia, but the world, so please if you want to take a dig at our track come along with some factual information, not spurious ill informed opinions

Regards

Mark

[peteboss4]

Some of the commentary on this forum astounds me at times; quotes like the above and Peteboss' "Goulburns straight it too short for the sweeping bend at the last turn, nothing can make up ground" are so uninformed to be laughable. I suppose I have a bias given my involvement with Goulburn but really, how do you people come up with so much crap?

Since the re-development of Goulburn we have had 3 race meetings and a total of 23 races. In ten of those races the leader at the top of the staight won the race, however 3 of those 10 were actually last or near enough to last during the run having made moves leading up to the bell. Interestingly, of the 13 remaining winners 11 were in 4th place or further back at the 400m mark, and yes, because of its long sweeping bends drivers aren't holding up, they're not all waiting to go and hence races are genuinely run affairs, thus horses are off the bit at the 400. All you need to do is look at the stewards comments and you'll see that of the 202 runners that went around in these 3 meetings there is the grand total of 10 horses who were held up or had no clear run. What else can you possibly want from a race track? Minimal congestion, truly run affairs and horses battling it out without interference.

Just to add, Luke McCarthy commented publicly at the track and in private that Goulburn is the equal to any 5/8 ths track he has raced on in the world. Not NSW, not Australia, but the world, so please if you want to take a dig at our track come along with some factual information, not spurious ill informed opinions

Regards

Mark

No problem Mark, must admit that i have only watched Goulburn once & that was on your cup day & only watched races 1,2, 3(well that was Lukes with that horse, didn't matter where it was in the run) & race 7. 1,2 & 7 were leader or behind leader i think & any thing out wide was not making up ground, so i may have got some of it wrong.

[TSW]

Mark,
Let me elaborate on my comment about nothing coming from the tail. I meant in the last 400 or even 600. Nothing seems to swoop home like they do on other tracks. Making a mid race move from the tail is always advantageous at Goulburn for the reasons I stated earlier.

[Daryl New]

The question "Is NSW Harness Racing better???
Just look at the Sydney sales just gone. Very poor. Why is this so with all this new prizemoney around? We race for $22000 on Saturday at Menangle then go to Bankstown on Monday for $3000. Drivers get $100 a drive on Saturdays 1st to 10th, Trainers6th to 10th get get nothing and owners 6th to 10th have to pay the driver. Not picking on Drivers ( except when they dont meet their KPIs ) Overuse of concessions particulaarly in MO races, poor programming, extended nominations ad infinitum, Country Cups plundered by Group Horses, Mares based State Bred schemes that allow Vicbred to compete, Lobby groups with too much influence, and thats without getting into the current illegal behaviour of some trainers , drivers and officials. I hear you Jaimie, I know you dont agree with certain issues but you are in part of the industry that is over represented in the decision making process