Racing revamp requires some political goodwill
Rangitı¯kei MP Ian Mckelvie is the only parliamentarian to have been president of a racing club, to have owned and trained racehorses and who still has trotters in
The small community clubs such as Woodville’s will go down kicking and screaming – harder than closing a hospital probably. The Gore club in Southland has already said it would sell up and plough the proceeds into the community.
The summer meetings at Woodville are delightful, but as with most small clubs, the buildings are ancient, too expensive to upkeep and insure and horses in great numbers are no longer trained there.
This is what the review said of Woodville: ‘‘Venue with five race meetings in 2017-18. Fair location. Poor infrastructure. Training. Not required after proposed Awapuni synthetic track is built. Freehold. Woodville-pahı¯atua RC should race at Awapuni.’’
The rather brutal guillotine will be to force Woodville out by not granting any licences (race meetings) from 2021-22. Foxton and Levin would remain as training courses.
The review found dilapidated buildings at almost every course. The average number of meetings is 6.7 per course and 14 venues hold only one meeting a year, which is unsustainable.
In 1970, New Zealand had 58 racecourses and 50 years on there are still 48. Ireland stages 357 meetings a year on 26 courses, we hold 321 on 48 and Britain holds 897 meetings on 36.
However, it seems out of whack that the Timaru and Rotorua clubs are for the chop when Te Teko (2 meetings), Gisborne (1), Cromwell (1), Kumara (1) with a population of 309 and Waikouaiti (1) escape the noose so there can still be a racing presence.
But dig this, the 600 kilometres of the South Island’s West Coast, population 32,400, has four racecourses staging four meetings a year. The bloodletting is not going to be pleasant.
Turbos and high emotion
Wacky theories high on emotion sprung up after the Turbos’ 50-17 loss to Otago on Saturday.
I have seen worse, like losses to East Coast and Thames Valley in the second division days. There was the 109-6 thumping by the British Lions in 2005, the 41-13 loss by Dave Rennie’s Turbos to Bay of Plenty when the Turbos didn’t fire a shot at Mt Maunganui, the 77-8 slaughter at Whangarei in 2010, the 64-10 loss to Canterbury in 2007 and 59-16 to Auckland in 2012.
What made it worse this time was the Turbos were in the game until the fateful final 18 minutes and looked one more try away from dousing Otago, who did score two freak tries.
It was always going to be a rugged year with money tight, injuries to key men, losing captain Heiden Bedwell-curtis late and a draw from hell.
It could be worse – just ask Waikato and Southland.