Austrotforum

"TROT TACTICS"..13/06/2009..

Time marches on,and the clock is ticking down to the final meeting at Rocklea Showgrounds.July 25 is the day,and extra prizemoney will be on offer to ensure that the iconic venue goes out in style.Put it in your blackbook and keep Rocklea in your memories.For a lot of the trainers and drivers who were regulars at the Ipswich circuit 30 years ago,to venture to the Rock and win was high achievement indeed.There was a distinct step up in class.A horse that could consistently get 4th money at Rocklea in maiden class,would win four or five at Ipswich in a short time.More of the Rock in weeks to come.

An analytical study of the relationship of field size (number of starters) to turnover,recently conducted by Harness Racing Queensland,has thrown up a couple of interesting points.HRQ discovered that turnover increased by 9.3% when there were 9 starters as opposed to 8,and 15.9% when there 10 rather than 9.Happily,the price of the favourite follows the same trend,especially when there is a full field.The favourite's price increases by 5.4% in the 10 rather than 9 scenario.For a 3 months trial from July 1st,Albion Park race fields for 3yos and older at 2138 and 2680 metres will now have 11 starters in the 7 front and 4 trailers format.Events worth more than $50,000 at 2680m will have 12 runners.

A good move,as it is aimed at improving turnover and is a statisticians approach to a knotty problem.This initiative on its own will not plug the leak in the dyke,but it's a start.The lights are on in the halls of power,and the occupants are beginning to think.Denis.

Posted by dlsmith at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Champion trotter MAJESTIC SON joins Stallion Station roster

Majestic Son, one of the greatest trotters produced in North America and a former Canadian Horse of the Year, is slated to stand the coming season at Stallion Station’s Christchurch base, alongside champion sire Mach Three and US Breeders Crown winner Santanna Blue Chip.

Boasting a bankroll of $1,993,157, Majestic Son is by far the richest and one of the best credentialled trotters ever to be imported to the Southern Hemisphere.

In 38 career starts, Majestic Son compiled the outstanding record of 22 wins – including six at Group 1 level – five seconds and three thirds. He met and defeated his great archrival Glidemaster (Tr 1:51.2 and $1,968,023) on four occasions in the Champlain Stakes, Goodtimes, Canadian Trotting Classic and Breeders Crown.

As a two-year-old he won in 1:55.8, at Mohawk’s seven-eighths mile track, winning five races including the $252,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final.

However, at three he really stepped up. In 19 starts as a three-year-old he won 14 times and collected more than $1.3 million in stakes.

Majestic Son took his record of 1:52.4 at three years, winning the $900,000 Canadian Trotting Classic, in which he defeated US Horse of the Year Glidemaster and Global Glide. His other major successes at three were the $500,000 Breeders Crown, $154,470 Canadian Breeders Championship, $252,540 Goodtimes and three $115,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Finals.

At four in 2007, he won a further three races including the Frank Ryan Memorial Trot in a track and Canadian record time of 1:53 on a five-eighths mile track before injury curtailed his career.

Now in the top bracket as a sire, Angus Hall, the sire of Majestic Son, was one of the greatest sons of Garland Lobell Tr 1:55.6, and he retired from racing with a stake tally of $830,654 and a world two-year-old record. Angus Hall is now the sire of 30 in 1:55 and the winners of almost $40million.

Majestic Son is the richest and second fastest son of Angus Hall.

Celtic Contessa, the dam of Majestic Son, is a King Conch mare out of the exceptional race and broodmare Ramerizi Tr 1:56.8 ($433,344), who left the world champion and Nat Ray winner Misterizi Tr 1:51 ($410,893).

Majestic Son has served books in excess of 90 mares in his first two seasons at Tara Hills Stud, Ontario, with a stud fee of $Can10,000.

Posted by dlsmith at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TROT TACTICS"...06/06/2009..

After the longest night in the history of the light harness sport in Australia,(just 30 years or so),the sun may be showing on the horizon.In race caller and Albion Park Vice chairman,David Fowler's column in Harness Racing Queensland magazine,David reported on a national marketing meeting held recently in Sydney.It seems that the administrators have finally realised that the switch to the descriptive term,"harness racing" in place of "trotting" or "the trots" in the early 80's achieved only one thing.Two words,innocent in themselves,managed to consign a well known and loved code of horse racing to the shadows,while senior administrators chanted the same two words like some universal mantra.The Gods and the Punters turned their backs.

D.Fowler further reports that it is now realised that the product we place before punters is in many ways far too complicated for the very demographic we must pitch to,Joe and Jo-Anne Average..Simpler,easily understood form guides may be forthcoming.That coupled with the severe curtailing of whip use may put us in the market place with a serious chance of growing a fan base and some real TAB turnover.Maybe,just maybe,this new awakening may be strong enough to head off the latest minefield for punters and participants alike.It's called the National Handicapping Reforms.The net result of this document is 19 rules which further compound the problems for the punter which are inherent in the mobile conditioned racing format. ..Denis..

Posted by dlsmith at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)