Greyville tomorrow

We all know the chances are great that rain will affect tomorrow nights racemeeting at Greyville, why not make an early decision and postpone to Friday nite (no rain predicted friday and the course can dry out in the day)? Will they even consider postponing or will it be another meeting down the drain? The previous cancelled meeting was totally irrational, can an industry thats in so much trouble absorb these decisions?

@hibernia:

meeting abandoned!

Get used to or get out of it!

They change venues, cancel with a little drizzle, then, run when there's heavy overnight rain......!

You study form for track A, next, it's Track B in the morning! Horses are scratched... including the one you bankered!

Then, when the horses eventually run... the results leave one bamboozled (even they are fed up- run at day, round a left turn, in the wet, next a right turn, under lights)! Meetings with massive upsets... that even leave the trainers looking stupid!

Do we need such constant turn-arounds, complications & uncertaintities in our lives?

Naand mense, as hulle wel more hardloop, then I will put an e/w on Morgans siren in the 8th race. Also like Molotov in the 3rd, but's it drawn 17th and that is very bad for a 1600 @ greyville. Weather in the Cape is good, even though the is South Easter pumping .

@ Umilo, you what?(

Chaps, I totally understand your frustration....but there is always a reason for them abandoning things, calling it off etc. I personally know the guys who make these decisions and trust me, their last option in their mind is to want to cancel a meeting. Be with me on this one. Be patient and you will reap the rewards.

Primal

Thank you for input. Would you care to explain how owners will reap the rewards. The authorities reduce the stakes, cancel race meetings etc. BUT THE OWNERS STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE KEEP FOR THEIR HORSES.

The authorities want to attract new owners to the game. They might well do but I know of at least 11 people that will not be renewing their colours in the new year.
Their is a lot of animosity at the moment. There is no meaningful owners association that we can take our gripes to.

Like the old saying goes - "it is a sport of kings" and run by people that think they are kings.

100perc with you east on the owners issue, I'm suprised that kzn doesn't have a vocal owners assoc, I have always said that's the reason the kzn owners get a raw deal, being a kzn owner I would love to be part of a vocal assoc
Any comments???
As for racing,its pissing in central dbn so very unlikely to race

Primal, is "saving the Stakes pot" a good reason? If not, why do they abandon without looking at postponement first? The last time they abandoned the Greyville meeting the sun was shining two hours later and no rain in Durban that evening. You now get the ridiculous situation where horses are entered into two, three races in consequetive meetings, incase it rain out. To give you just one example, if tonights meeting get the chop it will be the second time in two weeks that Ice Diamond don't run in a carded race. I had a horse Uncle Jack who were carded in four meetings without running once, luckily I made the right decision and stopped throwing my money away.

@Primalfear :

Can appreciate the few committed & voiceless amongst the rabble in decision-making and communication.
Take yesterday for instance:

One trainer phones in to say that racing cannot go on as the track is water-logged. A jockey riding at the Vaal endorsed the view.
Next, another trainer phones in to say ' go ahead, no problem!'

No wonder we had so many scratchings- I don't blame the owners/trainers. A horse is prepared for a given track & draw, and run at home over a similar situation (with the jockey). Next morning.... another track, not turf, but turf, or vice versa!

How does a trainer give 'confident' advice to the owner on the well being of the runner?

Punters study horses against their performances at the given track.... next, the track is swithched! Start all over again... like idiots?

My question is: who decides on track conditions and makes the decision?

Is that person/s on hand early to make such decisions, etc?

It is not often that I side with 'the powers that be', but in this case I have sympathy for the people who needs to make the decisions whether to race or not (let's for the moment assume that everyone is trying their utmost in order to see racing go ahead - and not looking for any excuse to can meetings in order to save costs).

I think we would all agree that the safety of the horse and jockey is paramount; so rather err on the side of caution. And if the punters are inconvenienced by having to deal with a change in track, so be it.

The problem imo comes when views differ - and on most subjects almost everyone has a different view. As stated by umlilo, one trainer believed that the sand track was 'watelogged', another did not - who is right and who decides who is right? Another human being decides (who also could be wrong). It is easy to point out after the fact, that the guy who thought the track was 'waterlogged' must have been suffering some delusion. My point is that it is difficult decision to make - and we need the best (most capable/experienced) person/s to be making these decisions - and I think that currently there are douts whether this is the case.

Frodo - It has been raining for the better part of last night and this morning in PMB. If it is the same in Durbs, then I think this meeting will be abondoned.
I HOWEVER DO HOPE THAT THEY POSTPONE THE MEETING TO FRIDAY EVENING AT THE LEAST.

east, I neglected to mention that I too am frustrated by the lack of foresight shown in moving meetings (the Greyville meeting of tonight a prime example) - imo this notion of not moving a Gauteng meeting to another day as there is already another Gold Circle meeting scheduled for the same time slot (or vice versa) is complete nonsense. How can SCHEDULING meetings from the 2 operators on the same time slot be ok, but MOVING meetings to the same time slot is a no-no?