Change of rules - TRAINERS raiding Natal

Some will be happy ,some will be unhappy

Protectionism at its worst

Reminds me of the whites only / non-whites signs we used to have

Clearly KZN trainers and owners feel that they are inferior to "raiders" and need protection.

Imagine a KZN "season" without raiders....

Piss poor and in the worst taste, Gold Circle truly is a Circus and Craig please don't insult our intelligence my trying to defend the indefensible

IMO
KZN "Season" will always have raiders as the KZN "season" consists of Group or Listed races not MR 74 and below, those races just make up the racecard.... 99% horses raid for the Big races in the 'season' not the Mr74 and below, the horses that prep for the big ones dont use MR74 races as a prep as MR74 horses cant make it in the big races

I tell you what is alarming to me especially having raced here all my life is that looking back at the this season I don't thin k a natal based trainer has won a group one race since same juristriction won the garden province on july day last year and the season is almost at an end...

to be fair...all these Unions...EU, AU, "trade agreements", BRIC's, pricks...blah blah blah...
What are they....

Will the KZN champion trainer be a raider ?

Unfortunately I can never support any form of guaranteed runners, anywhere, anytime.
I have campaigned steadfastly against this, to the extent that it was tabled at the last NHA AGM by myself.
Racing will only survive when the best possible fields in every race are offered to punters.
Owners will only survive when their horses which are not competitive are retired.
The costs of keeping racehorses has risen steeply compared to stakes.
We all need and want good horses. The talking point now, after Saturday, is the Conglomerate/Ramsden/Brugman/Jooste /Strydom combo. Also Abashiri is a current topic.
The big Races are what we all strive to compete in and we dream of winning them.

On the other hand, we do need all of the other races and runners throughout the rest of the year, for Racing to survive.

The problem with guaranteed runners on lower rated races is that there will be horses which are qualified and eligible to run which will be excluded due to the inclusion of formless and uncompetitive horses.

So this rule protects the bad horse at the expense of the good horse. And this rule will further undermine the quality of racing in SA.

Thanks Louis well explained from someone at the coal face.

As I have said many many times before, I will never apologize for doing what I think is best for my owners first and other KZN supporting owners in general second. This is only in the lower rated races so has no bearing on any features. Topaz Rain was left out of a race for a Kimberly "raider" who in its last 3 races had run an average of 19 lengths off if I remember correctly but was in on its grass rating when TR had run an average of lengths off in her previous 4 outings. The raider ran the same as before. KZN supporting owners first. The End.

Craig you use an example of how you got eliminated for an inferior horse - I agree 100% that that should not happen. It does not excuse your justification of eliminating entries based on geographical stabling. As a punter I want opportunities to have a bet where I feel I have a chance to cash. I also want opportunities to find potential bankers in exotics. Here I couldnt care less where the horse is stabled, I look at its winning chances. What you are creating here is a system that eliminates better horses for lesser horses. That is not good for punters, it is not good for overseas selling, it is not good for turnover. Have you ever considered that what is "best" for YOUR owners is not best for racing?

I will ask you a question. We already have restricted races for horses that come off particular sales. I find this fair enough because in essence the connections have paid for the right to contest a closed shop race. What would your reaction be should similar restrictions be put on KZN horses? Would you feel this is "fair"? Lets expand this a bit more. Why not start eliminating horses based on what region they were bred in? Why not expand a bit more and force any yard with a "satellite" in another province to be eliminated second?

Mediocrity rules. The only thing I can say to owners who pay for horses that get runs unfairly is .... "shame". You are pissing your money against a wall.

A final thought on this is the short sightedness of the Gold Circle board in legislating this repugnant local condition. What is more important to this board, turnover and thus profits, or giving owners of locally trained horses a run? If there was a business brain among the Mauritians they would soon realise that they are shooting themselves in the foot by implementing this rule, something they seem to have a particular talent in. If anyone can explain from a business point of view how a formless KZN trained horse receives a run at the expense of a out of town horse with exposed form, then I will humbly eat a few pies. I do not buy the poor excuse that it only affects lower ranked animals because these form the majority of the KZN programmed races.

its impossible to argue/show craig anything unless you do it in person………but eventually all patience is exhausted…..the way things are carrying on gold circus / hawkins and co will be ruined in a matter of years….then all the cleavers will be saying their piece.