Trent Busuttin
Trish Dunell
Leading trainers and administrators are calling for the clash of feature race Saturday meetings to end.
Cambridge trainer Trent Busuttin has vented his frustration with this weekend's clash of the premier meeting at New Plymouth, which hosts the Gr.3 Platinum Homes Taranaki Cup (1800), the Gr.3 Phoenix Park 2yo Classic (1200m) and the Listed Bob Sharrock Memorial Oaks Prelude (1800m), and the Ellerslie meeting featuring the Gr.2 Auckland Eye Avondale Guineas (2100m) and the Gr.2 Go Racing Syndications Avondale Cup (2400m).
The main concern is the lack of jockey resources through leading riders being spread between the two meetings. Of the top 15 riders on the premiership, only eighth-placed Jonathan Parkes is riding at the premier New Plymouth meeting.
The Avondale Guineas and Avondale Cup are key leadup races to the lucrative Gr.1 New Zealand Derby and the Gr.1 Auckland Cup respectively and understandably leading jockeys are keen to attend the Ellerslie meeting to secure their future mounts, just as others are for leading two-year-olds and New Zealand Oaks prospects at New Plymouth.
"It's affecting owners and trainers and consequently it's going to affect punting turnover through lack of punter confidence," Busuttin said.
"I'm sure Taranaki want their Saturday meeting, just as any Central Districts club would want to race their meeting on a Saturday, but the result is there's not the depth of jockeys to support two good quality meetings.
"It's disappointing for the Taranaki club too because I'm sure they would rather avoid the clash."
Busuttin and training partner Natalie Young struggled to find a suitable jockey for leading two-year-old Caorunn but have eventually plumped for Awapuni jockey Masa Tanaka.
Taranaki Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Carey Hobbs described the clash with Ellerslie as "extremely frustrating".
"It needs to be fixed. I've been talking to NZTR about this for five years," Hobbs said.
"There's only been one day these two meetings didn't clash and that was when there was a motor show or something at Ellerslie on Saturday and they moved to the Sunday. Michael Dore [TAB racing manager] told me there was $150,000 extra betting over that weekend so that speaks volumes.
"I've had countless calls this week from trainers saying they were planning to bring horses to our meeting but had chosen not to because they hadn't been able to get a suitable jockey. I've been banging my head against a concrete wall."
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Greg Purcell said the issue of feature meetings clashing wasn't a new one but he was eager to find the appropriate solution.
He said NZTR was working through the calendar identifying the best ways to avoid clashes while still trying to optimise betting turnover, though he warned the issue of feature meetings clashing - which again happens on Saturday week with Gr.1 Haunui Farm Weight-For-Age Classic day at Otaki clashing with the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders' Stakes meeting - might take a few years to completely resolve.
"One of the processes we are going through at the moment is trying to get the optimal result we can from wagering - and what's there at the moment is not optimal," Purcell said. - NZ Racing Desk
Cambridge trainer Trent Busuttin has vented his frustration with this weekend's clash of the premier meeting at New Plymouth, which hosts the Gr.3 Platinum Homes Taranaki Cup (1800), the Gr.3 Phoenix Park 2yo Classic (1200m) and the Listed Bob Sharrock Memorial Oaks Prelude (1800m), and the Ellerslie meeting featuring the Gr.2 Auckland Eye Avondale Guineas (2100m) and the Gr.2 Go Racing Syndications Avondale Cup (2400m).
The main concern is the lack of jockey resources through leading riders being spread between the two meetings. Of the top 15 riders on the premiership, only eighth-placed Jonathan Parkes is riding at the premier New Plymouth meeting.
The Avondale Guineas and Avondale Cup are key leadup races to the lucrative Gr.1 New Zealand Derby and the Gr.1 Auckland Cup respectively and understandably leading jockeys are keen to attend the Ellerslie meeting to secure their future mounts, just as others are for leading two-year-olds and New Zealand Oaks prospects at New Plymouth.
"It's affecting owners and trainers and consequently it's going to affect punting turnover through lack of punter confidence," Busuttin said.
"I'm sure Taranaki want their Saturday meeting, just as any Central Districts club would want to race their meeting on a Saturday, but the result is there's not the depth of jockeys to support two good quality meetings.
"It's disappointing for the Taranaki club too because I'm sure they would rather avoid the clash."
Busuttin and training partner Natalie Young struggled to find a suitable jockey for leading two-year-old Caorunn but have eventually plumped for Awapuni jockey Masa Tanaka.
Taranaki Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Carey Hobbs described the clash with Ellerslie as "extremely frustrating".
"It needs to be fixed. I've been talking to NZTR about this for five years," Hobbs said.
"There's only been one day these two meetings didn't clash and that was when there was a motor show or something at Ellerslie on Saturday and they moved to the Sunday. Michael Dore [TAB racing manager] told me there was $150,000 extra betting over that weekend so that speaks volumes.
"I've had countless calls this week from trainers saying they were planning to bring horses to our meeting but had chosen not to because they hadn't been able to get a suitable jockey. I've been banging my head against a concrete wall."
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Greg Purcell said the issue of feature meetings clashing wasn't a new one but he was eager to find the appropriate solution.
He said NZTR was working through the calendar identifying the best ways to avoid clashes while still trying to optimise betting turnover, though he warned the issue of feature meetings clashing - which again happens on Saturday week with Gr.1 Haunui Farm Weight-For-Age Classic day at Otaki clashing with the Gr.2 J Swap Contractors Matamata Breeders' Stakes meeting - might take a few years to completely resolve.
"One of the processes we are going through at the moment is trying to get the optimal result we can from wagering - and what's there at the moment is not optimal," Purcell said. - NZ Racing Desk