If I recall correctly, the shoppies union in Singleton always had hassles because the local cost of living matched the miners' incomes, not the wages of the checkout chicks and guys.

Great to see Wauchope and Taree each getting 26 meetings, that are proposed for the next Financial Year. GRNSW dont always get it right, but they have got it right for the MNC. Well done.

Wasn't it announced recently that Cessnock was going to be resurrected and refurbished as a training centre

I rate Cessnock as the best one turn track in NSW if not Australia.

I am under the impression that the Cessnock "training centre" matter was simply a matter of the local amateur group promoting its availability - and good luck to them.

The more important items are the shortage of dogs everywhere plus the continuing rise in short races, both of which are endangering the breed. The Richmond straight is diverting attention from patronage and the dubious value of Richmond 330m, Bulli 340m, Taree 314m, Wauchope 384m, Casino 300m, Lismore 259m, etc.

In addition to my earlier comment about Casino I note that last night (Tue) Lismore also managed to program only 8 races (2x259m, 5x420m, 2x520m). Those 8 races jumped with 15 empty boxes as well as the 16 or more that would have happened in a "normal" program.

The mind boggles at what will happen when the $6m Grafton track comes on stream shortly. Casino and Lismore will have better nights from time to time but there is not a shred of evidence that the Mid North and Northern Rivers have what it takes to support the industry's activity over five tracks as proposed.

GRNSW has run what is really a political campaign - or "build it and they will come" - and ignored the commercial reality. Doubly so as Casino, Taree and Wauchope are on the list for even further investment, according to the Minister and GRNSW.

What return might the industry expect on these huge investments?

In this climate, why are the adjacent Casino and Lismore tracks still both running and soaking up hard cash?

How was the huge Grafton investment justified? (I always liked the old Grafton myself - as the best of all the Northern Rivers trips).

Exactly why are we short of dogs? Any genuine research?

A suggestion in the interests of transparency - let's see a fair dinkum P/L report track by track so we know what we are paying for and where.

One of the other main reasons for drop in greyhound numbers is because of GRNSW's failure to provide adequate training infrastructure for the hobby and small trainers

This is a factor that is hardly ever talked about but is vital to these smaller trainers who take on the lower grade dogs to race or take on dogs that need more time to develop i.e. the ones the pro trainers don't want

The professional trainers generally have the faster dogs and are well set up on their properties with straight tracks and bull rings etc

The small trainer generally doesn't have these resources available

There are fewer and fewer trial tracks and other training facilities in NSW available to educate and trial puppies

GRNSW and to some extent GWIC as the welfare benefactor of the sport have been remiss and downright neglectful in not adding these training facilities to established racetracks or preserving disused racetracks as training centres

If they are really responsible for growing the sport and helping participants to train their greyhounds as well as being focussed on getting as many dogs to the tracka s possible and keeping them focussed on racing then these facilities need to be added to racetrack facilities or developed ASAP

Instead of wasting money on other things they should be assisting participants in getting their dogs racing and being properly educated before they are allowed to race

The lack of investment in training infrastructure for trainers is downright embarrassing

At least the resurrection of Cessnock as a training centre is a step in the right direction

And the Richmond straight track is a great addition to the arsenal but these measures need to be statewide

PS Tony M & Wayne B, while you are at it why don;t you install a state of the art bullring at Richmond & Cessnock and other tracks around the State with lights and security cameras, starting boxes and viewing kennels so trainers can start educating their dogs from an early age

PPS Don't get me started on the FOL

At this stage, Cessnock has only resumed trialling, but a good article in the newspaper.

Spot on.

Sandro,

I offer maximum support to your comments.

But lets remember these are all a function of an administrator which processes pieces of paper rather than trying to manage a statewide industry. All parts of the greyhound package demand consideration, not just the club that happens to be making a noise at the moment.

The arithmetic is shocking. Five Coast/Rivers tracks are going to replace four which cannot sustain meetings today even when they employ squibs races in an attempt to fill the gaps. Somewhat the same pattern will apply when all Richmonds straight races come into play.

This is all part of the longstanding GRA/GRNSW practice of pandering to politics rather than optimising the commercial position and strategic needs. Straight track racing at Richmond got a life simply because the club put its hand up, not because GRNSW researched and analysed the situation and came to a decision. At the same time it is ignoring a pressing need to shift the 400m boxes and simultaneously fix the camber for 535m races. So much for all the falls and disruptions and the alleged minimum safety standards and design standards.

Generally, I suspect much of the GRNSW thinking comes from studies of the number of trainers in each area rather than the number of dogs especially in the Northern Rivers where the shortcomings have been evident for years. Todays problems are not new.

What we are now being told is that five tracks in the Coast/Rivers region will do better than the current four because the Minister and the local MP say so. That gets an immediate F for primary school arithmetic.

Incidentally, I sympathise with people who are not keen on Lismore dominance because of its flood-prone situation. However, it is better positioned otherwise, with a major regional university and the biggest population in the broader region outside the greater Newcastle area. Some innovative thinking is needed.

There is nothing wrong with the maths. Many, many trainers over many years have had to travel to the Hunter to chase decent prizemoney, and a fair many still do. These tracks will allow them to race locally on a regular basis with Hunter based trainers coming up to the MNC if they want to. It gives all trainers a choice of grass tracks, both two turn and one turn. There is about a 400klm distance between Taree and Lismore. Both tracks are well placed to cater for trainers in townships along the MNC and Northern Rivers and beyond.

What don't you get about it? You cannot see it from a canine or trainers perspective. The positioning of the race meeting times, are vital, but still you have to look at the product and stakeholders.

Why don't you get yourself involved in a syndicate and attract a few more people to the game of ownership and racing?

I don't think there is either but you have to actually do the exercise - which few have done. They simply show that NSW is short of dogs everywhere (and breeding data also shows how unlikely it is to improve).

Wauchope/Taree/Maitland/Newcastle have always enjoyed a good interchange of starters with the only changes in recent years being (1) giving the first two TAB money on a weekly basis between them, (2) some thinning out of race numbers and noms and (3) a strong trend towards shorter races at all four venues.

The downturn in numbers at Casino/Lismore is much more serious - even with Grafton out of action. It is erratic but substantial and also demonstrates the relative recent growth in short races.

I have to repeat my earlier comment that counting trainers is not as relevant as counting dogs. On that basis, Casino, Lismore, Maitland and sometimes Wauchope are suspect. Taree and Newcastle are OK but highly dependent on short races up or down around the 300m mark. That's questionable.

No doubt lots of people put in a lot of hard work but the business does not owe trainers a living, just fair opportunities. What they do is their choice.

So please tell me where all the Grafton starters will come from and what effects will there be when it happens.

Mark,

Lets remember that GRNSW (in a previous mode) first cut back Tweed dates, then eliminated them all, then tried to shift the whole deal to Queensland jurisdiction (contrary to law and commercial contracts). Now a recent chat between GRNSW and the Tweed club reveals all is hunky dory and something good might happen in the (unstated) future. Work that one out.

Even so, I indicated previously that demand for five clubs along the coast was dubious because the industry was not handling four as we stand. How much sillier would it be if we had to organise things for six clubs? Its a complete nonsense, particularly as these clues are not new and have been present for some years.

Reasonable efficiency can be achieved in the medium term if ..

(1) Casino and Lismore are combined,
(2) Wauchope and Taree are limited to monthly meetings, not fortnightly, and
(3) Grafton is limited to 10-race meetings,
(4) Preferably, short races are replaced with longer ones by differentiating prize money as necessary.
(5) Widespread marketing campaigns are mounted from the Hawkesbury River to the Tweed River.

Similar but lesser problems will emerge at Richmond and its region. So should similar solutions.

I did not know I was respecting GRNSW at all. Rather the opposite.

Whatever income we get from overseas sources would be peanuts compared with full commission on local races. (It's a commission on a commission). Please correct me if you have data.

The guts is that GRNSW has - or should have - two prime objectives:

1. Sustaining and improving the breed, and
2. Maximising income from customers.

Instead, today's efforts are directed at ...

3. Satisfying political objectives related to welfare in all its forms, and
4. Whole of life tracking, heavy regulation and promotion of re-homing.

Done well, #1 and #2 should cater for #3 and #4 anyway.

But the region, the state and the nation have long since run out of dogs to cater for "normal" programs as well as extras races that keep being inserted. Authorities' only answer has been to delve further into runts of the litter and to support short squibs' races - and even that cannot maintain a sufficient supply of racing stock.

The current money flow has been sustained mostly by mugs who can use their thumbs but not their brains. That's welcome but risky corporate practice.

And I still have not heard any answer to my query as to where the dogs are to come from to staff the proposed racing schedule. We can't do it now so how will we do it for a higher meeting frequency?

PS: Earlier I forgot to add the non-Tab meetings at Kempsey to the discussion.

PS2: The Tweed club will have their own priorities and problems (which GRNSW made worse) but are well cashed up. However their main source of income has always been thoroughbred commissions on Saturday afternoons and public holidays, using their auditorium license. Customers from NSW and SEQ had to book tables in advance to get access to one of the well-equipped desks in a huge wagering facility. Dogs were incidental.

The proposed 10 Meetings on Saturday and 40 on Sunday, will allow trainers to race/nominate their dogs again after racing at Lismore (Tues) & Casino (Thursday). Currently, Lismore (Tues) to Casino (Thurs) isn't enough time to allow dogs to recover. This information has been emailed GRNSW when they changed Casino from Friday to Thursday. Yep didn't even get a reply.

Merging Casino & Lismore? Um, not really. Lismore is owned by the GBOTA, every razoo they make at Lismore goes to GBOTA HQ, Sydney. Casino is located on "Local Council Land". Its solvent (Money in the Bank) and travelling well, compared to Lismore (Floods continuing to hang over their heads). When they race, they go well. Maybe, GWIC & GRNSW would love to close Casino and take their meetings to Grafton.

Yes, there is a shortage of dogs. We know that yet, you want to scrap short course races for longer races? Where o Where do we get these EXTRA dogs from because many, many dogs cant run past 400m. Why can't everyone run a marathon or even 10,000m?

If you think five doesnt fit, what about six? I think youve grouped them incorrectly. They should be separated i.e. 2 on MNC and 3 on Northern Rivers. You group them as a matter of convenience.

Who suggested canning 400m races? That would be silly. 300m is a different story.

So much dribble Bob, you can't expect him to remember it all.