Johannesburg Polytrack

Was that just another empty promise? Having a look at the weather forecasts it seems as if it is now sorely needed!

Over the Air wrote: Was that just another empty promise? Having a look at the weather forecasts it seems as if it is now sorely needed!

It has always been sorely needed .....it's just that every so often we are reminded.
Gauteng ,with its summer weather conditions,should not be without all weather racing!
The inside track at Turfontein should be perfect and the lights should be positioned to service both tracks(they must remember not to turf the pull up area)

Blah blah.

It makes no sense to make changes to Turfontein.

it would be spending money on ship that has already sunk.

create a bespoke course that is not to expensive to maintain/ that can have dual function/ easily accessable /less run down area of down/ etc etc

Turfies is none of those.

Sylvester wrote: Blah blah.

It makes no sense to make changes to Turfontein.

it would be spending money on ship that has already sunk.

create a bespoke course that is not to expensive to maintain/ that can have dual function/ easily accessable /less run down area of down/ etc etc

Turfies is none of those.

Unfortunately It makes all the economic sense to make the changes to Turfontein, for the simple reason that there already exists a huge investment,including the installation of the lights,and it is an existing asset.
Decision time has come and gone ........and they sold Newmarket and Gosforth!

I remember the Algoa Cup meeting held on the poly a few years back. Summer Cup odds of rain must be deep in the red.

lol Kzn has a poly track but still losing meetings

Perhaps only 2 or 3 meetings per 100 will have more than 10% (of participants who are not being paid to be there or own a horse) actually at the races in SA.

So once you agree that for 97% of the time, 90% of people will not be there, you realize that a race course is like a TV studio set...horses, participants and a token audience for applause purposes.

So you spend your money on a surface which can take many races at the with least maintenance costs, which is as kind to horses as possible, with great TV cameras: HD,side,front,top,line,slomo etc etc (and sectional timing?), and realistic sound recording of crowd noises before, during and after horse races.

Seriously, how hard is this. IF people actually go, restaurants and bars and shit pay for themselves like in the real world because markets respond to demand. Even here.

IF anyone thinks that on course spectators is a variable that horse racing NEEDS to survive, start looking for some other pastime. Most people (I say 90%) who play bets in more than 5 races per day, more than 4 days per week, have not been to a racecourse in the past 3 years...and that is where the 10 billion in turnover comes from.

So there are maybe some people who need the big white elephant facilities, but I hope they gamble on horses.

Nice post Mini

Aaaah Mini T, how I do like to see crowds at a racemeeting.

.....I say it's less costly to learn by other's mistakes.....leave Turffies as is.....putting in poly could f@ck up the better grass track just like it has done at Greyville......if and when racing gets its act together and get more investment or interest from joe public to want to go racing ...only then look at a new bespoke centre.....build it and they will come is not the way to go forward.....stop the downhill slide and turn racing around before making foolish investments in badly planned infrastructure.....sure Turffies is a sh!thole but the PTB made the decision to consolidate their investments in this venue.....now they should concentrate efforts to get joe public interested to want to go to the venue....time to make some lemonade out of this big lemon.... :blink:

Muhtiman wrote: .....I say it's less costly to learn by other's mistakes.....leave Turffies as is.....putting in poly could f@ck up the better grass track just like it has done at Greyville......if and when racing gets its act together and get more investment or interest from joe public to want to go racing ...only then look at a new bespoke centre.....build it and they will come is not the way to go forward.....stop the downhill slide and turn racing around before making foolish investments in badly planned infrastructure.....sure Turffies is a sh!thole but the PTB made the decision to consolidate their investments in this venue.....now they should concentrate efforts to get joe public interested to want to go to the venue....time to make some lemonade out of this big lemon.... :blink:

Muhti,unless they cock-up badly , there is no reason why converting the inside track to Poly should have the Greyville effect ....Greyville ended up with 2 "half" tracks!
Turf has 2 full tracks.
Where else would you suggest they install "all weather" racing , bearing in mind it's needed during summer night racing,or don't you think it's required at all?
Mini is suggesting what I did ages ago .......you don't need facilities that nobody uses!!-but Turfontein already exists as an asset, so unless sold for huge profit and replaced elsewhere (with limited facilities ) they must use it optimally!

Go look at the racing post and see the big yards and owners taking the long trip up north to Newcastle to run on their Tapeta surface tonight

Stoute
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Varian
Johnstone
Fanshawe