Weekend Wisdom 28th Feb 2016

Verdant Asphalt

Randwick, the scene of Saturday’s meeting, experienced a freak rain event on the Sunday prior. Sixty millimetres in sixty minutes, the manifold effects of which underpin the narrative of Chipping Norton Stakes day.

At acceptance time, last Wednesday, we were greeted with a track reading of “Soft 5”. My lengthy experience with the pronouncements of racecourse curators leads me to believe that readings are primarily a function of the rain gauge, especially in summer. Evaporation rates at this time of year are designed to make track managers look foolish, as is the standard track description scale which mandates ten gradations, but shames all those not in drought affected areas into using only eight.

The upshot of my preamble was that nature was allowed to take its course and the Randwick track received no artificial watering. A recent “pearl of wisdom” suggested that surfaces allowed to dry out without irrigation often defy expectations of an anti-rails bias, borne out by the Warwick Farm fixture of February 10 where the six winners from the chute start tracked the fence, mostly from the front. Horse players familiar with the south-western Sydney circuit know to treat fence dwellers with suspicion, but the factor of zero irrigation turned this on its head.

Randwick on Saturday with its six metre rail position and unwatered surface proved sympathetic to on-pace runners, those idiomatically “in the van”. Front runners were further assisted by not having to cut the breeze with a steady leeward wind at their backs. Red-hot Winx , looping the field from the 600m, was the only winner at the 800m mark not handy to the pace, and she clearly had the betting credentials to overcome such an obstacle.

How then should we assess those closers that seemed to make a good fist of their predicament. Twist Tops; adequate with no scope. Stay With Me; unsuited and ready to go in more sympathetic conditions. Zanbagh; hard not to be impressed. Hauraki; found Winx’s slipstream again. Rock Sturdy and Good Project; missed road blocks caused by lead and outside lead failing to progress. Unequivocal; found the right race in the wrong circumstances.

My horse to follow from the meeting beat one runner home, and raced on the pace. Amicus, sat wide early then was used up through a brutal first section. If there is a better example of why a horse is beaten, i.e. have it circle the field through a strong pace, then slow it down to sit outside the leader, I know it not.

The form from Saturday is not Randwick form, it is Randwick (rail 6m, surface concrete) form.

Breeding Life.

Nathan Snow, well-regarded, well-respected and well-liked, has poured his ardour for the game into an epistle titled Breeding Life Back into Racing. Nathan cogently argues for the breeding segment of the racing industry to be put into harness. It is often cited of the immense power wielded by Tabcorp that the “tail is wagging the dog”, and it is difficult for me not to view our horse breeding industry in like terms.

From the outset, I propose we junk the Hong Kong comparison. Yes, Hong Kong seems racing’s utopia, but for systemic reasons it is not imagined perfection but impossible perfection. Just as the political systems of Australia and the USA struggle with their Federal yoke, so our racing industry, organically comprised of myriad components, labours to achieve any form of coherency. Too many interest groups, across a range of jurisdictions. Add to that, the age-old duality; city vs the bush.

Progress of any kind in the face of such unwieldiness requires a thoughtful compact between all concerned. Engagement is key, compromise is king. There are no goodies and baddies, all parties are necessary, and a vibrant industry is in the interests of all. I suggest that all those who turn a buck on the game pay a licence fee, myself included.

Last week I argued against the profligacy of the Country Championship heats. I would like to stress that I’m opposed to the size of the purse, not the concept per se. Tokenism aside, the finals series and the Highway concept are important symbols of the recognition of Country racing, much the same as inviting a country rugby league group final to play in the warm-up programme on grand final day.

Let the finger pointing cease.

Rules of the Game

My nine-year-old daughter is happiest when players in the park soccer match observe the rules. Such adherence delivers certainty; everyone knows where they stand.

This realisation led to an epiphany or two, and sent me in search of some analysis of games and their rules. I uncovered a fascinating essay titled “Why Games & Learning”, parts of which I shall paraphrase below.

Games represent learning systems where engagement leads to entertainment. Modern life asks us to solve complex problems and interact critically with our environment to process the information required. Game-playing supports such problem solving by creating compelling complex problem spaces/worlds in which players gain understanding through self-directed exploration.

The author is referring to digital gaming, but to me it speaks of horse-playing, very loudly.

Very few have been anointed to the mysteries of the turf. It wasn’t always this way. It is very simply the result of failure to introduce the mainstream to the rules of horse-playing.

All games require joiners who then become invested before reaching a level of mastery and perhaps completing the circle by becoming teachers. Such a cycle may be observed throughout our popular sports and pastimes. Fans are usually introduced to their game/s of choice as children and their enthusiastic engagement is underpinned by a fundamental understanding of how the game works.

Governing bodies of major sports know their income is derived from television rights. No-one will watch something they don’t understand, and early participation is key to future viewing.

Alas, it is clear that racing’s governors, while they may know the source of funding, have limited understanding of how players become engaged. Witness the frozen response when the hollowing -out of the oncourse betting precinct allied with the cyberspace phenomenon led to the dramatic change of the wagering landscape. Goalposts shifted, rules broke down and horse players deserted in droves.

Meanwhile, Race clubs tread the path of the social experience which is short-term, non-engaging, mere pleasant time-passing.

The malign examples of recent times attracting such colourful media attention are a product of the propensity to cheat when knowledge is sparse.

I pray that many may come to know the game that has captivated my life.