Ray Green says horses need constant care and work and warns the industry could be looking at an extended shut down.
Ray’s urgent plea: The industry will be stuffed if we can’t keep training our horses
By Barry Lichter • 24 March 2020
Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green paints a bleak picture for the racing industry if attempts today fail to see training tracks and stables declared essential work places.
Green and his fellow trainers at Pukekohe can no longer work their horses following the Auckland Trotting Club’s decision yesterday to close down the Franklin Park training centre as part of its response to the country going into Covid-19 lockdown at midnight on Wednesday.
Cambridge Raceway remained open today as CEO David Branch awaits a decision on the three codes’ approach to the Ministry Of Primary Industries for exemption to the stay-at-home direction of coronavirus alert level 4.
Green cannot understand why Auckland officials didn’t go into bat more for the industry given the repercussions for racing.
Not only was it not safe to suddenly stop training highly charged racehorses, which need constant care and feeding, Green wonders if the downstream effect had been considered.
“If we can’t keep training our horses it won’t just be four weeks that racing is stopped, the industry will be shut down for three or four months and we’ll all be stuffed.
“They’ll be screaming out for racehorses when we go back to level 3 but you can’t line horses up in races straight out of the paddock. It would take two months minimum to get them fit again.”
Green says he’s sure trainers with their own tracks will continue to work their teams but they were in the minority.
David Branch … refunding Jewels bookings.Branch, who has a horse of his own in training at Cambridge with Arna Donnelly, says there are a myriad of considerations ahead for the industry and its participants.
“We’re prepared to leave the track open if we can - we have the staff to do it - and we run the Morrinsville track as well.”
Branch says he’s lucky his horse has been in training only for a month and needs a couple more.
If trainers are allowed to keep working their horses, owners with those up and running would be faced with the difficult decision on whether to keep paying when no one knows when racing will resume.
Harness Jewels hit
Branch is already resigned to not running the code’s blue riband event, the Harness Jewels, on May 30.
“A decision on what happens is up to Harness Racing New Zealand but we’re already refunding people who have bought tickets.
“We’re hoping that we’ll retain the hosting rights as we’re so far ahead of where we were last time in the planning. We’d be keen to run the meeting later in the year.”
* Meanwhile, Green still doesn’t know if Copy That and Platinum Stride will make it back to Pukekohe before the lockdown on Wednesday night.
“They were set to leave Christchurch but they weren’t going to be allowed on the Cook Strait ferry as the crossing was too rough. There’s still a chance they’ll get away today.”
Majestic Horse Floats announced yesterday that they would not be able to move horses after Wednesday afternoon.
Green himself has managed to get home on a flight this afternoon.
New Zealand Throughbred Racing’s latest Covid-19 advisory can be read here:
https://loveracing.nz/News/30031/LatestUpdateCOVID-19Tuesday24March.aspx
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Deb dresses her latest ‘Copy’ weanling in white and he delivers a Major coup
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Spirited Belle
4.46pm
Delany: “I saw she’d been punted but somebody must know something we don’t as I’ve been working her myself and, while she feels all right and hasn’t put the boot in like at Auckland, I think she’ll need the run. She hasn’t got any high speed but feels like she will stay. She has improved a bit but I’d be surprised if she won.”
Race 1: Lincoln Maree
4.46pm
“It’s always hard from these draws but she’s a tough mare who will make her own luck at some stage. She’s going well enough - her drivers have all been happy - and she’s a little warrior who tries like hell.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.12pm
“He’s only two and very inexperienced but he feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him. He certainly caught a lot of people’s attention last time. I don’t know how good he is yet but he’ll be right there.”
Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.12pm
“If he can lead without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. I thought he went great last start. He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that after all the work he’d done.”
Race 4: Spirit Of God
6.12pm
“She’s been undone by bad draws. If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”
Race 4: Spirited Peggy
6.12pm
“We’ve had her for only two weeks but she’s seven now and has had her chance to win one. She has a bit of speed but I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”
Race 6: Copy N Paste
7.10pm
“We won’t see the best of him for another six months. He’s been a slow developing horse but is improving all the time and getting stronger.”
Race 6: Jessie Lincoln
7.10pm
“If I was having a bet on one of them in the race it would be her. She deserves to win one. Her last two have been really good - she just ran into one who was a bit slicker last time in Major Copy.”
Race 6: Lincoln Dealer
7.10pm
“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - so the second row draw is a big handicap. To his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did. When he gets a decent draw and crosses them they’ll know they’re at the races. He’s got a big motor and tries hard.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.08pm
“She clawed her way to the front last time but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”
Race 8: Angelic Copy
8.08pm
“She’s had terrible draws but has been going good races. The others last time were just better than her but this is a big drop in class. With the right trip she could get some of it at huge odds.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.35pm
“He’s not quick away from a stand but he won’t muff it completely. He steps from the front line and Peter Ferguson was quite happy with his last run.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.35pm
“He bombed the stand the first time but to be fair all those horses were rushing up at him from the back and that panicked him a bit. He’s on 10 metres this time so that won’t happen.”
