Thought i would include this in for any general discussion. A result of too much racing finally catching up?

http://www.tabracing.com.au/index.asp?news=10935

Only six races at Randwick on Wednesday 06 December 2005 .For the first time in more than 40 years, Sydney's midweek race meeting will have just six events on the program.
The Randwick meeting on Wednesday has been reduced after a 1000m race for three-year-old colts and geldings was dropped when only four horses were paid up with the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) requiring five acceptors.
AJC racing manager Col Tuck has been at the club for more than 30 years and said it had not happened in his time.
He said he believed the dwindling horse population was a major factor in the decline in overall field sizes in Sydney which has been the topic of debate in recent weeks.
"I can't recall a six race meeting in the time I have been here," Tuck said.
"It's not a record I hoped to achieve.
"They tell me it's more than 40 years since it has happened and although we don't have the records to check, it sounds about right.
"There is a decline in the horse population which has been happening for the past few years."
However, as Tuck pointed out, there were still plenty of horses in training.
"We had 140 horses at last Friday's barrier trials and another 80 in jumpouts at Randwick," he said.
"Usually we have managed to make a program up to seven races by splitting another one but we did not have enough acceptances to do that."
Entries for the twilight meeting at Randwick on Friday are a little healthier as are the nominations for Saturday's Christmas cup meeting at Rosehill.
But a 1500m race for fillies and mares at Rosehill is in danger with only five entries received today.

A result of too much racing finally catching up?

I would think so. Didnt think they would blame a dwindling horse population...I always assumed that it is the direct result of way too many racemeetings.

Yeah, there's definitely too much racing. There should only be 2 metro meetings per week, not 3!

One thing you must remember though. For quite a while now, they've been taking one of the midweek races and putting it on the Saturday program instead. So there's usually only been 7 races midweek anyway.

i have heard that tabcorp has ordered 2500 meetings for the year when the industry believes that only 2000 is sustainable.

we know who calls the shots. but for how long.

tabcorp has been a pain for too long and is acting to the detriment of the industry.
punters dont mind if there are not midweek for randwick but tabcorp does even if its 6 races. they need the turnover. but eventually people wont bother punting on them and they will be forced to accept less meetings.

i have said for years that they could turn the tracks into car parks in sydney and hold the races in the country.
i think its happening.
you will see more horses racing in taree than in sydney.

__________________
laurie

From The Daily Telegraph:

Sydney's embarrassing day
By Christian Nicolussi
December 8, 2005

SYDNEY racing hit rock bottom yesterday when only a few hundred people braved sweltering conditions to witness one of the worst programs ever staged at Royal Randwick. Just six sorry races were run in front of empty grandstands and ghost-like betting rings. As the mercury soared to 39C, there was hardly a punter to be found watching the races along the spectator fence. One trainer likened the dismal afternoon to "spending a day at a funeral". A leading jockey said midweek racing in Sydney had become nothing more than "glorified barrier trials".

Rugby league stars Braith Anasta and Andrew Johns were among the tiny crowd at Sydney's premier racetrack. "I only come to the races three or four times a year, but compared to Melbourne Cup day, this is real quiet," said Anasta, whose horse Zago powered to victory in the Christmas Eve At The Farm Handicap (2400m). "I was here last month and it was packed, you couldn't move, although I wasn't expecting too many people here today for a midweek meeting. Haven't they got a Friday meeting here though? That surely can't help."

Yesterday's meeting - the first six-race card to surface in Sydney since Anzac Day 1962 - kick-started five straight days of racing in the Sydney area with Wyong to race today, Randwick tomorrow, Rosehill Saturday and Gosford Sunday. Bookmaker Luke Behrmann spoke for many in the industry by describing it as overkill and said his clients were keeping their hands in their pockets. "The punters simply don't have the cash to bet every day of the week," Behrmann said. "It's been getting so bad at the midweeks I'm now considering getting rid of my bagmen. Being at the track is now like being at the office. All we do is answer the phone for our phone clients. There are no punters trackside wanting to bet with cash."

Behrmann said Sydney needed to look to Hong Kong where less racing led to more turnover. "They only race twice a week in Hong Kong and the punters love it," Behrmann said. "They've got quality rather than quantity, the best jockeys, the best horses ... people can't wait to bet. They get excited. Why we're racing again on Friday when we've got only six races today, I have no idea."

Fellow bagman Col Tidy said he would have preferred even fewer races. "I wish it was three races, not six because it's just too hot," Tidy said. "These midweek meetings, especially in the summer, they really need to look at holding them at Canterbury where there's air-conditioning. We've got cover here but it's still hot." Tidy said his takings yesterday were "crappy" before quickly adding the big-time punters, the likes of Sean Bartholomew, had gone on holidays after the Melbourne spring carnival. "These punters go for a let-up you could say. They do the same thing after the Sydney Cup Carnival," he said.

Jockey Danny Beasley was straight to the point when summing up his thoughts on the program. "Midweek racing has been dead the past two years; today is no different," Beasley said. "The only difference between today and barrier trials is there is 40 minutes between racing and only 10 minutes at the trials. It doesn't worry me about the crowds because I'm out there trying my best to win every time. But I was listening to radio presenter Greg Radley this morning and he was saying the trots had lost their excitement. You could probably say the same thing about the thoroughbreds. When you come to the likes of Doncaster Day, that's the only time you can tell there is excitement in the air in Sydney."

Trainer Rick Worthington has been in the industry 25 years and said if the city clubs were serious about pumping up the crowd figures, they needed to drop admission prices and improve facilities. "You only have to think of places like Hong Kong where the set-up is fantastic," Worthington said. "But when you come here and line up you can hear people complaining. They need to let people come in for free. I hate to say it but it's almost depressing. Today is like a morgue ... like going to a funeral."

AJC racing manager Col Tuck said he was disappointed with the small number of horses racing and the fact several early scratchings had ruled out each-way betting on a couple of races. "But we'll meet with Racing NSW to discuss programming and the type of races we're permitted to run at the moment," Tuck said. "The current set-up has only maidens, class three and class six events. But maybe at this time of year there needs to be deregulation and variety."

Owner Gabrielle Clayton, who races Group One winner Red Oog, said: "The AJC does a wonderful job at Easter, it's a wonderful carnival, but they can't rely on the one carnival to survive all year. "It's just madness. I'm here today with my mother and a friend and we've had the grandstand all to ourselves. My mother wanted to get up and turn off the lights because nobody was here."

Hi Sportz, many thanks for posting that article..much appreciated. Sums it up rather well I think. No doubt in my mind that there are way too many meetings. I'd like to see Sunday and Monday eliminated altogether..(except for public holidays)..and Friday wouldnt be a bad idea either, in my opinion. Instead of 6-8 race cards, we could have up to 10 race cards where required.

I really feel sorry for trainers, jocks, racecallers..the whole shebang..who have no real choice in all this.