Winterbottom StakesWest Australian Racing

TheDiva

said:

said:

Cmon Ascot can hardly hold more than 15000 comfortably anyway so we cant expect miracles 10000 would be a good crowd and comfortable.

10,000 will be the maximum, but somewhere around 8,000 would be my guess. The program is aimed at the racing purist, not the general public.

Had to bring this up from last week.

TheDiva

so far youre the only person with negative comment about what was otherwise a sensational day.

TheDiva

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so far youre the only person with negative comment about what was otherwise a sensational day.

Great day of Racing, no argument. Profitable day ? I doubt it.

Please don't confuse great Racing and what I am talking about. Great Racing you can watch on tele with no financial input at all and still love it, most Australians do in relation to the melbourne Cup. A small flutter once a year and watch it on tele. But that won't work here in Perth as we don't have free to air television coverage, sponsors here only pay a portion of the running costs of the day. We need to get financial turnover through other ways including on course patronage. It is not happening, on course numbers have been dropping steadily for 18 months now.

goose

Tete the reason I changed back my figure was that I thought it was packed on Saturday carpark full ,Sunspeed bar open ,to later find out there was 8000 in attendence which is as many as you want in my opinion unless they find more space by extending the grandstand and opening up the bottom of the straight?

lollypop

Tete, considering they've "recently" just had Melbourne cup and Railway stakes where a lot of people came, perhaps people are just more concerned about where they are putting there money - Espically with the "recession" and all that. Perhaps a lot of families can't afford to go have a day at the races.

I don't think free entry would be all that is needed. While Ascot is a nice place outside, down stairs is ugly. Apart from PR.com lounge. Ascot needs to be done up and more and better facilities.

The price of food at the races it a bit steep as well, once you add up drinks and entry..and bets.

I think they should be happy that they got the good crowd for Melbourne cup and rail way stakes.

What about the people that have no clue who Apache Cat and Take over target are? ( Hard to believe I know! ) But I don't see those horses bringing people in when 'some' people don't even know who they are. To them it's just another horse.

TheDiva

said:

Tete, considering they've "recently" just had Melbourne cup and Railway stakes where a lot of people came, perhaps people are just more concerned about where they are putting there money - Espically with the "recession" and all that. Perhaps a lot of families can't afford to go have a day at the races.

I don't think free entry would be all that is needed. While Ascot is a nice place outside, down stairs is ugly. Apart from PR.com lounge. Ascot needs to be done up and more and better facilities.

The price of food at the races it a bit steep as well, once you add up drinks and entry..and bets.

I think they should be happy that they got the good crowd for Melbourne cup and rail way stakes.

What about the people that have no clue who Apache Cat and Take over target are? ( Hard to believe I know! ) But I don't see those horses bringing people in when 'some' people don't even know who they are. To them it's just another horse.

There is another thread on here from recent days where this was also discussed, and I agree with you. Lots of changes are required to accomodate the sort of numbers that Perth Racing are chasing, they really need to understand that facilities need to be better for the next step in permanent public attendance improving. The focus has been on prizemoney alone. There is no budget left to make improvements in capitol works. But through discussions like these forums, Perth Racing who do read them, perhaps one day will understand that in order to have people return to an entertainment venue, it has to be value and it has to have a level of comfort that extends past the horses alone.

TheDiva

said:

Tete the reason I changed back my figure was that I thought it was packed on Saturday carpark full ,Sunspeed bar open ,to later find out there was 8000 in attendence which is as many as you want in my opinion unless they find more space by extending the grandstand and opening up the bottom of the straight?

The area where the concert was held on Railway Stakes day could be better used than just left alone most of the year. It would be my choice for a family area, with entertaining for the kids.

As far as carparking goes, at Randwick they use shuttle buses on the inside of the track car parking area to ferry patrons to the very edge of the track where you cross on foot to the entrance gates. So if carparking was extended down towards the river end of the course a similar system would quickly move people from these remote areas.

lollypop

Yep agreed.

They really need to do the down stairs up ( apart from PR.com ) I don't see why they just did PR.com and then left the other scrungy area. ( The bar across from the owners etc lounge. ) And Nicks seafood should go IMO. It really doesn't get the numbers continually every week. It's a shame because Ascot and Perth racing could really do well but to little is done.

They continually put their food prices up when we are back at Ascot each year, for crap food that is all the same. There is no variety between food outlets.

I don't see why anyone would want to go to the races now, unless you want to get drunk, perv or bet.

TheDiva

Lollypop. go and have a read of the thread titled "Racing Radio getting carried away" I think you will see a lot of discussion on this topic

cubes

Not normally a defender of Tete but you are missing his point as I see it.

8000 people for a race of a life time was ordinary, not a shot at PR they did a huge job but it would have cost a small fortune.

I was glad to be there, enjoyed more than any race meeting in Perth for years but I dont believe there was 8000 people.

A day for the purists but worrying signs for me.

LuckyLongshots

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Not normally a defender of Tete but you are missing his point as I see it.

8000 people for a race of a life time was ordinary, not a shot at PR they did a huge job but it would have cost a small fortune.

I was glad to be there, enjoyed more than any race meeting in Perth for years but I dont believe there was 8000 people.

A day for the purists but worrying signs for me.

I agree, tete's point is not about the quality of the racing, but the fact that the best race of the carnival (quality wise) did not attract a big crowd, good crowd yes, but not big. Maybe lollypop is right, Melbourne Cup and Railway Stakes days took some of the polish off a day at the races, and people are concerned about the dollar at the moment.

As someone who doesn't read the paper everyday or watch heaps of commercial TV, can someone tell me how much advertising was done on TV and how many full page spreads were done in the paper?

The only ads I saw were the standard 'carnival' ads - does anyone remember that classic video PR put together back when Marasco was taking on El Presidente at Belmont - that is what was needed to attract casual fans on Saturday.

Imagine a couple of TVC's this previous week, featuring a montage of Apache Cat and Takeover Target footage, with the booming voice over, "come to Ascot to witness two of the greatest sprinters in modern time, do battle against each other!"

I don't recall seeing ads on TV or paper, that really made a big deal of the calibre of those two runners! I will admit if I am wrong, but the ads were fairly 'general' carnival ads that I saw leading up to it!

In saying that, I had a great day, won good money on the champ and could get to the bar in about 3 seconds - so I'm not complaining from a personal view, but I would have thought the day could have got more people!

Ruffian

From a purely selfish p.o.v i guess id have to ask where the line is drawn...I personally feel days with crowds over 10,000 become less about racing and more about trying to squeeze your way through the partiers who couldnt give a rats if they saw a horse or not. As longshots said, you could get a drink and a feed in a reasonable timeframe, compare Perth cup day where your lucky to get a drink within ten minutes without having your feet stood on by 20 different people while your waiting. Obviously, how RWWA's balance sheet looks at the end of the year doesnt personally affect my finances but what do we want all year round....a sideshow or a horse racing?. I would hazard a guess that RWWA had not lost a huge amount on saturday probably posted a profit but if were going to offer free race days all the time, expect membership to drop right off. Where RWWA could do with offering free entry is Belmont though I do agree that the marketing for the winterbottom in particular couldve been a lot more intensive.

Rodent

From a purely selfish point of view, I would prefer people spend their money on the punt rather than on petrol to get to the races, admission, racebook, overpriced food and beverage etc.
I don't think the on course attendance is the best way of measuring interest in your product. Betting turnover is the best way imho. After all, there aren't too many more interested in WA racing than I am and I haven't set foot on a track in WA since Hot Jules won the Derby and that was my one and only attendance!

SKIDS

Maybe a few people felt like me and will NEVER attend a meeting at the worst catered venue in the southern hemisphere on a major race day.
Perth Cup day will be another shambles!

darkshines

said:

Not normally a defender of Tete but you are missing his point as I see it.

8000 people for a race of a life time was ordinary, not a shot at PR they did a huge job but it would have cost a small fortune.

I was glad to be there, enjoyed more than any race meeting in Perth for years but I dont believe there was 8000 people.

A day for the purists but worrying signs for me.

I must agree with tete I'm sorry. There may be other factors (the back-up from last week, GFC etc), but I too thought the crowd was dissapointing for the calibre of animal on display.

On the other topic, whether or not free entry is the answer, the bit that I don't like is that the powers that be are so quick to dismiss it.

TheDiva

Ok, well you lot can worry about the crowd size not eclipsing 10,000, maybe nominate for the committee or something constructive.
I just witnessed the best event I will probably ever see on race track in WA (I did see Media Puzzle win the cup and dont think that can ever be beaten) and Im going to appreciate it for what it was.
I bet the betting turnover was massive and like rodent says, that is more a guage than the number of drunks on course.

darkshines

Don't get me wrong, it was the third best day at the races ever on my roll of honour. As I said before the race I appreciated the fact it wasn't packed.

But this probably proved that it will never be like the old days, the best horses don't get the crowd. Endless supplies of booze, short skirts and an old hack singer do.

Ruffian

said:

Ok, well you lot can worry about the crowd size not eclipsing 10,000, maybe nominate for the committee or something constructive.
I just witnessed the best event I will probably ever see on race track in WA (I did see Media Puzzle win the cup and dont think that can ever be beaten) and Im going to appreciate it for what it was.
I bet the betting turnover was massive and like rodent says, that is more a guage than the number of drunks on course.

Funny that....the gent sitting next to me while watching the winterbottom and I were discussing burnt into the memory banks races - the only thing i could compare that to was Media Puzzles win - what was the crowd at Flemington that day? I know it took me ages to get anywhere oncourse and the crowds were massive but it actually felt "right" having that many people stand up to celebrate racing. Guess I should be thankful to have been at both races.

TheDiva

said:

said:

Ok, well you lot can worry about the crowd size not eclipsing 10,000, maybe nominate for the committee or something constructive.
I just witnessed the best event I will probably ever see on race track in WA (I did see Media Puzzle win the cup and dont think that can ever be beaten) and Im going to appreciate it for what it was.
I bet the betting turnover was massive and like rodent says, that is more a guage than the number of drunks on course.

Funny that....the gent sitting next to me while watching the winterbottom and I were discussing burnt into the memory banks races - the only thing i could compare that to was Media Puzzles win - what was the crowd at Flemington that day? I know it took me ages to get anywhere oncourse and the crowds were massive but it actually felt "right" having that many people stand up to celebrate racing. Guess I should be thankful to have been at both races.

the crowd was an absolute nightmare and a turn off. I remember being 4 back from the fence at the mounting yard and not being able to move to see the race. I just turned around on the spot and watched the big screen in the middle of the track. Once the race was over, I swivelled back around to see them come back in. The moment couldnt have been spoiled by any of that of course.

TheDiva

The most memorable days of the Australian Turf are big courses, big races, and big crowds. Nobody remembers epic battles on a non-descript mid-week Wednesday meeting at Belmont, we are all in this for the glory of winning the big ones.

I know it may be slightly uncomfortable until Perth Racing gets the facilities up to a standard to accommodate massive crowds, but it is necessary to maintain growth in this Industry that gets more and more pressure each year to perform for the entertainment dollar.

Perth Racing have got the Racing perfect at the moment. Nobody could ask for more on the turf. It was a privilege to watch two awesome warriors of Australian Racing, who both will surely have a place in the folklore of the sport.

Now lets just get the crowd they deserve.

darkshines

said:

Perth Racing have got the Racing perfect at the moment. Nobody could ask for more on the turf. quote]

Can't agree that it's perfect tete. Wait till late in the Ascot season when the track gets tired of being watered on race morn because it drains too well. Right now it's pretty good tho.

Said it before, but they need to spend the money to enable track rotation continually throughout the year. No-one goes to midweeks anyway, so wouldn't be that hard to hold midweeks throughout the Ascot season at Belmont to give the A grass a breather??

LuckyLongshots

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the crowd was an absolute nightmare and a turn off. I remember being 4 back from the fence at the mounting yard and not being able to move to see the race. I just turned around on the spot and watched the big screen in the middle of the track. Once the race was over, I swivelled back around to see them come back in. The moment couldnt have been spoiled by any of that of course.

I was at the 2006 Melbourne Cup and the day was bloody horrible, but the race was one of those I will cherish for a long time, two japanese raiders going to a headbob of a finish!

Derby Day at Flemington was even worse though (as far as crowd goes), as they had 106,000 people there and they hadn't built the new underpass for the horses - it was a joke!

Then came Oaks days, 56,000 people and the best day of the three we attended, so it goes to show the best day generally is the lower crowd - but still 56,000 people at Flemington felt like the place was empty!

TheDiva

said:

said:

Perth Racing have got the Racing perfect at the moment. Nobody could ask for more on the turf. quote]

Can't agree that it's perfect tete. Wait till late in the Ascot season when the track gets tired of being watered on race morn because it drains too well. Right now it's pretty good tho.

Said it before, but they need to spend the money to enable track rotation continually throughout the year. No-one goes to midweeks anyway, so wouldn't be that hard to hold midweeks throughout the Ascot season at Belmont to give the A grass a breather??

That will work if there is no major works going on the track surface at Belmont.

Auto

For the turf club to try to have midweek races at Belmont and weekend racing at Ascot would be a logistical nightmare, not to mention a huge waste of funding that should be dedicated to upgrading the facilities at Ascot.

I agree that Perth Racing have racing going perfectly at the moment and I think that they are only going to build on this. They did the most important thing which was getting two brilliant sprinters here and given the praise from the connections of these horses there wil be alot more to come.

[DeletedUser]

On the winterbottom stakes i just watched the replay on Perth Racing and as they come back to scale Macca says " i'll just pause for a moment and let the crowd welcome them back", I thought yeah that would be good, hear the ovation. 5 seconds he gave them then talked continuously. :roll:

TheDiva

said:

On the winterbottom stakes i just watched the replay on Perth Racing and as they come back to scale Macca says " i'll just pause for a moment and let the crowd welcome them back", I thought yeah that would be good, hear the ovation. 5 seconds he gave them then talked continuously. :roll:

LOL I couldn't believe he wouldn't shut up. The ovation was a lot louder than it came across in his microphone

TheDiva

The crowd should also turn out for Takeover's Perth swansong, the Scahill.

TheDiva

Good day at the Races today, high standard in the feature Race being the Fruit & Veg Kingston Town, crowd was well behaved, ladies looked an absolute treat, easy to get a drink in any one of a number of outlets, didn't have to wait for food, toilets were always free when you needed one, bookies ring was comfortable, all in all a nice day at the track.

You know what I am going to say next..............

Where was everyone ? What did they get on course today ? 3,000 ? 4,000 ? I doub't it. This Carnival has been an incredible disappointment in crowd attendances.