Help him help us……………….I am just saying
It’s a miserable job. Paul our racing secretary writes races for owners and trainers every week for entry day. He deals with declarations. He deals with scratches. He assigns weights in handicap races that most no one ever agrees with. He scrounges for horses to make a race go. He deals with 6 horse fields and sometimes 5 or 4 horse fields. No one is ever happy with what he does but what he does is vital to any racing operation at any track in North America. Without a racing secretary racing cannot operate.
What about some of us dropping him a line. How about every Monday all trainers send him an email asking him how the wife is, how he is doing and so forth. Just a little friendly hello…….every Monday from all trainers at Hastings. “ Hi Paul how are you doing” And at the bottom of the email a little……….
PS.
“Paul these are the horses that I have ready to run for Saturday and Sunday and here is where I would like to run them. Or sorry Paul I have nothing this week but next week I will probably have several”.
Well I tell you this would make Paul so happy. His job just may become a shade easier. Come entry day on Wednesday or Sunday the board may fill up once in a while. Now I am not saying that this would be the great savior of racing at Hastings but it would go a long way to maybe getting 2 or more 10 horse fields every card and raising our field size from 7.15 to 7.50. No trainer would be bound to anything but it is sure worth trying in an environment of very short fields because of our horse situation. At least it may help in us becoming far more efficient in what we have to work with.
And maybe, just maybe, Paul and Raj would spring for a new racing office wide screen TV and HD camera and we could all now perhaps actually see everything that is on the board. I know that “I” am not getting any older but some of the other owners, trainers and agents are and appear to be squinting quite a bit these days when in the racing office Wednesday and Sunday mornings.
Future Shop has a sale on right now!!!!!
Future Shop has a sale on right now!!!!!
…………….I am just saying
Michael Robert Bye
Owner G&G Stable
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Owner G&G Stable
Agreed, Paul has a job that doesn't get many kudos. It's a tough one, with many headaches and pressures, that puts him on the firing line through no fault of his own. I take my hat off to you, Paul, and resolve to try to help the cause not fan the fire.
ReplyDeleteA bigger tv with better definition certainly would go a long way to raising the Office to the 21st century! I must admit that my arms are getting a little short as well these days...
The Jockey Agents have the best insight regarding what horses are ready and the types of races that would most likely fill. If the Racing Secretary would like to make his job easier I would suggest he invite all the agents in on a weekly basis for their input.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the comments of the blog. I also think the jockey agents should be consulted with and used to help the racing secretary in providing races needed by trainers. Communication is important is all aspects of this sport whether it's with owners, trainers, agents, exercise riders, jockeys, grooms, hot-walkers, starters, vets, farriers and above all the racing secretary who is the provider of opportunities for all of these racing supporters. We all do want the same result....
ReplyDeleteWell Barb you said the magic word "communication". Whether it be trainer, owner or jockey agent as long as someone communicates on a Monday to the racing secretary on what is available to run, come entry day we would be much better off. Moving our field size to 7.60 from 7.10 makes a marked difference over hundreds of races run with regards to handle.
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