Ken,

If I had a sore leg I would not be running down any road.

Sure, there will be a tendency for a newcomer to the track to have trouble with the corners, especially if they are different to what it is used to. This is why everyone tries to trial beforehand.

For more than half a century I have been classifying tens of thousands of runners as rail/centre/wide, as have numerous formguide producers and no doubt many trainers. If you don't get it right you will bite the dust - and your odds will be wrong anyway.

The proportion of those wide runners which are "sore" would be tiny and also illegal (you are supposed to present them fit and well).

Those are the basics (not "simplistics" - that's the wrong word).

But the point here is whether a particular track design can better accommodate a variety of dog habits. There are many ingredients to that recipe but by far the most important is to give them space to work in - ie don't build bend starts where the racing space is effectively halved. Lismore and Casino fail that test.

(Note: this is part of the reasoning behind the shift to the wide hooped lure - to spread the field out a bit).

My job is, or has been, to scrutinise every track and race to dig out any consistent peculiarities - and there are lots of them - in order to assign penalties or bonuses as appropriate. For example, winning box numbers tell you a lot but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Here's a for instance: the new track as Murray Bridge is getting some applause - and generally it looks quite promising. But, in the last four meetings there have been 7, 6, 3 and 5 races resp. where the 8 dog has jumped poorly (over 395m and 455m). Sometimes other outside dogs, too. That incidence is far too high to be just a matter of luck, even though it is early days yet. So why is it happening?

Even so, some slow beginners, including from the 8 box, have been able to run around the outside and even win. That is equally interesting! (PS - don't go on sectional times or running order but check the actual films).

Oils aint oils.

The Deputy CEO of GRNSW, which was a position never, ever advertised, has allegedly been released of her duties. Reason(s) unknown.

Has anyone heard otherwise ?

Only participants are to be transparent..

Casino DOESNT have a "Licensed" club on their racing complex. It's a COUNCIL OWNED MULTI Sports Area.

Grafton 407m has a HORRIFIC bend, carnage there every week!

If you think trainers should not run dogs at Lismore or Casino, both TAB B tracks then what other options do they have? Grafton C" class?

Grafton is being ripped up in a few months. Mainly because of that horrible corner. for $1 million ? They may need your expertise to design a suitable track.

What's the Sth'n Cross Uni at Lismore got to do with a dog track? Easy for our trainers to further their Uni degrees? Some beauties from Brucey.,

The previous CEO of GRNSW was quoted as saying he was on about $250k prior to the intervention in 2015. Now, we have a CEO easily on more than $340k, a Deputy CEO who was on about $340k n another CEO at GWIC on about the equivalent, a Chief Commissioner n two p/t Commissioners and people think that closing non-TAB tracks, which probably only takes 5% of the pool, but does the greater good for the greater number, will lead to an increase in p/m. GWIC is outspending its allocated funding and according to Mr Mestrov, theyre (GRNSW) legislated to pick up the bill. What a leader ! What a Govt !

I forgot to mention, GRNSW had about 55 staff prior to early 2015. Now GRNSW (about 55) and GWIC (about 65) have about 120 combined with arguably fewer participants and dogs. Thats why they have 3-5 stewards at the track. Now thats overkill.

Have to say this poor track Wenty (velodrome) as I would describe it
Is in poor form tonight

Nothing but carnage, falls and plenty of sore dogs imop
Is there another track that throws this first turn demolition up continually

Ill say it again , if this is what the professors.....engineers are leaving us with
Its a gloomy ending and an embarrassing outcome for those who had their shot when left in control

If you disagree with this and cant see that this extreme angle camber is forcing them all to be squeezed together like a funnel action into the first turn

Then you are a complete lost cause

I can't comment much on the recent adjustments to Wenty because very little has been said by GRNSW or anyone else - other than a waffly reference to an increased camber on the turn.

In 2001 they fiddled with small bits of the rail prior to both turns - basically by indenting the rail - in the hope that this would encourage the field to get through in better shape. That never worked because the last thing dogs need at high speed is two changes to the rail, one after the other. (Although really hard railers can handle it).

That aside, for 50 years it has been known as a "tricky" track, primarily because of the difficulty in handling those turns, whether for 520 or 720 races. There is nothing new about that. It is why Wheeler always hated running there.

If you look closely, it is not so much being "squeezed together" that causes the problems - it is one or more moving off unpredictably and then hitting others. That's what caused the Fall last night.

In any event, you need the camber as otherwise more dogs will be thrown off and more injuries would occur as they try to overcome the higher centrifugal forces (as at Richmond, for example).

The real issue is the overall shape of the track.

Bruce

They dont need to say much on what was done , it is quite evident for all to see
Have you been there since renovations ?

Stand on the first turn and look back at the starting boxes that are level and cast your eye over the straight leading back towards you

They have started the camber in the corner to the whole way down the straight after leaving the starting mats !
Im guesssing the innovative idea or (HOPE) for this is to act as a smooth transition for the even harder camber on the first turn

Reality and result

Its compressing a large portion of the field together half way down the straight !

And guess what , all the chasers that dont like this ( left handed Dogs ) Baulk or shift off !

The fall was a pull down Bruce due from the 1,2,3 favs fighting over the one Channel down the straight and even more precise .... the 2 drags the 3 down
LOOK AGAIN !!!!!!! Not a shift out at all ! Trust me , I have a close eye compared to you

Dont tell me what is happening in incidents , WRONG prospective
Ask yourself why is it happening

These are the elite runners that are looking like they are pt starters !
Do you understand this isnt normal

Stop referring to you need camber as if all tracks dont have camber and wenty does

We arent saying no camber

I was at Richmond just gone , sorry mate no one holds breathe going into first turn and there wasnt the carnage that wenty throws up week after week
Please ,your kidding yourself .
You rate a track as the safest start with Grafton yet every other person in Aus knows its the worst home turn ever created !
How wrong can you be ? Really !
Theyre ripping it up Bruce and on top of all this they have a lure system that caused a guy to want to qiute driving there .

You said its the best ! What are you watching ?
And if you arent watching and going off stats , well that says it all doesnt it

Bruce know one intends to get personal with you but unfortunately it goes down this path because arrogance against many peoples common or proven sense just doesnt seem to be acknowledged by you , it actually gets bypassed and you decide to produce totally irrelevant matters or theorys instead ? Often false

To reiterate ... in producing walls around a track to a degree of being large or steep
You are forcing or shaping runners where and how they run !
Its a wrong and dangerous concoction! They dont have drivers or bike riders guiding or sitting on them ! And they arent machines !
They are natural runners with their own styles ! You cannot create or engineer a track that suits a one dimensional racing style !

Lower the camber , flatten the straights and soften the track with better or denser material

You will get runners holding their lines from boxes , freedom on corners , steadier footing into corners due to speed taken out and a more complimentary ground for a pounding chasers joints !

What dont you understand about all that ! Or find reason to go hmmmm sounds ok
Lets give it a go instead of the Daytona style track thats proving qiute poor

Heres a tip

Cover the corners in tarps so when it rains it doesnt wash the the finer soil away
The most important part of the mix used to protect footing and absorbs shock
Er duuurrrgh ! Maybe I should have my engineers /professors hat or badge on when suggesting this

Unreal and so basic ?

Fantastic Yankee, which had its head in front minding its own business, was jumped on by dogs moving out and from behind ie those which were not handling the track well. The major contributor would be the shape of the track/rail.

You then pose an amazing principle to reduce camber because a camber forces dogs to squeeze in towards the rail.

First, flattening the straights would then lead to water pooling and holes. The 4% or so is designed to allow run-off after rain essential. Grading can always repair any damage.

There is no evidence that such a modest camber would affect a dog in such a way that it would overcome its natural running preferences. The majority of dogs prefer the rail or one or two off it so that's where they go. The wide lure may help a bit but it is not a magic wand.

Second, lowering the camber on turns would then put limbs under greater stress due to centrifugal forces. This is the one area of track design which has been well studied over the years. Please consult any knowledgeable person anywhere. They will even give you the mathematical formula to calculate it. This is the source of nearly all broken hocks usually after stress on the turn followed by acceleration as they enter the back or home straight (More so on circle tracks but I stand to be corrected there).

Third, the related principle in favour of cambers is that they are designed to encourage a dog whatever its habits to be able to maintain a steady course around the turns and elsewhere. This is not precision engineering and dogs are not robots so each race will present a slightly different picture. That picture, on average, will be more or less tidy according to the characteristics of the turn. The lead into the turn and the turn radius are also important but there are other factors as well. (Which is why turns are now at 52m or more, rather than tighter).

I am no expert on surface quality but it must always be a compromise between maintenance needs, track stability and suitability for the average dog.

Covering the turns with a tarp might help but you may cause more hassles than you solve.

NSW racing is weak as water

Running on an angled surface is forcing them down on the rail is an amazing theory ?

How so Bruce ? Please explain

How does Healesville straight track work then , and why can I watch all dogs keep a line ? Where are all the holes ?
Even though I never stated having a runway ! There should always be camber

How come every other track in aust uk and US have operated on a less camber then Wenty ?

Is Wenty the only track that is technically, mathematically correct ? Yet it throws up the worst results leading into a first turn ?
This isnt a corner start , they have a nice lead up to it
Yet there is constant chaos before making it half way around the corner .

You state 4% camber in reference to the straight at Wenty
Again I never said have it flat ! I said flatten the current .....meaning decrease it !

Ill wager you bruce that Wenty straight into the first turn is nowhere near 4%
Can u please point me to diagram of this track that factually has Wenty straight camber at this angle/percentage?
Otherwise there is no point in even throwing this figure up in the content or text you used it in !

You keep saying the engineering is designed for constant safe running through out , but the opposite results occur !

Look at last nights races , it aint happening the way your saying it should be , so why do you keep repeating the same speech
Its false

From someone who raced a dog at Wenty last night, the track was a DISGRACE! Every other trainer acknowledged this. Had it not been Group 1 events, I & many others would have asked to scratch. It was that bad!

If Wentworth Park is GRNSW's "Standard Bearer" - "Flagship" track than every track in NSW should be closed! ( Is this an AGENDA

The standards and levels of promoting these Group 1 Events has lapsed to an all time low. It felt like a Garden variety 5th grade race last night. Very disappointing for many owners.

Bet they lift their game for the "Easter Egg". They really need to!