You continue to go on with verballing and misquoting. I reject all you said in your last post. It's inaccurate.

I said "other ... than racing" and you now try to tell me the gallops are this, that and the other. You failed to read my sentence properly.

Anyway, since 1856 the gallops have nearly always been headed by an owner or breeder with varying sorts of CEOs who may throw their weight around at times. Committees are full of similar types or legal eagles who (in the words of Temby QC in the Jockeytapes scandal) were more concerned about their "chardonnay lunches".

While the code has some promising signs (mainly sprinters) it has long been subject to ...

* Declining betting turnover in real terms.
* Declining share of the overall gambling market.
* Declining share of the wagering market.
* Declining foal numbers.
* Declining average field size.
* Declining standard of staying horses (ref: several experts). The first five horses in the Cup came from UK (4) and France (1).
* Declining attendances

Aside from that,

* The Everest was funded by owners.
* Cash flow was helped by the deal to flog RNSW' share of Trackside, some Gov grants, sales of land and a big and continuing cross subsidy from greyhounds - all essentially capital exercises.
* Expenses are offset by fees charged for stables, etc, attendances and for special events (bands, conferences, the Pope).
* Other prize money increases were possible after the start of tax parity payments - more will follow when POCT gets into gear.

So I am not particularly envious of the way the thoroughbreds conduct their business. Not a bit.

Structurally, the trots are even worse off but will get away with it for a while (in NSW) due to the squillions paid for the sale of the Harold Park property - plus the annual cross subsidy from the dogs.

Your last sentence is irrelevant, off topic and has been answered many times on this site (but not by me - I never comment on training methods as it is above my pay grade).

NRL: Country clubs have collapsed at an alarming rate now for some 10 years. Ask NSWRL, and they will tell you figures are actually rising??? Why? because they now incorporate every Oz/Tag, and Touch/Football players. and all Female players. Smoke & Mirrors.

ARU: They have very a diminishing pool of Schools playing Union. Focusing solely on an Elite few. Still travelling 1st Class, staying in 5 star accommodation, paying huge contracts for under performing players.

They have all over the years ignored their "Grass Roots" future

GRNSW: Going head first along the same path! McHugh painted a very dubious picture of over breeding and cruelty. (Paid well to do so). Baird almost single handedly closed the industry. (With the Racing Ministers help).
We have been threatened with Breeding being capped (2-3000 pups p/a) Bitches allowed only 3 litters! Puppy Bonds?. All this while the Industry struggles with Dog numbers!
Puppies being our "Grass Roots", no dogs = no racing future!

We are an ageing Industry, many many participants in their late, twilight years. The majority I speak to state they wont be breeding anymore. Loss of confidence in the Industry, becoming to difficult, costly, no incentives, and expecting things to get a darn sight worse with a "Code of Practice" imminent.Where are the next crop of trainers coming from? Property - acreage is almost out of the reach of many youngsters today.

Prizemoney been stagnated for quite a while now in NSW. When I came to the Nth. Rivers 12 years ago, 5th grade TAB B 420m paid $860......Fast forward 12 years, 5th grade TAB B 420m pays $900. Fact!....Trial a dog over 500m, costs $10....Trial a dog over 420m costs? yep $10......Race 500m win $1500....Race 420m win $900
Next Vet visit might ask for discount? Dog can only race over 420m, receive's 2/3rds less Prizemoney than a 500m dog. Lol

What of Country racing in NSW? Being strangled to death slowly. Less meetings & less prizemoney.

Strategic Plan..3 years? Is that all we have left?

Some good points there. But I would add a couple to your list: Soccer cannot maintain TV audiences/cash. Hockey is in slow but steady decline re numbers. Golf is OK but struggling a bit.

As for ... "How would GRNSW go if we had an Independent Commission looking into the Industry?" ... marvellous idea. However, the response would be that it has just been done three time in three states. Unfortunately, it was done badly and with blinkers on by lawyers and a public servant.

The underlying factor is that there has been a massive shift in wages for the top echelon over the last two decades. Influences have included World Series cricket, Indian cricket, Super League, firms seeking TV exposure, increasing female influence (players and spectators), player associations, clothing manufacturers, professional player managers-trainers etc, the international perspective and competition for a finite number of talented youngsters.

Yes, it all revolves around the dollar and TV is the common denominator of that.

At the dogs, the missing factor is professionalism at the organisational level - amateur clubs, amateur tracks, paper shifters, meddling by governments and an uneducated public.

In other words, there is no management - only administration. There are no goals - only rules to play by. But that applies to tiddlywinks and fiddlesticks, too, and there are no dollars there.

The outcome of bureauracy is that expenses keep rising and rewards to players keep falling (see also recent Vic GOTBA submissions). So get rid of bureaucracy and install real management.

The measuring stick is prize money for a decent 5th Grade race at a decent provincial track. Fix that and the rest will take care of itself.

We (the Greyhound Industry) have not progressed for at least the last 20 years. Biggest difference being No Bookies, and enjoyment
factor disappearing at a rapid rate.
We risk going belly-up, due to Admin Wages & costs. Domino effect

When does the punishment end? still treated as low life, unintelligent, sadist's! Who need to be culled, and flogged occasionally with an iron fist. (hence all the ex-cop compliance officers) jmho of course

Well said Terry,and what's worse is that it does'nt look like ever changing.

No - at the moment it does not look like changing, except for the worse. Here's what we are up against.

* Most clubs fail to seek reform and improvement and depend on handouts anyway.

* GA is of no use - in fact, it has proved to be a negative.

* State authorities like to maintain their castles and, otherwise, conform to government wishes.

* State governments will refer your letter to their local authorities and so - see above. Vicious cycle.

All that's left is the public. We have to show them we are not "low life, unintelligent, sadist's! Who need to be culled, and flogged occasionally with an iron fist". The way to do that is by taking the greyhound to them - personally, via trainer groups, with club help, with local media, in schools and shopping centres, by open days, via an expanded GAP, via the local MP, and so on, as I have suggested many times here.

We bypass the barriers, or go round them. And we scream blue murder every time an authority tries to add yet another regulation. You know it will work because it has already done so in the march down Macquarie Street and in the Orange by-election.

It can be done but it will take time. So how about every trainer, breeder and owner taking 10% of their week to do it? That's not easy either but it would be an investment that would return big dividends - to say nothing about preserving their livelihoods.

One dividend is that the same public will then tell the government to lend support. Votes do count.

(You know, years ago I was dealing with the then-GRCB about a technical matter that involved what stewards did. The CEO at the time - Bob Cartwright - told me "You are the only one who ever complains". My complaint, as he called it, was a valid one but I could barely get to first base because I had no support behind me. So I lost. Rodney Potter & co blundered on - all the way to Long Bay).

A few knights back it was put over the news that the GREYHOUND is in the TOP four dogs as a family PET how does that go down with greyhound lovers ? MAYBE YOU ARE ON TO SOMETHING BRUCE ?

here are any amount of highly qualified people who will tell you much the same thing - a couple I have seen rating them above the Labrador.

Here's another:

Get your local whizz (which may be your own kids) to prepare a poster of a terrific sire and use a caption reading ....

Man runs to beat time
Horses are urged to run
Greyhounds are born to run.

Correct. I should have mentioned that.

Previously, I have passed on the idea to four state authorities - suggesting it would be ideal for a billboard on a major highway, etc. I even told them who had a fantastic picture of a top sire to use.

None showed any interest.

Go to p97 of the WDA report and you will see results of a survey of the general public regarding attending race meetings .......

"It has never occurred to me to attend one" - 40%.

If you don't ask, you don't receive.