Sometimes the world of racing can be a tough old go.
Breeding numbers are getting smaller, crowds are non-existent unless it's a major race meeting where the horses play second fiddle to a social occasion, and the stakes are starting to look more like chump change than a pretty sum to retire on.
So it warms the cockles of my heart - maybe below the cockles, maybe in the sub-cockle area (apologies to Denis Leary) - to see two of our major local clubs coming up with some positive initiatives in the past week or so.
. . . can only . . .
The Otago Racing Club's initiative is more immediate and more pressing.
Race 3 at Cromwell tomorrow is the Unicef Fijian Children's Cyclone Emergency Rating 65 1220m.
Viewers and readers of the news would have seen the havoc wreaked in Fiji by Cyclone Winston in the last few days, so the Otago club wants to do its bit.
There will be plenty of opportunities to donate on course tomorrow, and don't be surprised if the beverages are priced appropriately in order to allow your loose change to end up in a handily-placed tin.
There will also be roving collectors, so you won't even have to leave your deck chair to make a donation.
. . . get better . . .
Meanwhile, Forbury Park Trotting Club is heading back to the future.
Readers of a slightly more senior vintage might recall the days of buses heading out from the student area to Forbury Park.
The club has decided to give this a crack again this academic year, and I applaud them.
I think the buses were a thing of the past when I - ahem - "attended'' the University of Otago (the less said about my academic record, the better), but the proximity of Forbury to the campus certainly inspired us to head out a few times.
. . . and bettor?
This racing generation is the lost generation when it comes to punting.
Sure, sports betting is on the rise, and you get the masses rocking along to the big meetings as mentioned above, but I don't see too many people in their 20s punting on the horses or greyhounds any more.
Transport them out to the product, like the Forbury Park club is doing, and let them have a look at it.
Someone - maybe Albert Einstein, maybe Benjamin Franklin, maybe Jenny from The Block, maybe Elmo from Sesame Street - once said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
It's a horribly overused cliche, but it's apt in this instance.
The Forbury Park club is thinking laterally and it has already attracted 700 registrations, with the event at the track restricted to 180 - that's a good start.
Lazy Fiver
Fourth for Wild Wings.
Let's move on.
The $3.50 on offer yesterday for Fight For Glory in the Ladyship Mile at Menangle on Sunday is good value.
Throw in Have Faith In Me for a place (or win if you like) to beef up your payout.
- Check out Matt's two-minute racing tips video at www.odt.co.nz every Friday
