THE FUTURE funding of country racing was a high priority topic when members of the newly formed country racing panel met in Brisbane last week.
Rockhampton based member Ross Shannon, president of the Queensland Trainers Association, reports that at times the debate - on a number of issues- was “quite robust”.
He said one important outcome was an agreement reached that decided unless there is a catastrophic downturn in our industry the future of country racing in its present format is securely budgeted for over the next two years.
“There will be no cuts to country race clubs, race dates or current prizemoney levels across the whole of Queensland.
“Over this next two years the new RQ board and management team acknowledge they have a lot of work to do to reinvigorate racing and wagering at metropolitan and provincial TAB tracks as well as increasing promotion for country racing.
“This new team is very positive and confident that they can work their way around some of the key roadblocks that are holding our industry back in the wagering and promotional areas.
“Obviously they will not be able to turn things around overnight but the members of the panel at the meeting last week walked away quite convinced that this new RQ team have the skills and the will to make a success of this turnaround process.
“When we hear various industry participants pushing the line that savage cuts are being planned we can at least do our bit by challenging this incorrect information.
“The industry need to unite behind this new team and stop peddling various rumours which have no factual basis.
“The new RQ team has given a commitment to improve their communication with industry and we should give them a fair go to achieve their goals and consign some of the previous regime blunders to past history,” Shannon said.
OF COURSE that is good news - especially for the country regions- but there is no denying there are many problems, mostly created by poor decisions regretfully made from within the bowels of RQ.
We await with interest the RQ response to a recent request by the Mackay Turf Club that wants to run its last race at all TAB meetings before 4pm.
Last Thursday the club was given the nod to do so but the club now awaits a firm decision that it can continue.
With only five locally based riders Mackay relies heavily on Brisbane apprentices and jockeys. The problem is that the last plane south now departs Mackay at 5pm and of course the airline won’t budge. Apprentice riders have strict obligations to return to barracks after race meetings so they can ride track work next day.
RQ understands the problem but say they are governed by UBet (and or Sky) and there is a concern betting turnover being adversely affected by an early finish- as apparently was the case last Thursday. Final figures have yet to be compiled- but it sure is a conundrum for the club.
MEANWHILE the club is displaying plenty of enterprise in its bid to shave the $300,000 debt (of which RQ is at least partly responsible) - but a debt nonetheless that the MTC has been told it must re pay.
On Saturday night a theatre restaurant under the giant marquee will be staged on-course and a farmer’s market will be held on Sunday. Then of course the same marquee will be used on Tuesday for Ooralea’s traditional and certainly biggest race day of the year.
AND just a little warning. Mackay Turf Club, is a loaded gun about to explode, according to my well placed spies at Ooralea.
And when all is revealed, I am told there will be some ducking and diving.
As a long time local said wistfully: the only loser will be the local racing industry.
EVERGREEN jockey Stanley Watkin nearly didn’t make it to Townsville last Saturday. He was told by an RQ staffer late Friday he didn’t have a license. But the wily old Mackay trainer Nippy Seymour wouldn’t have a bar of it.
“I declared him and it was accepted.
“You come with the in the truck and we’ll sort it out when we get there.” snorted the trainer and the jockey, with some trepidation, climbed aboard.
All was settled by acting chief stipe Peter Lane- and it was a great result.
The horse, Metereros under a perfect ride by the veteran scored handsomely landing some quite sizeable bets for the boys, suffice to say it was a much smoother, stress free trip home.
THERE was another worthy winner last week at Innisfail. Not a single soul would have begrudged win of outsider Nevetus in the time honoured Johnstone River. Horse is owned by prominent northern identity Rob Koch who has battled an aggressive form of throat cancer in recent months. He completed his last bout of radium last week in Townsville and is back home in Cairns.
No longer a welterweight, mind you. In fact he’s dropped a couple of divisions, but the fire is still in the belly and he’s ready to pack a few more punches - all for the benefit of his great passion - racing.
BOUQUETS are in order too for Bonnie Thomson who landed the featured double at Cluden winning both the fillies and colts divisions of the famous Palleranda Stakes. There isn’t a harder working jockey in the north than the young mother who starts at 3am and is trackside six days a week. Without her diligence and worth ethic many horses would simply not get worked at Cluden, such is the current parlous state of the game in the supposed racing capital of the north.
