IN his widely-read column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published by the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer TERRY BUTTS reports exclusively on the benefits to be received by the Rockhampton Jockey Club for ending its equity sharing arrangement with Racing Queensland.
Butts looks at the positives and the negatives from the Cairns Cup meeting last Sunday. The positives focus on the visit and win by Damien Oliver at his only ride the success of comeback jockey Lacey Morrison in the Cairns Newmarket and the perseverance of connections with Cup winner Cash Attack.
But the downside, experienced not only personally but complained about by many visitors, was the arrogant attitude of Cairns Jockey Club officialdom when it came to refusing visiting owners and trainers tickets to the members enclosure. It has angered some to the degree that they won’t be back. Others are calling for the scalp of the CEO of the CJC.
Here is the Butts column:
IT could not have been better scripted.
Damien Oliver, arguably Australia's most famous jockey, arrived in Cairns on Sunday and made his first appearance at Cannon Park racecourse where he was welcomed by a very large and enthusiastic crowd.
And then at his only ride for the day he won the Vic Tonkin Memorial on the top-weight and favourite, Robber's Roost, to complete the dream.
He did what the serious form students believed he couldn't do. That is winning from the extreme outside barrier at the sometime treacherous 1250m start.
But the majority of the crowd were not concerned about barrier draws.
They backed him to a man with most bookies reporting a ‘bad result.’
“Everyone on the course just backed Oliver,” lamented one satchel-swinger after the race.
And it looked so easy - he jumped in front and was never headed.
DREAM COUP LOOKED LIKE TURNING SOUR WHEN OLIVER DIDN’T HAVE A RIDE
A DREAM result for the club who really landed a promotion coup that for a while looked like turning sour when Oliver couldn’t get a ride.
Oliver rode in Melbourne on Saturday and was away from the fog and frosts of Melbourne to a beautiful Cairns winter-sunny day on Sunday.
It was also a dream result for him, and for the veteran Mareeba trainer John Parsons, a trucking contractor who has spent a lifetime around horses and just ‘potters around with one horse’ - Robber's Rest which he recently sourced from the south.
Asked at the presentation what were his riding instructions from the trainer Oliver replied: “There were no instructions – he simply said ‘Good jockeys don't need them and bad jockeys can't carry them out’.”
CASH ATTACK CUP WIN A REWARD FOR PERSEVERANCE BY OWNER-TRAINER
THE Cairns Cup itself was a thriller and a welcome win for the Townsville stayer Cash Attack.
It was also a just reward for the effort and devotion of his owner-trainer John Erichson and jockey Peter Cullen.
He has contested every major Cup race between Rocky and Cairns this year without success. But he has been knocking at the door of a major win – and it opened wide on Sunday.
He was ridden a more patient race this time and got the runs at the right time to swoop on the leaders in the final 100m and win from the Innisfail evergreen, Our Private Jet, and favourite, I Got One, floundering under his big weight in third.
“I had them at the 300m - but the weight (59kg) just anchored him the last bit,” said jockey Chris Whiteley.
ACCOLADES FOR LACEY MORRISON RIDE TO WIN THE CAIRNS NEWMARKET
WHILE Damien Oliver might have held the spotlight in the male riding ranks there was praise aplenty and thoroughly deserved plaudits for Lacey Morrison who won the Newmarket aboard the relative outsider, Released.
Lacey, who recently returned to the saddle after a stint at stewarding that followed a horrific fall at Ipswich a couple of years ago, announced she is returning south to settle on the Darling Downs.
“It is just too hot here in summer,” she so rightly exclaimed.
Her departure will be another serious blow to the standard of jockeys available. And worse, it will impact on and critically low number of jockeys in the north.
It is a serious matter that needs an immediate address by the powers that be.
On that note Cairns again proved that Sunday racing is an option worth serious consideration by clubs wishing to avoid date clashes.
The Sunshine Coast can no longer be the one and only Sunday club in the state.
WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC RELATIONS THE CAIRNS JOCKEY CLUB RUNS A LONG LAST
THERE is another serious issue confronting Cairns and one that I believe industry leaders should address.
Before the Cairns Jockey Club receives a single cent from Racing Queensland coffers it should be confronted on its policy on the treatment of licensees, owners and their spouses.
I am aware of e-mails being forwarded already to the Owners and Trainers associations by some upset owners who were refused Members Tickets to the races on Sunday.
Imagine owners not getting any more privileges than the paying public?
As unbelievable as it may seem, the club CEO told prominent local owner Rob Koch that two of his co-owners who had travelled from Geelong to Cairns to see their horse race were snubbed at the gate.
CALLS FOR THE CAIRNS JOCKEY CLUB CEO TO BE SACKED OVER HIS ‘RUDE ATTITUDE’
WHEN asked how the Cup day visitors could attain Members tickets, the Cairns Jockey Club CEO replied: “Tell them to become a member".
He should be sacked.
It is this attitude that gets up the noses of owners who buy and pay for racehorses. The CEO must realise that but for owners he wouldn’t be have a job.
There are several who have vowed they will never return to Cannon Park while that policy exists.
I am one. My wife, an owner who had driven from Townsville on Sunday for the races, was refused a members ticket. She went shopping.
The owners of Intertheblack flew from Rockhampton and Brisbane and were refused members privileges that are afforded to every owner on every race track in the nation.
Another to miss out was the high profile media personality Russell Leonard, also a partner of Intertherblack. He spent the day in the public area.
And worse, a club committeeman defended the CEO's stance. It seems some members complained last year that there were too many owners and trainers in the members’ area.
Can you believe that?
I am sure those who work hard to promote racing, the sale of yearlings and getting bums back into the grandstands on racecourses around the state, would be aghast.
But this is the attitude of Cairns and it will be interesting see to see what the RQL, conscious of its image and that of racing, might do.
Surely they wouldn't support (AGAIN) a club that’s turns it back on the very people who put on the show.
That bites the hand that.......
COLUMN COURTESY OF TERRY BUTTS AND THE NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, one of Australia's leading rural newspapers.
TERRY BUTTS can be contacted by e-mailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..