IN his widely-read column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published by the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer TERRY BUTTS questions who is to blame for the loss of four TAB meetings at Mackay.
Butts says the club and the local media are blaming ‘politics’ for the decision but Mackay trainers point the finger squarely at mismanagement and wants the entire Turf Club committee to resign.
He looks at what the new race dates is likely to mean for clubs from Rockhampton to Cairns and has a nice piece on Cairns apprentice Braydn Swapper who has been in the news in south-east Queensland in recent days.
Here is the Butts column:
FUTURE LOOKS BLEAK FOR ONCE STRONG RACING CENTRE OF MACKAY
IS racing in Mackay at the cross-roads?
Events of the past week in the sugar city paint a less than promising picture for the future of what once was a very strong racing centre – a track that in the 70s and early 80s boasted the biggest and strongest betting ring outside of Brisbane.
Some, if not most of the current licensees, have called for the replacement of the entire race club committee, including Chairman Ian Joplin.
In a somewhat tumultuous five-year reign Joplin sacked several key workers including the well respected former secretary-manager Joe Hynes – a highly controversial act that prompted Tony Brown, a senior committeeman, to walk out of the meeting and he hasn’t returned to Ooralea since – and says he won’t until Joplin goes.
Brown has been a very successful owner of some smart horses over the years that have included Townsville Cup winner Eastern Prince, Weetwood runner-up Pioneer Valley and the Stakes placed Diamond Harbour.
A former publican and now a highly respected member of the pastoral community, Brown is certainly not the only old-time regular to ditch Ooralea in recent years. John Borg was another high profile committeeman to resign.
SACKING OF LONG-TERM RACETRACK WORKERS COMES BACK TO HAUNT JOPLIN
IAN Joplin will also be long remembered for sacking the three long-term racetrack employees, that, according to one current trainer, was the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back.’
After he sacked Denis Cash, Terry Tolson and Rusty Saron, three ex Mackay-based jockeys with a combined 100 years of association with the MTC, everything went downhill, according to trainer Russell Adair, Mackay-born and bred with a lifetime association with local racing, first as an apprentice jockey and then a highly reputable trainer and agistment park operator.
“The racetrack deteriorated so badly after the sackings of those guys, the club just had to get a new one,”Adair said.
The new one is in fact a $7.4 million Strathayr all-weather track. It is generally rated as one of the best in the State but visitors have stayed away in droves and there is not enough horses in training at Oorlea to ensure big fields and totalisator turnover – the two absolute essentials to retain TAB dates.
TRAINERS CALL FOR RESIGNATION OF MTC COMMITTEE AFTER LOSS OF TAB MEETINGS
MACKAY is expected to lose four TAB dates for next season, according to a confidential draft of proposed race dates circulated recently by RQL to respective race clubs in the state – and the blame game is on.
The 20-odd local trainers and many of those otherwise involved in industry blame the club management and have called for the resignation of the entire committee.
Last Friday Joplin called a meeting of select trainers, including Darren Symons and Stuart Kendrick.
The elected trainer’s rep., Alan Bennett, didn’t get a Guernsey, nor did the veteran mentor Ray Walsh and nor the outspoken Adair.
But word spread of the impending meeting and all but three of the city’s trainers gate-crashed it.
According to Adair, Joplin, to his credit, ‘copped’ the sudden influx of uninvited guests, the meeting went ahead, and he reports many of the big issues were resolved.
In fact Joplin even admitted he had erred on some matters and then appealed to the trainers to assist with his attempt to have the dates restored. They did. Well, of course they did. It is their living.
IS IT TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE – TRAINERS AREN’T PREPARED TO SURRENDER?
BUT is it a case or too little, too late?
Adair thinks so, but he hasn’t given up.
He intends to operate a sausage sizzle at the next race meeting (free food and drink to licensees) and will offer all profits to the club.
“Just to show them that things can be done, and how bad the food offerings are at the Ooralea meetings.”
He said the general public and most licensees were treated like ‘second rate’ citizens.
“They are offered poor food, limited variety of both food and drinks and charged outrageous prices.
“Little wonder the punting public stays in air-conditioned city pubs on race days,” Adair said.
“And it is so sad because for many years Ooralea was the place to be.”
MTC AND LOCAL NEWSPAPER BLAMES ‘POLITICS’ FOR MACKAY RACING WOES
BUT back to the race dates. The club simply blames ‘politics.’
The new track was sanctioned by Bob Bentley and his Board and it is claimed that there is no sympathy from new Chairman Kevin Dixon, who is clearly blamed for the slashing of race dates.
And now Joplin, after giving him a big public spray, wants Dixon on side.
The Daily Mercury, the local newspaper, joined the fray with an editorial on Saturday by deputy editor Mark Sleeman (a part owner of the flying Doubtfilly).
He says the decision to strip Mackay of race dates ‘beggars belief.’
“Make no mistake the decision is political,” he stressed.
“The re-development of Ooralea was a project of the former Bentley-led regime and the Labor government.
“RQL’s new chairman Kevin Dixon has made no secret that he can’t see the rationale behind that expenditure,” Sleeman wrote.
“Mackay needs more race meetings – not less,” the editorial declared.
DIXON DOESN’T COP CRITICISM WELL AS DECISION ON DATES IS ABOUT TO BE MADE
THE fact remains that the decision on race dates will be made by Racing Queensland next week.
And when I last looked Kevin Dixon was still the Chairman of that Board (and long odds-on to be there this time next year as well).
Dixon has already displayed a distinct dislike for bad press.
Good luck to the MTC in their war on race dates. It is not a good tactic however to point a gun at RQL’s head.
Methinks the gun has already gone off.
And someone has shot himself fair in the foot.
MTC HAS GONE BACKWARDS BIG-TIME SINCE SACKING OF JOE HYNES
EVERYONE, it seems, is having a say and there is great sympathy for the trainers who are forced to travel their horses to race meetings (without rebate).
But there is little public sympathy for the MTC that, when Joe Hynes was sacked, was a million dollars in the black.
The financials are nowhere near that today and the club is losing around $200,000 every year, according to a reliable source.
There is no money in the bin for on-course stabling that Joplin claims is essential to encourage trainers to Mackay to increase the numbers.
But with four less TAB dates, and the very real prospect of on-course stabling going in at Cluden, the possibilities of attracting the required trainers to Ooralea is a bit like the overall future of Mackay racing – fairly bleak.
TOWNSVILLE MIGHRT SHED A FEW ‘TERRIBLE TUESDAYS’ IN NEW TAB DATES
THIS draft plan of TAB dates has had its effect everywhere. The NFP classification hasn’t made it easier and many in the game are guessing.
My guess is that Townsville will remain relatively unaffected, though it is hoped the club might shed a few of the ‘terrible Tuesday’ race dates for much more profitable Fridays and Sundays.
However, Cluden mentors need to worry less than their counterparts based in both Mackay and Rockhampton.
The Trainers’ spokesman at Callaghan Park, the amiable Jim Rundle, hasn’t been successful in gleaning anything official, but hears that the RJC ‘might lose a couple of dates.’
“At one stage we heard four but now the general consensus is two,” he said.
Efforts to get something official from the RJC haven’t been successful and the acting CEO of Racing Queensland, Adam Carter, was little help either.
He told Rundle he could only answer ‘any written questions’ on the subject.
Hardly the way to forge a close and fruitful alliance, you might think.
BETTER NEWS FOR CAIRNS WITH A COUPLE OF EXTRA TAB DATES LIKELY
THERE is better news for Cairns.
A couple of extra TAB dates is the whisper from my reliable source in the far north and a brand new track to boot.
Gone are the days of regular eight race programs – some its six – and trainers can ill- afford fewer dates, especially with no promise of increased prizemoney per race.
Gone too are the days when clubs sat back and relied on TAB handouts.
Gone are the days when the TAB was the great and sole provider.
Corporate betting agencies, with no opposition and in some cases the support of Governments, have swarmed like the despised cane toads and now have a stranglehold on gambling in this country, to the detriment of racing, with the exception of NSW.
Maybe it is time for clubs to engage CEOs with a proven entrepreneurial background. The conduct of race meeting is only one task. Raising revenue to boost or supplement prizemoney will soon be another.
BRAYDN SWAPPER THE TALK OF THE CITY AFTER HIS FREAK WINNING RIDE
THE ‘young gun’ from Cairns, Braydn Swapper, didn’t take long to display his skills to the Brisbane racing fraternity.
They are still talking about his superb riding effort to land a winner (Running Vixen) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday – without his stirrup irons. It was truly the mark of a horseman.
The feat came as no surprise however to Shane Pawsey, a Cairns-based jockey (formerly NSW) who has played a major part in Swaffer’s short but impressive riding career.
“This kid can ride and most of all he has a great work ethic,” Pawsey told this column way back in November when it was first suggested that Swaffer might try out in Brisbane.
“He’ll make it for sure” said Pawsey.
The loss of Swaffer to Brisbane, and the serious track accident suffered by Peter Cullen at Cluden two weeks ago, will surely have an impact on riding ranks over the next few months. Cullen broke his ankle in a track mishap and has been told he will be out for 16 weeks.
That put an end to a Brisbane campaign for his star stayer Cash Attack, who will now stay home and prepare for the northern winter carnival.
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.