IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published in the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer TERRY BUTTS reports on a successful Townsville Cup carnival during which he helped make the news and shared in the spoils in his other role as a trainer.
Butts also reveals how RQ CEO Darren Condon, a visitor to Townsville, promised that the next Cup would be run on a new track which hopefully will be installed by May next year.
Here is the Butts’ column:
‘ONE OF THE BEST TOWNSVILLE CARNIVALS FOR YEARS’ – BUT I’M BIASED
THE Townsville winter racing carnival – rated by some as the best for many years – closed on Saturday.
There were many highlights and yours truly figured in one – the Cleveland Bay. I thought my horse Living On A Prayer had been beaten until the number went up.
Talk about the agony and the ecstasy!
But the win of Payteevee in the Townsville Cup was the easiest of all his many brilliant and notable wins.
And the winning double by guest rider Glen Boss on Thursday, and his presence at the calcutta on Friday, was another high spot.
You would have thought he was on Makybe Diva when he trotted back after winning on Cleaver.
He told TTC CEO Michael Charge: “This is fantastic. I haven’t been here for 18 years but I will be back next year – for sure”.
And later Boss declared he would be back for the opening of the new track sometime in May.
Yes, it is official – well almost.
RQ PROMISES NEXT TOWNSVILLE CUP WILL BE RUN ON A NEW TRACK
BRISBANE-based CEO Darren Condon carried the flag for Racing Queensland at the Calcutta lunch on Friday and again at the Cup presentation at Cluden on Saturday.
And he told the big crowd he too would be back next year when “the Cup will be run on the brand new Stathayr track.”
It was welcome news for the club and stakeholders in North Queensland – and a great relief for TTC Chairman Kevin O’Keefe.
“The track will probably close in October and we hope to race in May – but much will depend on the wet season,” said the chairman.
But Condon was not as confident about the new stabling complex and entertainment precinct the club had hoped would be included in the overhaul of Cluden Park.
“There are some challenges with the on course stable plan,” he said, but would not elaborate.
O’Keefe meanwhile has not abandoned hope.
“We are still working on it,” he promised.
PRE-DAWN RAIDS BY INTERGRITY UNIT ON TOWNSVILLE STABLES
WHILE office and administration staff were kept busy all week preparing for the big days, stewards were also active with pre-dawn raids on Townsville stables.
“I don’t think we missed many stables in the area,” said chief stipe Sam Woolaston.
Brisbane-based Integrity Racing Unit (IRU) headed by senior steward John Hackett and vet, Dr Martin Lenz, swooped on Cluden and Wulguru stables early Friday morning and blood tested many horses, including visitors. The bloods were put through an I-stat machine which provides a TCO2 reading within four minutes.
The latest ‘hot drug’ that is in the stewards’ sights – Cobalt Chloride or Sulphate – is said to be administered 36 hours before a race.
Whilst there is no tolerance level for Cobalt yet declared in Queensland, authorities are believed to be close to announcing one.
CORPORATES ALREADY ‘SCREAMING’ ABOUT NEW BET LIMIT RULES
EXPECT an important announcement too from the Northern Territory Gaming Commission which licenses all corporate bookmakers in the country – not just NSW.
It is believed the Commission has agreed to a new law that will require corporates to bet all punters to win $2,000 on all metropolitan races in the nation. They will be required to bet to lose $1,000 on all provincial and on dog and trotting events.
It hasn’t been officially announced yet but already the corporates are ‘screaming’.
What hasn’t been finally decided however is whether corporates will be permitted to close accounts on successful bettors which is their current practise, or whether they will be forced to re-open accounts on hundreds that have been closed.
The corporates reckon they are getting the raw end of the deal under new betting minimums, initially imposed by Racing NSW, to bring them closer to the conditions under which on-course bookmakers operate.
They feel they are being exposed to a Harold Larwood, bodyline-style attack by the new betting minimums.
“Here we go whingeing Poms … If you don’t like the rule on behalf of all the Australian punters, go home with your bat ‘n ball and destroy the pathetic English racing,” one reader posted on a racing website.
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.
