IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published in the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer TERRY BUTTS comments on the response from bookmaker, Robbie Waterhouse, to the Jeff Kennett criticism of many things in racing.
Butts also reports on the conclusion of a long-running legal battle between warring parties in the Townsville racing industry and how a headline about the outcome was so misleading it could lead to a libel action.
Here is the Butts’ column:
HOW’S THIS FOR THE ‘RACING POT’ CALLING THE ‘POLITICAL KETTLE’ BLACK?
THE recent outburst by former Victorian Premier, Jeff Kennett, against the current control and administration of racing has met with overwhelming acclaim right across the nation.
There was one notable (and predictable) dissenter – Robbie Waterhouse – who must get the award for the ‘Comment of the Decade’ with his reference to Kennett’s ‘well documented sins and failures’.
Excuse me!
Ironically, Waterhouse made this statement on the anniversary of the greatest rort in Australia’s racing history – the Fine C cotton affair, in which, as everyone knows, he played a key role and was subsequently banned from all racecourses worldwide for several years.
Waterhouse last week wrote: “It needs to be said, loud and clear, the Honourable Jeff Kennett's speech at the Racing Victoria, on Monday August 18, was very disappointing
“It was particularly galling that it was made by the man who did more to harm Victorian racing than anyone in history.”
And you thought crocodiles have a thick skin!
WATERHOUSE GOES INTO BAT FOR HIS CORPORATE MATES AND DAMIEN OLIVER
BUT there is more to the ‘epistle, according to the outspoken RobbieWaterhouse.
“Outrageously, he (Kennett) blames the corporate bookmakers, calling them ‘a cancer.’
“Racing's share would be less without the corporates,” said Waterhouse – a statement that would no doubt further endear him to his colleagues in the betting ring who are battling the scourge of the unwanted overseas agencies.
“The corporates are paying to the racing industry exactly what the racing industry requires of them. They are good citizens. It must be stressed; their taxes are new money to racing's bottom line,” said Waterhouse, who neglected to mention it came about only because NSW dragged the corporates through the courts in a fiercely contested and protracted legal battle.
But that’s not all...
Mr Kennett, he said, “Is incensed at Damien Oliver's eight-month punishment.
“He ignores that there are worse crimes than betting on a horse, if he (Oliver) hadn't confessed they couldn't have charged him. He was totally contrite and he served his time and paid his debt to society.
“And eight months is not insignificant,” said Waterhouse.
WATERHOUSE OPINION ON OLIVER PUNISHMENT IS HIGHLY DEBATABLE
WELL, that opinion is a highly debatable point.
Damien Oliver would have still be languishing in a Hong Kong jail had he had ten grand on the favourite in a race in which he was riding the second favourite at Happy Valley instead of Mooney Valley.
Just ask Chris Munce, whose crime was offering tips, not placing a bet.
In the UK, US and other racing nations, OIiver would have got more than what many say was an ‘embrace’ by Victorian racing authorities and not necessarily by the stewards either. Though, it seems, the stewards have copped the blame for the extra ordinary light sentence that will remain a scar on Victorian racing forever.
Just like the tattoo of Fine Cotton that’s indelibly stuck on some.
KENNETT ADMITS HIS ‘BIGGEST MISTAKE’ WAS PRIVATISING THE VICTORIAN TAB
OF course this was all in response to interstate media reports of Jeff Kennett savaging corporate bookmakers, describing them as a cancer on racing and admitting that the biggest mistake he made while Premier of Victoria was allowing privatisation of the TAB.
Kennett, who is chairman of mental health group, beyondBlue, addressed more than 100 trainers at Racing Victoria’s inaugural open day at its headquarters at Flemington.
According to the Herald-Sun, Kennett also blasted Racing Victoria (RV) for banning champion jockey Damien Oliver for only eight months after he was found guilty of betting on a horse in the same race he rode in. He described the penalty as a ‘disgrace’.
“If he had been in Hong Kong, he probably would have been jailed. He certainly wouldn’t have been allowed to stand down for eight (months) during the non-racing season in order to come back to race in the carnival.
“A few owners dropped him but if the RV is going to be serious about integrity, if someone breaches the code, they have got to pay the price.”
Kennett said one of the greatest risks racing faced was from corporate bookmakers and predicted the industry would not exist in its current form in five years if action wasn’t taken against them.
“We will end up like the UK or the US where they have a spring carnival and everything else will fall away dramatically,” he said, “not only in prize money, but every other aspect of the game. We can’t be blind to what corporate bookmakers are trying to do.”
Mr Kennett said the corporates weren’t only paying substantially less fees for the product, but were indoctrinating the public about gambling and the reasonableness of it and were trying to take customers away from the TAB with novel bets.
“Their one objective at the moment is to try to destroy the major contributor of revenue to RV,” he said.
“They are a cancer and they are destroying your industry and are destroying most sports.”
The former Premier said he would not have privatised the TAB 20 years ago if he had known it would mean bringing an influx of corporate bookmakers.
KENNETT USED PLATFORM TO EXPRESS HIS VIEWS ON RANGE OF RACING TOPICS
JEFF Kennett was invited by Racing Victoria to talk to the trainers about depression and integrity in racing, but in his typical outspoken style, he didn’t let anyone down with his views on a wide range of racing topics.
He said racing in Australia should be administered by one central body, and described the Australian Racing Board as useless.
Kennett also spoke about the soon to be introduced trainer welfare program aimed at supporting trainers who suffering from depression.
John Sadler, who has publicly revealed his battle with depression, and Lee Freedman will be involved in the program.
Kennett’s other views included:
BULLYING and intimidation should be stamped out of the industry and was responsible for some cases of depression.
RACING in Victoria should not be a seven-day a week industry and was stressful and sending trainers broke in an industry that was simply supplying product for corporate bookmakers who were not returning enough money to racing.
SUPPORT for the pending introduction of owners providing trainers with their credit card or banking details so bills are paid. Owners, who owe money to trainers, would not be allowed to race their horses, which would be suspended.
THE racing industry would be unsustainable under the current financial model and needed to come together as an industry to discuss the sustainability gap.
He said the industry in five to seven years would have either shrunk dramatically or some of its best elements would have disappeared completely.
CORPORATE bookmakers are destroying racing, as well as most sports.
‘WRONG’ HEADLINE IN LOCAL MEDIA COULD BE SUBJECT OF LEGAL ACTION
ON the same day that trainer John Sadler fronted Victorian stewards for ‘bumping’ fellow trainer, Wayne Hawkes, at the races in Melbourne, Townsville trainer Bill Kenning and Olivia Cairns’ partner and stable foreman, Shane Colahan, fronted Townsville Magistrate’s Court for the final chapter in their long running saga.
Sadler, who makes no apology for his dislike of young Hawkes (who made the complaint apparently) was fined $1,000 but insisted the payment go to a charity of his choice, which is fair enough.
Mind you it’s not the first time Hawkes has been the ‘victim’ of assault – and he is still a maiden, so they say.
In Townsville the magistrate decided virtually the same as former Judge Bill Carter, who heard and upheld the appeal by Colahan against Racing Queensland almost a year ago.
So one can deduce there was obviously no king-hit, which was the basis of Kenning’s complaint to police.
Peter Schmid SM ordered 60 hours community service and no conviction after Shane ‘Unit’ Colahan pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
But while the magistrate got it right, unfortunately the local newspaper didn’t. A headline stated: “Stable Thug Convicted…”
While that is subject to a possible libel action there is also a claim of invasion of privacy involving one of Kenning’s supporters who attempted to slyly tape a conversation between Colahan and some guests who attended a post Townsville Cup Pig-On-The-Spit party last month at Cluden.
The tape, though played in court and purportedly containing threats made by Colahan, was ruled inadmissible, which is no surprise.
LEE ATTARD BACK ON TRACK WHERE HE BELONGS – IN THE SADDLE
FORMER star apprentice, Lee Attard, made a triumphant comeback to racing at Ingham on Saturday.
Ten years ago to the day he won a race on John Barr’s Mr Donatello.
It’s been a rocky 10 years (and many drinks) in between for the lad who has a history of ‘lugging of the rails’.
But he reckons his win on Bracko Mick in the Ingham Cup is just the tonic.
“That was just what I needed,” said the breathless 30-year-old after his very narrow win for new master, John Manzelmann.
“I will be right now – so long as I can keep my head on my shoulders.”
His words not mine.
Attard, who has ridden 70 winners and 127 placings from just 450-odd rides, has ridden on tracks all over the country – from Dingo to Darwin – and at one time had a plan to be a jumps jockey in Melbourne.
But after a stint with the Londregan stable, Attard declared the jumps ‘were not for me’ and he headed home to Mackay to start training.
That was eight months ago when his weight had ballooned to 74 kgs.
He is now a healthy and trim 54kg and all set to do deliver what he had always promised – to be a top rider.
So long as he keeps his head.
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.