IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published in the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer TERRY BUTTS reveals that the Townsville Turf Club redevelopment is likely to be announced on Melbourne Cup day.
Butts also reports on the poor quality field for the Pallarenda Stakes and how the legendary ‘Nippy’ Seymour has bid farewell to the train wreck that is now racing in Hughenden.
Here is the Butts’ column:
NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS – WITH TOWNSVILLE TURF CLUB DEVELOPMENT
NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS is an age old axiom that Cambridge University dictionary describes thus:
“Said to make someone feel less worried when they have not received information about someone or something, because if something bad had happened, they would have been told about it”
And that’s exactly the case with the Townsville Turf Club, the Newman Government and Racing Queensland with regards to the proposed new Cluden track.
We should have known weeks ago the result of the TTC application for a badly needed new track. But the silence has been deafening.
Remember when the track was going to close after the NQ Amateurs in August so the new track and improvements would be ready in May next year?
That was changed to October and just two weeks ago word spread we would know our fate ‘within five days’. That’s now 15 days and still the Government is pussy-footing while a lot of licensees who rely on racing for a living are frustrated and stressing.
But if you believe whispers that emanate from down below – the track is a definite – just a matter of when.
Kevin O’Keefe, the TTC Chairman, told a meeting of members at the AGM last week he didn’t know when but ‘was confident of the outcome’.
We can tell you that tenders have been decided on –well almost – and the decision to tear down the century old track is ‘imminent’.
It’s about to happen.
After Melbourne Cup is the mail. And from a public relations perspective (the LNP surely needs it), the date is probably right for the multimillion dollar announcement.
The absolute latest from RQ: ‘Townsville is on-going’. And that’s straight from the horse’s mouth (aka CEO Darren Condon).
YOU WON’T FIND A YOUNSGTER OF THE QUALITY OF GAY JAMES IN THE PALLARENDA
MEANWHILE, this week’s Pallarenda Stakes will probably be the last run on the old track that has withstood drought, floods and cyclones for 100 years or more.
It will also be probably the poorest bunch of two-year-olds in quality and quantity ever to line up for the race, according to the old timers who remember it as a feature run in two divisions for colts and fillies.
Many top-line gallopers have graduated from the Pallarenda. And there was none better than Gay James which won the Pallarenda and then put together another 15 wins.
“He was the fastest horse I have ever seen,” said Stan McLellan, son of the immortal Wulguru trainer, Les, who broke him in and trained him to all his wins.
According to Stan, Gay James best run was the day he was beaten at Doomben.
Gay James drew 16 in the Boonoorong Handicap (1100m) and was six in front within a furlong.
He ended up running third to John’s Hope and Zephyr Bay – two brilliant sprinters – and his rider, Graeme Ireland, said at the time he was the fastest horse he had ever ridden.
Among a long list of other Pallarenda winners of note were Lucky Run, trained by Bob Bower and the Hughenden galloper Hello Mate, trained by Billy Walsh when Hughenden was the hub of racing out west.
RACING IN HUGHENDEN A TRAIN WRECK AS ‘NIPPY’ MOVES ON
HOW TIMES have changed.
Hughenden today is a virtual train wreck.
The track hadn’t been raced on for a year or more and the future is not looking too bright. Scheduled Hughenden meetings this year have been run at Prairie and Mt Isa and there isn’t a horse in work on a track that was once a vibrant racing centre.
Last week the last of the Hughenden racing personalities, Arthur (Nippy) Seymour, packed up and headed east to set up stables at Mackay.
He was really the last man standing out there – and his departure signalled the end of an era.
Nippy had been based at Hughenden since 1964 and for the past 10 years at least had been a virtual one-man band at the Turf Club.
He was deposed of his official position at the club at the last AGM. And for him it was the ‘beginning of the end’.
“I have seven in work down here (Mackay) and its great place to train a horse.”
Nippy was most impressed with the turn-out at Ooralea on Saturday.
Traditionally Caulfield Cup day has been one of Mackay’s better meetings but this year it was allocated Guineas day. It made no difference. Over 2500 punters and party goers attended what was truly as ‘great day out’.
It clearly showed the locals will support local racing. They just need a little encouragement.
MACKAY STAGES ITS FIRST SUNDAY MEETING THIS WEEKEND
AND there’s more this week when Mackay stages its very first Sunday meeting.
There hasn’t been the same publicity but following the success of last Saturday maybe the locals will be out searching for more.
It is the first ever Sunday meeting for the sugar town and the club’s departing CEO Ben Michelmore is hoping racing on the sabbath will ‘take off’.
“We have five Sundays programmed and intend to make one of them a big family day out. Next Sunday will give them a taste,” he said.
Ben Michelmore is leaving after a short stay as CEO for family reasons. He foresees a big future for racing in the city that has battled an unstable administration for several years and saw the once profitable club in a financial bog hole when taken over by Racing Queensland a few months ago.
“It is all go from there,” said Michelmore who leaves the Ooralea office this week.
Former Corbould Park bar manager, Murray Chapple, has been appointed acting CEO until New Year. Nominations for the position are likely to be called soon.
Surely former secretary-manager Joe Hynes would get serious consideration – if he can be encouraged to apply. He ticks every single box.
CLASH BETWEEN CHARTERS TOWERS AND INNSFAIL CUPS SHOULD BE AVOIDED
IT is a shame that Charters Towers and Innisfail Cups clash again this week as they have done for yonks.
But there were more jockeys and possibly more horses in the region in those days, and now clubs from the coast to the Tablelands compete.
Pity one of the two clubs don’t opt for a Sunday.
And what about a train to Charters s Towers. It was tried years ago for the old Mingela meeting and was a huge promotion.
If they can run a cruise to Cooktown, why not a choo choo to Charters?
THEY STILL NEED NUMBERS FOR THE ‘CRUISE TO COOKTOWN’ CUP
ORGANISER of the ‘Cruise to Cooktown’ for Cup Day on November 8 is appealing for more starters.
After a rush for tickets when the cruise on board Reef Magic was first announced – there has been a lull in sales in recent days.
“We need another 30 or more bookings to seal the deal,” said organiser Karen Smith.
The cruise was held for the first time last year and was a big success.
“Hopefully we can do it again. Maybe some potential punters are holding off – but they can’t hold off too long – we have a commitment,” she said.
The cruise leaves Cairns on Saturday morning and returns at 10pm that night.
Everything is ‘found’ including racecourse entry, marquee with private bar and betting facilities, a buffet dinner and band on the return trip.
What a great way to see Cooktown on Cup day!
INDUSTRY PRAYS FOR JOCKEY CARLY-MAE PYE AFTER BAD FALL
AND in conclusion, our thoughts and prayers are with jockey Carly-Mae Pye who is in a critical condition in Rockhampton Base Hospital following a fall during barrier trials at Callaghan Park on Mondayh morning.
Paramedics provided treatment on track before transporting her to hospital where she is in the Intensive Care Unit.
Racing Queensland CEO Darren Condon said the thoughts of the racing community were with Carly-Mae and her family and requested their privacy be respected.
Counselling has been offered to those who witnessed the incident.
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.