IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published in the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer, TERRY BUTTS, questions why some racing identities over-react to criticism.
Butts upset an official of the Bowen club who apparently wanted him charged with bringing the industry into disrepute for daring to declare the track there is ‘hard’.
Here is his column:
AN OVER-REACTION OF MAMMOTH PROPORTIONS TO ‘HARD’ BOWEN TRACK
SOME identities in racing have terribly thin skin and, it seems, refuse to accept reality.
They over-react to reporting of the facts and then want to blame the author for the problem rather than addressing the real issue.
In this column last week – according to some, more to the point just one of these people – we made a grave mistake.
We dared to suggest that the Bowen racetrack is hard. Yes, that’s right – HARD. Heaven forbid!
And according to the club I should be charged (as a licensee mind you not in my other role as a journalist) with bringing racing into disrepute for making such an outrageous assessment that ‘could affect the number of nominations for the meeting.’
Well old mate, here’s the deal!
We will publish the name of any trainer who has raced a horse on the track in the past 12 months who is prepared to say the track is NOT hard.
Surely that’s fair.
Meanwhile I stand by my original statement – that the Townsville TAB meeting set down for September 5 should not have been transferred there.
And there is no blame attached to anyone – just a simple fact.
SHOULD PETER CULLEN’S PUNCTURED LUNG HAVE BEEN DETECTED EARLIER?
THE hopes of Peter Cullen riding in this year’s Townsville Cup relies on doctors at Cairns base Hospital where the jockey was flown by helicopter on Saturday night after a freak accident at Atherton.
Cullen, having one of his best years, was thrown from the horse De La Soul after the running of the second last race. He landed heavily but returned to scale and weighed out for his Cup mount Aldren, which in fact finished third to Knowing You.
It was after the Cup that Cullen felt unwell and was taken to Atherton Hospital and later medivacked to Cairns where he was treated for a punctured lung.
He was in better spirits yesterday but unable to say when he would be cleared to ride.
They are a tough breed, the Cullens.
Lying in the hospital bed yesterday he said: “If I didn’t have this bloody tube hanging out of me, you would think there was nothing wrong. I feel just fine.
“All I want to do is get home- and back to work.”
BIG WESTERN STABLES SET SIGHTS ON BIG TOWNSVILLE CUP DAY CARD
THE big western stables have their sights set on the coast again this year with the big 10-race card on Townsville Cup day (September 26) the big attraction.
Last year’s Cleveland Bay runner-up Le Cap will make the trip from the Sunshine Coast in a bid to go one better this year but his star stablemate, Magic Millions winner Le Chef will remain at home.
There were hopes that trainer Darryl Hansen would bring both horses north, with Le Chef to target the Parry Nissan.
But the Saunders family of Mt Isa, regular visitors to the Townsville carnival, have decided to go south with the brilliant three-year-old.
The family’s runners have always been a force at the Townville carnival and Andrew Simpson said at the weekend that ‘a few recent purchases from Sydney would be over to test the brand new track.’
Le Cap went down narrowly last year when favourite and continued an unlucky run for the stable in the big sprint over the past couple of years. They won with Heart in 2010, giving Wanderson d'Avila his first major win in Australia but have been dogged by ill-luck in more recent attempts.
Steven Royes is also bound for the coast with his very speedy Craiglea Cruz which annihilated a smart field at the recent Mt Isa Rodeo/ TAB meeting. The trainer always has a handy horse in his camp and there is a strong air of confidence about Craiglea Cruz which will probably contest feature sprint races at the upcoming Cairns Amateurs meeting.
PLENTY OF INTEREST IN TOWNSVILLE CARNIVAL MARQUEES ALREADY
TOWNSVILLE carnival will kick off with Ladies Day on September 19 and already more than half of the marquee seating has been snapped up. Bookings opened last week and there is also strong interest in marquees seating for Cup day. Bookings open this week.
The club will stage a monster 10 race card on Cup day featuring three of the North’s biggest events, the Cup, Cleveland Bay and Parry Nissan – all $100,000 races. A total of $450,000 in prizemoney will be on offer, a record for a country or provincial race track in Queensland.
Unfortunately it also clashes this year with the Melbourne Spring carnival which has obviously prevented some of the big names of Australian racing from attending. The club is still grappling to find some of the big names who do not have commitments at Caulfield that day.
TOO MUCH WEIGHT FORCES DAPH ‘N’ ALF TO GIVE CLEVELAND BAY A MISS
LOCAL sprinting star Daph ‘n’ Alf, unfortunately won’t be a Cleveland Bay contender – simply because with his Benchmark figure of 80.5 he would be weighted out.
According to trainer Greg Wehlow the horse will be spelled now and aimed at the Gold Coast Goldmarket in the early New Year. However, the stable will have a worthy representation in Townsville’s major sprint with Doomben winner Handyman Bob which is ready to make his return to after a spell on the Tablelands.
JOHN MANZELMANN LOOKS SET TO PLAY STRONG ROLE IN CUP AGAIN
JOHN Manzelmann, who has virtually cleaned up the northern Cups in recent times, seems to have legitimate claims for another Townsville Cup with his vastly improved stayer Knowing You.
The ex Sydneysider followed a good second in the Cairns Cup as fortnight ago with a strong win in Saturday’s Atherton Cup with star apprentice Sonja Wiseman aboard.
This horse, like many of the Manzelmann team, has had a meteoric rise to fame. In March this year he was last of eight in a Class 4. He was beaten at Moranbah just as few weeks ago.
Manzelmann has won two of the past three Townsville Cups with Payteevee and More More More and many believe he should be making space on the mantelpiece for another Gold Cup.
Unless there is a contingent from the south the Cup looks like being another ordinary race. Greg Wehlow has recently purchased the Tony McEvoy-trained Tip Rat as a Cup hopeful, but as a Class 3 horse he faces a battle to get into the field. Tip Rat will race in the Daph ‘n’Álph colours so rest assured he will be set for the big Townsville race.
MINORS CUPS HOT UP WITH INGHAM THE FIRST THIS WEEKEND
MEANWHILE it is the Ingham Cup this week and Bowen the following week as the countdown for the Cairns Amateurs (September 11 and 12) rolls on. It could be a case of running out of horses more so than races!
But the Herbert River meeting is assured of success as it’s a highly popular venue and especially for the annuals when it seems the entire town turns out in their finest.
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..
