IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published in the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer, TERRY BUTTS, praises the Cairns Amateurs carnival which he describes as one of the best ever run by the club.
Butts also reports on a bad loss in the Federal Court for big corporate Bet365 at the hands of the ACCC and has another burst for UBET and SKY Channel – both deservedly we should add.
Here is his column:
CAIRNS AMATEURS A SPECTACULAR SUCCESS – THE CLUB SHOULD TAKE A BOW
THE northern winter racing carnival rolled on last week with a bumper two-day Cairns Amateurs that was truly a roaring, spectacular success.
The rain Gods provided a little scare on Friday but the eventually gave way to glorious spring weather that brought the best out of everything – horses and humans.
I doubt if there has been a better carnival at Cannon Park in the past 20 years at least, and the club is rightfully entitled to be commended.
Yes, we have been critical in the past, but there was no cause whatsoever for complaint this year. The FNARC can take a bow! The club’s founder, Sid Williams, would have been surely chuffed
The only downside was the frightful fall in the straight on Cup day that saw one horse euthanized and jockey Davin Green transported to Brisbane by air for specialist treatment to a severe neck injury.
He is expected to make as full recovery however, which is a great relief for himself and his family and to the thousands who witnessed the incident on track and on SKY.
Local pin-up jockey Sonja Wiseman was totally distraught after the incident. She was aboard Mr Wrecker that fractured a leg and cannoned into Davin’s mount Proud Warrior midway down the straight.
But Sonja displayed amazing resolve by weighing out to ride in the next event. She didn’t ride a winner – which is rare for her on her home track – but it is a day and a race she will never forget.
Actually this year’s Amateurs was the first meeting that the leading NQ apprentice – and leading Cairns and Townsville jockey for the season – rode as a fully-fledged jockey.
Her apprenticeship officially ended on August 9, but wasn’t picked up until acceptance time for the Amateurs last week. Sonja still had a 2kg claim at provincial meetings (she had already lost her country claim). Adding to the confusion were documents produced by her master Trevor Rowe that indicated Sonja didn’t complete her apprenticeship until later in the year.
But it’s official. She is now fully-fledged jockey after a highly successful apprenticeship that saw boasting a strike rate of 11 per cent and place percentage of 24.
BET 365 LOSES OUT IN FEDERAL COURT – NOW WHAT WILL THE PENALTY BE?
THE much-awaited ACCC action against BET 365 finally had its day in the Federal Court last week and the international corporate bookmaker lost out.
According to a Fairfax media report the gambling giant now faces heavy fines for ‘luring new punters with a false promotion that required them to spend up to $1200 before they could recover $200 in free bets’.
Australia's consumer watchdog launched the lawsuit in the Federal Court against Bet365 and proved that the online betting provider had engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by offering the free bets to new customers in its 10-month promotion in 2013-14.
The promotion offered $200 in free bets for new customers, but the ACCC claimed the new customers had to gamble their deposit and the promotion bonus three times before being able to withdraw any winnings.
New gamblers were falsely enticed by the advertised free bets, the court heard.
ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said the offer potentially lured vulnerable consumers to place bets.
The Federal Court agreed, ruling that Bet365's Australian and UK companies had misled and deceived customers.
“New customers who had not previously used such types of services were drawn into this web of deception,” Justice Jonathan Beach said.
“This judgment makes it clear that companies cannot use the word ‘free’ in offers to consumers where any conditions that seek to neutralise the ‘free’ nature of the offer are not clearly identified. Inducements like free bets run the risk of signing up new and inexperienced gamblers based on a deceptive claim,” Sims said.
Penalties will be determined at a further trial in the Federal Court.
UBET AGENCIES INSTRUCT MANAGERS TO RECORD BETS ON CCTV
MEANWHILE, managers of UBET agencies have been told that customers placing a bet at TAB agencies around the country must now be recorded by CCTV – every single bet.
It is a move obviously designed to stop management or staff from having a bet for themselves – or anyone else.
But it’s hardly going to encourage more customers, who just might feel the filming of their activity is an intrusion on privacy.
What next – videophones for the stay at homes?
UBET, by the way, is hardly the flavour of the week in Townsville after declaring it would not provide any on-the-spot coverage of the Townsville Cup carnival and Cluden track re-opening this week.
This is in spite of the TTC having spent a sizeable four figures advertising their carnival on 4TAB in recent weeks.
To say officials are mightily upset at the snub would be an understatement.
Apparently Longreach (also racing on September 26) is the preferred venue for 4TAB live coverage this year. 4TAB has not only broken with tradition by snubbing the Cluden carnival, but also declined a request from the club to assist with signage or extra staff on Cup day.
“Yet we do all the work, and pay the wages for a lousy 2% of turnover”, said one TTC committeeman.
“And UBET continues skite about how much it does for racing.”
SKY TREATING TOWSVILLE WITH DISDAIN IN COVERAGE REFUSAL
BUT the biggest blast belongs to SKY which is treating Queensland overall – and Townsville in particular – with downright disdain.
SKY provided a saturated coverage of the Cairns Amateurs hosted by the very able and popular Michael Maxworthy. But the broadcaster has delivered the ultimate snub to Townsville this year.
When asked in Cairns if he would be doing the same at Townsville where three $100,000 races would be staged on Saturday week, Maxworthy replied: “I’d love to. I am hoping – but I don’t make the decisions”.
Well the decision has been made. SKY management, which copped a bucketing in the Brisbane press last weekend for its treatment of Queensland racing, has told the Townsville Club it would not have anyone on the ground this year.
That’s what happens when there is a monopoly – or when the race clubs are based outside NSW.
Just who do they think they are?
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.
