We have decided to run some of the responses and will attempt to secure answers to legitimate concerns from Queensland Racing. Those sent from false e-mail addresses have been given the full flush treatment.
‘IS THERE A HIDDEN MOTIVE BEHIND ACQUIRING RACETRACK ASSSETS’?THE major area of concern in the past week has focused on what many in the industry perceive as an attempt by QRL and its chairman, Bob Bentley, to secure ownership of valuable racetrack assets and question the motives behind the moves.
Here are a couple of examples:
‘We would like to know if there are political motives behind the increasing moves by Bob Bentley to acquire racecourse assets for Queensland Racing? We suspect he is working behind-the-scenes for the Bligh Government.
‘Most would be aware that the Queensland Government has lost its Triple A credit rating and you would have to be living under a rock not to be aware of the sell-off of assets that is being proposed by Premier Bligh and her team.
‘What most don’t know is the behind-the-scenes moves to acquire some of the most valuable land in Queensland – valued at a couple of billion dollars – in the form of race-courses. Just look at what has happened on the Sunshine Coast and could soon occur in Mackay and Rockhampton.
‘If Bob Bentley can manage to get his hands on some of this precious real estate will such property not enable the Government to upgrade its credit rating?
‘Little wonder Racing Minister Lawlor is sitting idly by while the Bentley band-wagon moves to take control of the three codes through a merged Board.’ – Colin Jackson, Hendra.
Then there was this one from a prominent Toowoomba racing identity who asked not to be identified:
‘We have been told that Queensland Racing will soon attempt to take over part ownership of Clifford Park.
‘The mail is strong that QRL will soon meet with the Toowoomba Turf Club and call in some debts which would see it assume an ownership interest. One would hope these reports are not correct.
‘We have attempted to confirm them with the TTC and all we are hearing is that there is a meeting to take place and that this matter could be raised. Here’s hoping the members soon learn what is going on.
‘More alarming are reports that the number of race meetings in Toowoomba could soon be reduced and that some of the night fixtures will be moved to the Sunshine Coast. Here’s hoping that would not be punishment if the TTC failed to agree to a joint venture with QRL.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: We will follow this up but doubt that the scuttlebutt is correct about the meetings being moved. The last time we spoke with QRL the indication was that a proposal was being considered for Toowoomba to link with Moonee Valley and Canterbury in a Friday night circuit.
However, it was suggested that the ultimate decision on a Queensland night venue in that link could rest with Sky Channel, which to us seems quite ludicrous. In our opinion, and that of many others in the racing industry, Sky already has too much say in race programming.
CUSHION TRACKS AND THE FUTURE OF RACING IN TOOWOOMBA
THE column by Racing Editor Bart Sinclair in The Sunday Mail suggesting that one could argue the cushion track in Toowoomba had ‘actually diminished the revenue of the club through reduced gate takings, bar trade and inferior fields’ prompted several e-mails.
Here are a couple of examples:
‘I noticed there were 18 nominations for a $20,000 Two-Year-Old on the Toowoomba Cushion over 1050m on Saturday but only 11 nominations for an $80,000 Two-Year-Old at Doomben over 1200m on the same day.
‘I’ sure if it was the other way around your readership would be crying blue murder. Would you kindly point this statistic out to them in your next up-date?’ Richard Bourke (we think he exists) but no address was provided.
EDITORS NOTE: Good point Richard. Here’s hoping the bulk of the field can keep up. In many races on the Cushion Tracks four or five are gone before the turn. We will also monitor betting turnover on the two races for comparison purposes (official figures, not those produced by the propaganda merchants from Toowoomba).
Then there was this e-mail:
‘Please tell us it isn’t true that Queensland Racing is planning to install another of these awful cushion tracks. We understand that the water woes in Toowoomba gave officialdom little choice but the one at the Sunshine Coast is an absolute nightmare for punters.
‘I have a friend who knows the guy that builds these tracks and he is based on the Sunshine Coast. He thought he had a contract to build the ones in Queensland but apparently was told at the last minute that he didn’t.
‘He has worked in Singapore and insists that the tracks there are built with different material and would perform much better than the local ones are. Do you know why they didn’t follow the proven lead of Singapore where they race on two tracks 90 times a year?” – Name with-held by request.
EDITORS NOTE: We asked QRL why they did not follow the Singapore lead and were told that the material used over there, which includse old tyres and steel cabling, was not allowed under Australian laws. But after passing this information on to our e-mail inquirer he claims to have checked that with contacts in Singapore and says that the QRL information is incorrect. The answer is a pineapple!
NOT EVERYONE IN ROCKHAMPTON WANTS TO JUMP INTO BED WITH QRL
IT seems not everyone in the racing industry in Rockhampton is convinced of the merit of jumping into bed with Queensland Racing in a joint ownership deal at Callaghan Park.
Here are a couple of e-mails that we received:
‘The spin doctors from QR, spearheaded by Bob the Builder, put a strong case for developing Callaghan Park into the show-piece of country racing in Queensland – but at what price?
‘The proposal virtually amounts to a sell-out despite the fact we are assured it will be a decision for the members. How reassuring it was to hear in one breath from Bentley that he wasn’t twisting the RJC’s arm and in another if we didn’t take up his offer then it would be first in best dressed.
‘If Rockhampton is to get dozens more race dates under this proposal what clubs are going to miss out – the word in the north is Townsville but we are hearing Toowoomba could be a big loser.
One thing’s for sure – it won’t be any of the clubs that support QR or that QR already feels like it owns.’ – Geoff Roots, Rockhampton.
Then there was this e-mail from a reader who prefers not to be identified:
‘As a Life Member of the Rockhampton Jockey Club for some decades, I will NOT vote for such a proposal unless Mr Bentley is prepared to indemnify the members and the club from any or all of the subsequent legal action which might result from his so-called promises and undertakings.’
STEVENS SHAPING AS ‘THE REAL DEAL’ AS RIVAL RACING MINISTER
IT has taken a while for the penny to drop but e-mail writers believe the LNP has finally given Ray Stevens some free rein and that the industry now has a Shadow Minister for Racing in Queensland who is prepared to stand up and be counted.
Stevens has for some time been ready to go ‘toe to toe’ with Queensland Racing chairman, Bob Bentley, on issues he feels are vitally important for the industry but it would seem he has been unbelievably hamstrung by some within his own party.
There have been allegations of undue influence on senior members of the LNP by former Toowoomba Turf Club chairman, Neville Stewart, a confidante and long time colleague of QRL chairman, Bob Bentley.
Stevens insists that Bentley is just ‘doing the bidding of the Bligh Government’ and well tell anyone who wants to listen: ‘I don’t want to see Bob go before the next election. He’s the best thing the LNP has going for it in racing.’
There have been many e-mails concerning Stevens, Bentley and the alleged behind-the-scenes power play involving Stewart. We have decided to run just the one:
‘Looks like the old ‘asleep at the wheel’ line no longer applies to the Opposition spokesman on Racing, Ray Stevens and he finally seems to be really getting under the skin of ‘Bob the Builder’ About time!
‘With due respects, for too long the Shadow Racing Minister has been of little or no use and perhaps even a help more than a hindrance to the Government. One could argue that although Mike Horan disliked Bob Bentley, he was too close to Neville Stewart.
‘Before that we had that One Nation refugee, ‘Hopalong Cassidy’ or whatever his name was, who seemed about as useful as ‘tits on a bull.’ He did a few ‘no-names’ in racing over under Parliamentary Privilege on behalf of long-time donors to the ‘goat riders’ but even managed to get the facts wrong there. Hope we never hear of him again.
‘It’s a bit like this business with Laurence the Loser holding down the deputy’s position in the LNP. How long will it take to get through to some of these remnants of the old Joh days that Queensland wants a new, vibrant, honest party that represents a real threat to a hack out-fit that has been there for too long?
‘Only then will we be able to dispense with Bob and the boys who have been able to take control of racing, put their mates in privileged places without any chance of being deposed and confine popular, hard-working clubs that won’t toe the line to the scrapheap.’ – Dave Kingston, Townsville.
HOW ABOUT CALLING APPLICATIONS FOR THE ‘BEST CEO’ AVAILABLE?
WE end the e-mail box with concerns expressed about the likely executive structure of the new integrated board for the three racing codes in Queensland as outlined in our Question and Answer segment with QRL from last week.
‘It’s a pity that Bob Bentley did not put his name to the answers of the questions that your web-site supplied on a number of issues. He’s the only one from QRL who would have been in a position to provide that sort of information.
‘I wish however to take him to task for giving the impression that Malcolm Tuttle will be the new head honcho of the Merged Board when (I don’t believe it’s any longer an if) it comes into being.
‘Tuttle, who many of us vividly remember from his days as a steward, has had a meteoric rise under Bentley to the stage where he will apparently become the most powerful executive officer in the three codes of racing in Queensland.
‘What a joke! If there aren’t more qualified people out there to choose from I’ll fly to the moon. Bentley shouldn’t be assuming anything. The merged board is not even in place. This position should be advertised internationally and awarded to the best credentialed person – not a ‘yes’ man for Bentley.
‘There are growing concerns among those working in the minor codes about this takeover despite undertakings that no-one will lose their jobs. There are claims some have already been told they will.
‘The only savior that harness racing and the racing industry in general has in all of this is Kevin Seymour. Most believe he won’t allow a takeover to occur. And if Stewart and Bentley think they have some influence with the LNP – Seymour will do them like a dinner.’ – Sam Dawson, Sunshine Coast.