Letsgohorseracing - Wednesday Whinge

Details: Published: 02 July 2013

THIS website continues to listen to what our readers have to say and has introduced a ‘Wednesday Whinge’ where you can express your feelings on racing industry issues of the past week. Try to keep them objective. Just e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

THE focus of our new theme – THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY side of racing news of the past week continues in the new-look Wednesday Whinge which feedback suggests has been well received by our readers. It gives us an opportunity to provide some of the news that is harder to access or simply isn’t run in the mainstream media. That doesn’t mean we are steering clear of allowing our readers their weekly Whinge on a range of topics. This week these were headed by the Commission of Inquiry into Racing in Queensland, the problems with bookmakers in Queensland and an interesting take on the Damien Oliver situation with a thought on how he can boost his image in the eyes of the racing public.

WILL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY GET TO BOTTOM OF CUSHION TRACK FIASCO AT TOOWOOMBA?

WITH the latest Commission of Inquiry into Racing in Queensland underway – even though the first public hearings are not for a fortnight – the media is smelling blood with the heads of former chairman Bob Bentley and Labor power-broker Bill Ludwig on the chopping block.

Not everyone agrees just who was responsible for the debacle involving the cushion track at Toowoomba and there are claims that this is a political witch-hunt.

HERE’S what KL of TOOWOOMBA had to say on the issue:

‘LET’S get things straight about this cushion track fiasco in Toowoomba and where the buck should stop.

With another Commission of Inquiry into racing in Queensland – just a political witch-hunt in the eyes of many – it comes as no surprise that expenditure by the former Bentley Board is under the microscope.

The media has started pumping up what looks to be a concerted campaign against Bob Bentley and Labor powerbroker Bill Ludwig who was a member of the former RQ Board.

Let’s get a few things straight about the tens of millions allocated to work at the Gold Coast Turf Club and at the Toowoomba Turf Club.

The GCTC – backed by the influential Magic Millions Bloodstock group and its boss Gerry Harvey – had been pushing politically for a major upgrade of the Gold Coast complex at Bundall for years.

Magic Millions had threatened to take their big week of racing and sales in January away from the Gold Coast knowing full well it wouldn’t work elsewhere but also knowing it would get the politicians – including then racing spokesman for the LNP and former GCTC director Ray Stevens – off their behinds.

As for Toowoomba wasn’t it a vote by the members of the club that decided first the need for a cushion track because of the drought and lack of water to keep the turf track going and, in more recent times, another vote by the members that decided to dispense with it?

It was the LNP Government that pushed – at the insistence of the Bob Frappell Board of the TTC – to have the cushion track replaced by a turf or synthetic one. This is all political and Frappell and his good mate RQ chairman Kevin Dixon are right at the centre of the games being played.

It wasn’t Ludwig or Bentley that cost the taxpayers $20 million. It was the political manoeuevring of the new power-brokers at RQ in conjunction the LNP Government that saw an opportunity to cause mayhem for Bentley, Ludwig and Labor at another racing inquiry.

Let’s face it – Queensland needs an alternative to turf in the event of wet weather, similar to that which has caused mayhem and cost racing in NSW millions of dollars in betting turnover and lost prizemoney in recent weeks.’

EDITOR’S NOTE: Here’s one of the stories by MICHAEL McKENNA in THE AUSTRALIAN that no doubt prompted the above e-mail:

A PUSH by the former Labor-aligned Racing Queensland board, which included powerbroker Bill Ludwig, for a synthetic track in Toowoomba has cost taxpayers $20 million, and now the four-year-old surface is being ripped up amid claims of “shonky” construction, unapproved payments and missing records.

As the commission of inquiry into the Racing Queensland board opens today, it can be revealed that the touted “drought-free” synthetic track is a focus of investigations into the rollout of $158m in capital works across regional racecourses under the former Bligh government.

The $12m design and construction of the track at Toowoomba’s Clifford Park — which will be returned to its grass surface at a cost of more than $7m — is among 37 contracts awarded without public tender by Racing Queensland between 2007 and the state election in March last year.

Headed by recently retired Queensland Court of Appeals judge Margaret White, the inquiry was launched after an investigation by The Australian revealed the extent of the probity issues with the racetrack upgrades, as well as former treasurer Andrew Fraser’s approval of a $20m transfer to Racing Queensland’s infrastructure account just days before his government’s defeat.

Mr Fraser says he was acting on Treasury officials’ advice.

The inquiry will also probe the pre-election approval — overseen by Mr Ludwig, the AWU national president and state secretary — of new contracts for four Racing Queensland executives involved in the capital works, which delivered them 30 per cent payrises and $1.85m in payouts when they quit just after the state election.

In April, it was revealed a forensic audit had raised allegations that former Toowoomba Turf Club chairman Neville Stewart had had a driveway laid at his stud using materials meant for the new car park. Mr Stewart strongly denied this at the time, calling it “outrageous” and saying he had never used the government’s contactors at his home or his stud.

Racing Queensland chief executive Adam Carter yesterday declined to comment about the inquiry, but confirmed that most documentation relating to Toowoomba’s synthetic track was missing and that the project was awarded without going to tender.

“It appears the track is shonky,” Mr Carter said. “We know that from the flooding and water run-off issues that we believe there wasn’t the proper drainage or layering systems put down.”

Many owners have refused to train their horses on the track and the fields lining up to race have fallen by 30 per cent. Wagering on Clifford Park has fallen by 25 per cent in the past two years.

Veteran Toowoomba trainer Darryl Gollan has refused to allow any of his 80 horses to train on the synthetic track, using a private track instead. “Synthetic tracks don’t work overseas and in Toowoomba, where the temperature can go from the low digits to 40C, it couldn’t work because it would be gluey in the summer and hard as bitumen in the winter,” he said. “I wasn’t going to risk training the horses on the track; it isn’t natural to work horses on an artificial track six days a week.”

He said he had never understood why the former Racing Queensland board was so determined to install the cushion track. “It was imposed on us — nobody wanted to listen and it has really hurt the local industry, cost a lot of good people their jobs.”

Clifford Park was one of three Queensland courses earmarked for a cushion track, after Bob Bentley, then Racing Queensland chairman, and two directors including Mr Ludwig, went on a “fact-finding mission” to Europe and the US. Mr Bentley and Mr Ludwig have previously denied any wrongdoing and have both welcomed the inquiry.

Mr Carter said an assessment late last year concluded that unless Clifford Park returned to a grass surface, the local horse racing and breeding industry would be finished within three years.

Toowoomba Turf Club chairman Bob Frappell, initially a supporter of the track, said it had been a disastrous experiment: “The former board pushed us into this; they promised us that it would require less water and that if we didn’t go with it, then they would take away our TAB meetings, which would have killed us.”

IT WOULDN’T BE A WINTER CARNIVAL WITHOUT ANOTHER JOKE IN QUEENSLAND

THERE wouldn’t be a Winter Carnival – or a month of the year for that matter – when racing in Queensland isn’t the butt of many interstate jokes.

The joint is an absolute embarrassment and the latest debacle highlights the fluctuations fiasco that has been allowed to continue – one way or another – for far too long now.

It comes as no surprise that the Brisbane bookies, who copped plenty of flak from big interstate punters over the percentages they were betting some weeks back, would retaliate when the prices transmitted off course from the Caloundra Cup meeting on Saturday were far from accurate.

As usual Racing Queensland has an excuse for everything. When the percentages row erupted originally they blamed the bookies and instituted new rules aimed at improving that situation. Whether it has been rectified or not depends on who you speak to.

Bookmakers at the Sunshine Coast for that club’s biggest meeting of the year last Saturday insist that the official starting prices sent from the track were ‘wrong.’ They hinted that the reason could be that TattsBet and corporate agency prices were being calculated into the equation.

STARTING PRICES POSTED FOR MANY FAVORITES ROBBED PUNTERS OF BIG DOLLARS

LEADING fielder, Lindsay Gallagher, writing on the popular website justracing, claimed that the SPs posted for many favorites, including winners Kneeling, Hallside Rose and Someday were incorrect, the latter returned at $3.5 when there was plenty of $4 on offer as they jumped in the Glasshouse.

Then there was the final embarrassment of the Sunshine Coast Guineas winner, Eximius and two other runners, appearing on monitors at the track as scratchings, which RQ Chief Steward on the day, Daniel Aurisch, blamed on a ‘computer glitch.’

“We were in constant contact with the APN (Australian Prices Network) to make sure the prices being sent off course were correct,” Aurisch told Nathan Exelby of The Courier Mail.

“If they had been sent off as scratchings, we would have called the horses back and ordered fresh betting. Our betting stewards also made all bookmakers on course aware that the scratched horses were definite runners.”

Lindsay Gallagher summed up the feelings of on-course bookies to justracing: “The last race was won by Victorian visitor Eximius but whilst we were betting a price about the horse in the ring he was officially scratched on the fluctuation board. They were sending away a market at 86 per cent with some horses not in the market, but these things happen – regularly – up here.”

PROMISES THAT TIMES WOULD CHANGE SOUND LIKE ‘A LOAD OF POLITICAL PROPOGANDA’

Who said times would change for racing in Queensland when a new broom was put through the place? Correspondents to our website reckon the promises that were made are starting to sound an awful lot like ‘a heap of political propaganda’.

HERE’S an example of several e-mails that we received on the topic in the hope that these two get the general message across:

AP of SUNSHINE COAST wrote:

IT’S not too often I am sympathetic with the bookmakers fielding in Brisbane (or the major carnival days on outside tracks in the south-east corner).

On Saturday they were forced to field in far from comfortable weather at the Sunshine Coast while the majority of punters stayed at home and bet with either the TAB or the corporates – that’s those few that are still prepared to bet on racing in Queensland.

As if the percentages situation in Brisbane hasn’t been enough of a disaster for the image of racing in the north just, when that was supposed to have been sorted out it seems those punters who took the official starting prices on Saturday were robbed again with inaccurate fluctuations being posted.

Now they can blame all the ‘bad fluctuations’ or ‘computer glitches’ they like, this is one problem that lies squarely at the feet of Racing Queensland.

It’s time a few of the new Board members got off their backsides and did something about it, because it is blatantly obviously that (RQ Chairman) Kevin Dixon either isn’t prepared to or doesn’t understand. Perhaps he should ask his mate – Fergie – at the BRC for some professional advice.

The solution is simple – employ a new, capable Betting Supervisor that knows what he is doing and understands the situation.

The old RQ guard that weren’t worth ‘two bob’ – Bentley and Mason – got rid of Luke Bailey and Ian Black – although I am led to believe that a couple of high profile bookies might have played a role in that as well and wouldn’t want to see either of them return.

Bailey and Black were keen to halt the alleged SP rorts that were going on back then and it has been suggested that cost them their jobs. Of course the Racing Inquiry wasn’t able to get to the bottom of that – surprise, surprise.

Maybe it’s time to approach either of these gentlemen and see if they are prepared to return to the fold and at least get this situation sorted out before it becomes even more of an embarrassment.

Mark Sweeney, who has been elevated to a higher platform at RQ after overseeing (as betting supervisor) the mess that the betting on Brisbane racing has now developed into, cannot be blamed for Saturday’s Caloundra Cup meeting fiasco. According to the stewards’ report he was not listed as working.

The Board – or the new Integrity Commissioner – should be calling for a full and independent report from those who did work and asking what went wrong.

One suspects that this will just be another issue swept under the carpet or about which plenty of promises will be made by those running RQ – but as usual little will be done to fix the problem.

And this one, from the other side of the fence, contributed by DB of Brisbane:

FANCY these pretentious bookmakers in Queensland taking a pot shot at the corporate operators.

There is a saying among the professional punters: ‘The only time the bookies in Brisbane will lay anything for any amount of money is when it is tied to the ground.’

Now that is obviously over the top and unsubstantiated crap – I am being facetious – but to suggest the on-course bookmakers offer a better service and value than the corporate agencies is a heap of horse manure.

I see where Haydyn Flynn has taken over as spokesman for his close colleague Lindsay Gallagher. He has questioned why the corporates should be included when assessing SP fluctuations if ‘they are only going to bet a bloke to lose $16.’

Perhaps some of those ‘blokes’ they are refusing to ‘set’ have links to bookmakers with jockeys on their speed dials and ‘inside information.’ Mr Flynn would know only too well the perils of accepting bets from ‘those in the know.’

If Mr Flynn and his colleagues feel the corporates are ‘so weak’ why not then allow them to field at the track on race days as well. That’s another story of course – it might upset the closed shop that they have enjoyed for so long in so many ways.

Perhaps someone should also question Mr Flynn about the fluctuations on Stradbroke day when a computer problem meant the only source of prices transmitted interstate were the on-course fielders. It didn’t take long for the percentages to reach a ridiculous stage again.

Sorry Mr Flynn but your blast over the SPs sent from the Sunshine Coast last Saturday fell on deaf ears with many of us. It was a case of ‘people who live in glass houses (no pun intended on the price of Someday in the Glasshouse) shouldn’t throw stones.’

EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE’S the story by NATHAN EXELBY from THE COURIER MAIL which prompted the above e-mails and isn’t good to read some objective race reporting from a Racing Editor in the major Brisbane daily for a change.

IN THE wake of the embarrassing on-course fluctuation failure on Saturday, bookmakers have also demanded an explanation from Racing Queensland about the official prices being sent off course.

Leading fielder Hadyn Flynn said the price sent away for well-backed Caloundra Cup favourite Shenzhou Steeds was simply "wrong".

Flynn questioned whether on-course prices were even used in the assessment of the horse's opening fluctuation.

In recent months, Racing Queensland changed the policy for calculating official prices and in addition to on-course bookmakers, prices from TattsBet and some corporate bookmakers are also added into the mix.

The official fluctuations for Shenzhou Steeds were $3.80 into $3.30, but Flynn said better was freely available.

"I took a bet of $5000 on it from a corporate bookmaker backing it at top fluctuation," Flynn said.

"I then backed it back with three on-course bookmakers at prices ranging from $4.40 to $4.

"Why then was the opening fluc sent away at $3.80 when better was available with all six bookies on course? As well as aiding and abetting the corporates, it's a raw deal for punters."

Prices from Brisbane tracks have been a hot topic and came under the microscope again on Stradbroke Day when internet failure meant on-course bookmakers were the only source to assess prices, resulting in higher percentages (ie shorter prices on fancied runners) being sent away.

Flynn said the new system had "worked in some ways", but questioned how accurate it was to take prices from corporate bookmakers who shy away from taking bets off winning punters.

"If they are only going to bet a bloke to lose $16, it's hardly a real price is it?" he said.

Chief steward Daniel Aurisch said "a computer glitch" caused the problem that had eventual winner Eximius and two other runners showing up as scratchings on on-course monitors before the Sunshine Coast Guineas.

"The wireless network was running interference into that field and an IT expert will be needed to fix the problem," Aurisch said.

"We were in constant contact with the APN (Australian Prices Network) to make sure the prices being sent off course were correct. If they had been sent off as scratchings, we would have called the horses back and ordered fresh betting. Our betting stewards also made all bookmakers on course aware that the scratched horses were definite runners."

The start of the race was delayed several minutes owing to the on-course situation.

Aurisch said he was comfortable that betting had not been compromised and he allowed the race to start.

Eximius officially eased from $4 to $4.80, while runner-up Lucky Hussler was a $3.50 to $2.60 firmer.

OLIVER HAS SOME CATCHING UP TO DO IN THE EYES OF THE RACING PUBLIC

DAMIEN Oliver has been a great favorite of the Australian racing public – almost an icon in the eyes of some – after riding Melbourne Cup winner Media Puzzle days after his brother died in a tragic track accident.

But there are those who believe that Oliver still needs to atone for the events of more recent times when he bet $10,000 on a rival runner that won a race in which he rode. And that is despite the 10 months that he was ordered to spend on the sidelines.

Several e-mailers support the suggestion, made on the Correct Weight show on RSN last Sunday by host Matt Stewart that Oliver should think about donating a slice of his winning percentages to charity for a period when he returns to riding.

“I don’t think day to day earnings are a big issue for Damien,” Stewart said. “He has more money than Rupert Murdoch,” Stewart suggested.

“He was very lucky he didn’t miss the spring carnival and earned a lot during those weeks. What he did resulted in the authorities implementing two-year minimum terms for jockeys who bet in future.”

There are plenty who agree with Stewart that if Oliver wants to preserve the image he once enjoyed from not only the racing but the public in general, it would be worth considering the suggestion of a charitable donation of some substance as an act of contrition.

EDITOR’S NOTE: WHEN it comes to misdemeanors from industry participants, racing followers seem to be much more forgiving than those of other sports. Here is an interesting story on the topic by MATT STEWART in the HERALD SUN:

AS unforgiving as racing can be, it also forgives.

Trainers will sack horses as quickly as owners sack trainers and owners and trainers sack jockeys.

Your status as a hack or a hero, whether a horse or a human, can rotate from race to race, determined by the flukiness of the bob of a head or the cruelty of injury.

You can strategize all you like but pot luck always swoops late to muck things up.

Unforgiving as it is, racing has a soft spot for its sinners.

Jason Maskiell had never really harmed anyone but himself through his addictions and lapses but racing requires commitment and two years ago Maskiell had pushed his luck.

If he'd been a broker or a clerk, and not a jockey, Maskiell may never have found his way back in.

Yet there he was at Moonee Valley, a winner for the second straight Saturday, beaming for the happy snaps with the equally beaming connections of Impulse Buy.

For Maskiell, the slate is now clean, just as it has been for some time for Craig Newitt, another of yesterday's winners and another who'd once been sent to Coventry.

Racing forgives because its participants are judged almost exclusively on what they do on track, not off it.

On Friday Damien Oliver appeared before Racing Victoria stewards, his first step towards earning back his licence to ride.

Oliver wasn't exactly read the riot act but racing's tough new rules, including a minimum two years for jockeys who bet, were shoved under his nose.

Ollie copped 10 months for Miss Octopussy, a penalty many regarded as manifestly soft. Back then, he was a villain who'd copped a lucky break. But as Ollie's comeback draws closer - his disqualification ends on July 13 - the image of him will soften.

Jim Cassidy, a man with colorful friends and a colorful rap sheet, was given a ticket into the Hall Of Fame last year, so there will be no hostility for Ollie over a bet.

It might require a gesture, such as donating a chunk of future earnings to the jockeys' trust but the legend of Ollie will always carry more weight than the bet.

Mark Zahra was sacked by Darley last year over an alleged role in a hot race at Cranbourne.

Zahra returned from injury on Saturday, riding one for his old mate Jim Conlan at the Valley. Who knows, Zahra may again don the Darley maroon.

(On Monday) at Mildura Nikita McLean resumed her career after serving two months for belting her little sister, Jackie, at the Hamilton races.

Few judged McLean too harshly because the circumstances of the assault were extraordinary.

Most racing crimes aren't real crimes. Its rogues and villains are also its heroes, depending on the day.

The difference can be as simple as the margin between first and second.

AUTHORITIES IN RACING IN QUEENSLAND NOT AS FORGIVING AS THOSE INTERSTATE

IT seems however when it comes to racing in Queensland the authorities are not as forgiving as those in Victoria.

Take the sad case of Steve Hogno – yes we are pushing his barrow again and will continue to do so in the hope that justice will eventually be served.

Hogno was disqualified for life by Queensland Racing stewards – a decision that the courts subsequently overturned – but has lost everything including a racehorse agistment farm all because he attended a sports day at Koorablyn 14 years ago with his registered quarter horse.

He is now broke because of the legal bills incurred fighting the case and faces a $400,000 demand for costs from a far from sympathetic RQ. Whilst no-one in an official role in Queensland – from the control body to the Racing Minister are interested in his plight – there is a glimmer of hope from south of the border.

Hogno’s partner, Deb Lee, wrote to Peter McGauran, the former Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who is now CEO of the Australian Racing Board and has received a sympathetic response.

THE LETTER TO PETER McGAURAN

HERE is what Ms Lee wrote:

‘Dear Mr McGauran,

Almost fifteen years ago in June, 1998, my husband and I committed the most heinous of crimes against Racing Queensland. Apparently.

We attended our first-ever Fun Day and entered a Quarter Horse, registered with the Australian Quarter Horse Association, in a race, in her registered name "Rare Edition", nominated by her owner, Steve Hogno.

The events on the day included tent-pegging, polo, stock horse races, a celebrity race (in which Olympic medalist Duncan Armstrong rode), and an event in which Shetland ponies pulled little carts driven by children.

The charity day was conducted by Kooralbyn Resort under a Combined Sports Meeting Permit issued by the Queensland Office of Racing, in accordance with Section 135 of the Racing and Betting Act.

It was signed by Racing Queensland's Integrity Commissioner, Jim O'Sullivan (then Qld Police Commissioner).

This Fun Day was raided by Stewards from Racing Queensland (the then QPC).

Steve was summoned to an Inquiry by QR Stewards at which he was, without so much as a warning, disqualified indefinitely for his participation in an UNREGISTERED RACE MEETING. We were dumbfounded.

Steve was not licensed in any way with Racing Queensland, but was a part owner in a Thoroughbred Race Horse, which was also disqualified.

As we were operating a small Thoroughbred spelling business on our own property on the Darling Downs, the disqualification was devastating!

As I'm sure you are aware, a disqualified person may not have a Registered Thoroughbred under their care, management or control. This meant the immediate cessation of our business and we were left with only Steve's council wages to cover expenses, until the situation could be rectified.

We wrote to the Racing Appeals Authority who referred us to the Appeals Committee of RQ. As Steve had been told at the conclusion of the Inquiry to familiarize himself with the Rules of Racing, and the implications of disqualification, he identified a Rule which stated, in part, that if the Appeals Committee considered an appeal to be frivolous or vexatious, they may increase the penalty and impose a fine not exceeding $50,000.

As his verbal pleas of innocence were ignored at the Inquiry, we were reluctant to pursue this avenue.

Combined Sports Meetings have NEVER been mentioned in the Rules of Racing, and since Steve's disqualification, the rule pertaining to Unregistered Race Meetings has been deleted.

Before taking action against Racing Queensland, we also wrote to Bob Gibbs (then Racing Minister) whose letter of reply states that "the Office of Racing does not need approval from Racing Queensland to issue a Combined Sports Meeting Permit."

After seeking legal advice, we proceeded to the Supreme Court where (after an Appeal), the Order was made in July 1999, that the Kooralbyn Family Fun Day was NOT an Unregistered Race Meeting and that Racing Queensland's disqualification of Steve was UNLAWFUL.

With no income from Spelling since the disqualification, and the threat of foreclosure on our mortgage, this decision came too late to revive our business and we were forced to sell our beautiful 100acre property and home, under fire-sale circumstances.

Incensed by the loss, and armed with the Supreme Court Order, we commenced proceedings to recover what had been unlawfully taken from us.

When the trial finally reached court last year, the Racing Queensland Barrister's continual reliance on the Australian Rules of Racing was nauseating. (He convinced the trial judge) to accept that there were at least two opportunities in The Australian Rules of Racing, under which Kooralbyn could have applied for REGISTRATION of the "Fun Day".

He also asserted that we could have continued to conduct our spelling business, and totally avoiding mention of the Permit. The Judge found in favor of RQ.

It seemed quite acceptable to the Court of Appeal Judges and RQ Barrister that the events on the day, held in a pot-holed paddock in the back-blocks of Kooralbyn, with no licensed horses, jockeys or trainers, and a club and track ineligible for licensing, could be held under the banner of a REGISTERED RACE MEETING!

We were forced to endure gagged silence in the back of the courtroom, shaking our heads in disbelief as this rubbish poured from the mouth of a man (who to us appeared to be) totally ignorant to anything to do with horses or horse racing, apart from THE RULES.

We are honest, hard-working Aussie battlers and at the age of 63, have lost everything we have ever worked for!!! After losing our home and property, hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and all accumulated superannuation, we are now facing bankruptcy in light of the recent Order to pay the legal costs of the very mongrels who have made our lives hell for fifteen long years.

What did we ever do that was wrong??

Does the Act not have superiority over the rules?

The recent Court decision has served to keep the precious IMMUNITY of Racing Queensland intact, but there was no justice!

Could someone please explain how our attendance at a perfectly legal "Fun Day" (as determined by the Court in 1999), could be twisted into an outcome where we are not compensated for the unlawful actions against, but instead are ordered to pay their legal costs?

This battle is far from over. We have done NOTHING wrong and yet our lives have been ruined. All we ever wanted was what we had before this all started.’

AND THE RECENT RESPONSE FROM PETER McGAURAN

‘Dear Debbie

It is impossible to read your story without incredulity and deep sadness that such a trivial issue could have such devastating outcomes. Nothing you did or didn't do at the Kooralbyn Combined Sports Day in 1998 justifies the financial and emotional price you have paid.

Just how much of the responsibility for the tragic history of this matter is attributable to errors of judgments on your part or to over-zealous officialdom at Racing Queensland I don't know, and frankly am not concerned to decide given that the hands of time can't be turned back.

Instead, I am more keen to see you supported in the present day in whatever way possible.

I don't pretend that you can be restored to the position you were in before that fatal day in June, 1998, but there should be avenues we can pursue to alleviate the legal costs you are facing.

The problem for a racing administrator such as me or anyone else for that matter is that we have a judgment by the Supreme Court of Appeal. No-one is going to argue with that even though you believe it was a wrongful decision.

That may be so on the broader grounds of justice, but courts exist to interpret laws, regulations and rules not to dispense justice on an individual or subjective basis. Your legal advisers should have made this abundantly clear to you before you embarked on the high risk strategy of court action.

As I say, I cannot right the wrongs and mistakes of the past, but I can try to bring a close to this long running saga which has taken so much from you. To this end I will make representations on your behalf to Racing Queensland.

I will be in contact as soon as possible.’

PETER McGAURAN IS DOING THE JOB THAT THE QLD RACING MINISTER SHOULD BE

EDITOR’S NOTE: WHAT a wonderful and encouraging response that so precisely sums up the situation confronting Steve and Deb.

It promises no more than Peter McGauran can deliver but at least he is going to make representations on their behalf – something no-one in a position of authority in racing in Queensland was prepared to do.

We continue to pose the question: Does Steve Hogno deserve to pay such a high price for doing nothing wrong.

And why did the QR stewards of the day for some strange reason target him? It would be interesting to know. But back then there were political agendas.

Hogno attended a fun ‘sports’ day – nothing different to what has happened on the beach at Mackay in more recent times where champion jockey Corey Brown was the ambassador last year and Damien Oliver will step into those shoes this year.

But the pleas of Hogno for help to offset the costs that have bankrupted him and destroyed his life continue to fall on deaf ears. The politicians and the racing officials, it seems, want nothing to do with him. It’s in the ‘too hard’ basket.

We understand that Steve and Deb were at least granted an audience with Jim O’Sullivan the new RQ Integrity Commissioner. He was Police Commissioner when the Kooralbyn ‘fun’ day was licensed.

Whilst we are told that Mr O’Sullivan is sympathetic of the Hogno case his hands are tied because the Racing and Betting Act is quite ‘specific’ in declaring that the Racing Integrity Commissioner cannot intervene in a matter that has been dealt with by the courts.

It’s rather convenient for racing ‘officialdom’ in Queensland to now quote the ‘Act’ when throughout these unbelievable proceedings against Hogno it was totally ignored in favor of the archaic Rules of Racing, which in this case have subsequently been changed.

The original Supreme Court of Appeal reasons for judgment stated that the intention of Section 135 of the ‘Act’ (under which the Permit was issued) was ‘to free the Permit holder and participants from any obligations which the Act OR THE RULES THEREUNDER otherwise impose.’

That would suggest the ‘Act’ created the Permit. The ‘Act’ (S12) also created the control bodies that create the rules. Isn’t this a case of the tail wagging the dog?

There is a solution – but it needs the co-operation of RQ – and perhaps that is where Peter McGauran can succeed in the negotiation process.

We all realize how important industry money is but considering how much has been wasted by RQ over the years surely they could consider wiping the legal bill of $400,000 or at least reducing it as an act of good faith considering the action taken by stewards 14 years ago was considered illegal by the courts.

TELEVISION NETWORKS CONTINUE TO DICTATE WHAT HAPPENS WITH RACE TIME-SLOTS

CHANGES to timing for some of the feature races in Melbourne during the spring prompted this response from AL of SYDNEY:

‘WHAT a disgraceful state of affairs racing has reached when a television network can influence or dictate the starting times of big races.

It would be a different state of affairs if the punters and the public could not view these races on the dedicated racing channels such as SKY and TVN.

Instead we have the Seven network, now racing’s sole free-to-air broadcaster, insisting that the main races run by the Melbourne Racing Club – the Caulfield Guineas and Caulfield Cup – be programmed at 5.45pm as a lead-in to their 6pm news bulletin.

What a farce!

The Moonee Valley Racing Club has been working toward this situation with the Cox Plate in recent years – again a decision made for television.

At least – for now – the Melbourne Cup retains its traditional time-slot. But how long will it be before Channel 7 tells the Victoria Racing Club that the race that stops the nation will be held at a time to suit the free-to-air television network?’

EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s disappointing to see television dictating feature race times but that already happens with SKY deciding what times races are run every Saturday when this should be done by the racing authorities. I have no problem with the main race being run last – in fact I think it helps build the momentum and keeps the crowds at the track on big days. Perhaps what they could do with the Melbourne Cup is make it later in the day – rather than the last race on the card. Queensland wouldn’t want to see the time changed. Being out of step on the daylight savings issue it is run during the lunch break in the Sunshine State but that’s another story.

Here’s the story concerning the timeslot changes for the big races by PATRICK BARTLEY in THE AGE:

AUSTRALIA’S greatest horse race, the Melbourne Cup, will retain its mid-afternoon starting time despite the fact that two of the nation's other most important spring races, the Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate, are being moved to the final race on the program.

Group 1 events the $1 million Manikato Stakes and the Caulfield Guineas will also be the final race of the day.

Victoria Racing Club chief executive David Courtney confirmed that the starting time for the Melbourne Cup would remain at 3pm.

''A range of factors are considered when determining the race schedule for Melbourne Cup Day, including major event logistics with over 100,000 patrons on course, the race-day entertainment experience for hospitality partners and their guests, international time zones and local and international media commitments,'' Courtney said

In contrast Moonee Valley will stage every group 1 race as its closing event in future. Moonee Valley Racing Club chief executive Michael Browell said that Moonee Valley had been working towards such an outcome for some time; the Cox Plate has been run late in the day for the past three years.

''We have always wanted to have the Cox Plate run at the end of the afternoon and this year it will be run at 5.40,'' Browell said.

''And the race meeting on the night before the Cox Plate will see the Manikato Stakes go off as the final race as well. And in the future all group 1 races will be scheduled for the last race.''

It's understood that the Seven Network, which is racing's sole free-to-air broadcaster, insisted that the Melbourne Racing Club's two main group 1 races, the Caulfield Guineas and the Caulfield Cup, which are run on successive weeks, be staged at 5.45pm as a lead-in to its news bulletin at 6pm.

MRC chairman Mike Symons said the previous free-to-air provider, Channel Nine, was not interested in a late Caulfield Cup.

But Moonee Valley had a three-year deal with Nine and the broadcaster was happy to have the Cox Plate run as late as it wished.

Symons could face a backlash from owners and trainers because the Caulfield Cup will be the 30th race in seven days to be held on the track. The club could be leaving itself open for major problems if Victoria has a wet October.

STORY GOES TOP RACING IDENTITY NOT KEEN ON HIS DAUGHTER DATING A STEWARD

WE received an interesting e-mail (but are not prepared to use names) about a prominent Australian racing identity who, over the years, has milked his friendship with stewards for all it is worth.

It seems he wasn’t quite as keen to see his daughter enter into a relationship of the not so platonic variety and, according to our sources, worked hard behind the scenes to discourage the dalliance.

In a perfect scenario of ‘do as I say, not as I do,’ a young steward was left on the launch pad and we are reliably informed that he is now looking to quit racing and head to a new career on the other side of the country.

Our e-mailer suggests that perhaps the dad in question would have been happier had his daughter found a more high profile racing man to date.

‘OBE’ COPPED AN EYE-FULL ON HIS WAY TO THE RACING STATION

OUR good mate, Mark ‘The Ear’ Oberhardt, swears this story is true.

On his way into Racing Radio 4TAB in Brisbane last Saturday shortly after 5am Obe was driving through Newmarket when he saw and well dressed gentleman hoofing it along the side of the road.

Well he seemed to be well dressed – coat, shirt, tie, shoes and shocks – all that was missing were his pants and jocks.

As Obe slowed to get a better view of the well endowed early morning pedestrian the guy stopped and gave him what looked like a big wave.

Or perhaps he was thumbing a lift but we are assured he didn’t get one.

OLLIE KEEN TO KNOW IF THE CHIEF STIPE FROM VICTORIA WAS GOING TO VANUATU

OUR spy in Vanuatu informs us that champion jockey Damien Oliver – who will be the special guest of the club there during their annual race meeting shortly – only had one important question to ask about his visit.

Oliver, who will soon end his 10 month disqualification for betting on the winner of a race in which he rode a rival runner, won’t be riding in Vanuatu but was keen to know if Racing Victoria Chief Stewart Terry Bailey would be in attendance.

Bailey has been a regular visitor and has officiated in Vanuatu since the inaugural race meeting in 1986 but to answer Ollie’s question he won’t be there this year although planning to return for the 30^th anniversary in 2015.

For some reason the Vanuatu Race Club doesn’t use stewards from Racing NSW. Those officiating this year will be Queensland Deputy Daniel Aurisch and a member of the Bailey panel in Victoria in Heidi Lester.

‘THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAS SEEN THIS MUCH RAIN IN SYDNEY IS NOAH’

IT had to be the quote of the week from Racing NSW CEO Peter V’Landys when interviewed on Melbourne Radio about the wet track woes confronting racing in Sydney.

“It hasn’t stopped. The only person who has seen this much rain is Noah,” V’Landys told the Correct Weight panel on RSN.

“We have made a decision in NSW racing to stick to turf racing. We would have raced at the Kensington track (on Saturday) if it was up and running but it won’t be ready until September.”

V’landys reiterated his dislike for synthetic surfaces, adding: “I don’t think we have found one yet appropriate for all conditions. The participants don’t want them and nor do the punters.”

Chief Steward Ray Murrihy was not in the mood for any bagging of the wet track difficulties confronting Sydney racing by Matt Stewart when he spoke to RSN.

“This isn’t a Melbourne versus Sydney issue,” the ‘Marshall’ snapped. “I would put our tracks at Canterbury and Rosehill up against yours any time.”

Some of our e-mailers agree, especially with the track bias that Moonee Valley continues to display and even some of the top trainers, including Peter Moody, have been far from complimentary about the inner section down the straight at Flemington recently.

MORE ACTION THAN A HEMINGWAY NOVEL IF O’BRIEN AND BAILEY CROSS SWORDS AGAIN

Could Ernest Hemingway write Irish master trainer Aidan O'Brien back into the Melbourne Spring Carnival script?

That is the question that was posed this week by MICHAEL LYNCH in THE AGE.

The Tipperary-based horseman has given Victoria the cold shoulder for the past five years, ever since he fell foul of local chief steward Terry Bailey after the latter recalled O'Brien to Flemington for a grilling hours after the Melboune Cup had been run and won following the disappointing performances of his trio of raiders - Septimus, Alessandro Volta and Honolulu - in 2008.

But his four-year-old galloper Ernest Hemingway, an easy five-length winner of the Group 3 Curragh Cup over 2800 metres on Sunday at the headquarters of Irish racing, could be just the sort of horse to end the Coolmore trainer's exile if he was minded to make the long trip to Melbourne once again.

The son of Galileo was having only his sixth start in a race and his first over an extended trip when he careered away with the Euro 62,500 prize, winning by five lengths from a previous Irish St Leger winner Royal Diamond, with Dermot Weld's promising mare Voleuse De Coeurs - who had been touted as a potential Cup candidate herself - back in third spot.

O'Brien agreed that the lightly raced coltm who showed a terrific turn of foot to go clear inside the final furlong, might be an ideal sort of candidate for the Flemington race, but stopped short of saying the $6 million staying test was on his radar.

END OF AN ERA AT EAGLE FARM WITH BILL SEXTON BOWING OUT AS DIRECTOR

BRISBANE Racing Club Chairman, Neville Bell, has announced that long serving director Bill Sexton will retire at the end of this month.

“Bill Sexton has made an invaluable contribution to racing in Queensland and his 35 years of racing knowledge and sterling contribution to the industry will be sorely missed,” Bell said.

“In that time Bill has served as a Director and Chairman of both the Queensland Turf Club (QTC) and Brisbane Racing Club.

“Bill was Chairman of the QTC at the time of the merger with the Brisbane Turf Club to form the Brisbane Racing Club. I am sure BRC members and all racing participants will join me in wishing Bill all the best for the future.”

Sexton said: “I have made many wonderful friends in racing and look forward very much to the future of BRC and in particular the developments planned for Doomben and Eagle Farm racecourses.”

As a result of Sexton’s resignation the Board has resolved to appoint a casual vacancy to the Board of Directors. Expressions of interest for this vacancy should be addressed to the Company Secretary, Andrew Moore, and received by no later than close of business on Friday 12 July 2013.

BETTING RINGS STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE AS BRITISH PUNTERS HEAD OFF-COURSE

THE Racing Post reports that statistics recently released by the Gambling Commission have confirmed the anecdotal evidence of the parlous state of Britain’s betting rings.

The commission’s gambling statistics for the year from October 2011 to September 2012 showed a fall in on-course betting’s gross gambling yield (GGY), the amount retained by bookmakers before costs, of nearly 23.5 per cent to £18.39 million, down from £23.47m in March 2010. Turnover fell by just over 15 per cent to £240.37m from £282.99m.

On-course bookmakers have called for action to be taken to revive the betting ring, on which the robustness of the starting price mechanism depends.

Robin Grossmith, chairman of the Rails Bookmakers Association and a director of the Federation of Racecourse Bookmakers, said: “Obviously it’s a worrying time for us. The new deal we did with the racecourses last year means we’ve had rent increases, and we’ve had marketing fees put up on us. So our expenses have gone up and our turnover is going down.

“You don’t need the brains of Lloyd George to work out where it will all end up unless something is done about it.”

Grossmith pointed out the on-course industry was looking at ways to reverse the decline. He said: “What we need to do as an industry is to reinvent ourselves and re-market ourselves to a new generation of punters coming along. This is something we have got in mind at the moment, to offer a better service than we do now.

“The younger crowd are not really au fait with us – they are a bit frightened to approach us. We’ve got to make ourselves more customer friendly. We’ve got to tell them what we offer and the value they are getting.”

He added: “We can’t do this on our own – we need the racecourses to help us and to be more realistic with their pricing structures. Working with racecourses, I’m pretty sure we can turn this around. I’m not as negative as some are for the future, but it’s going to take an awful lot of hard work and effort.”

There were falls in off-course betting on horses as well over the same period with turnover down 5.1 per cent to £5.162 billion and GGY down 11.6 per cent to £679m, although it still remained by far the most popular betting medium.

The commission’s statistics showed that during the period from October 2011 to September 2012 , the British gambling industry had GGY of £6.2bn, of which the non-remote betting sector had a 50 per cent share.

On March 31 this year William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral and Betfred accounted for 85 per cent of the 9,112 betting shops in Britain, a fall of 16 shops on the previous year.

Controversial category B2 gaming machines in betting shops had actually fallen from March 2010 to September 2012 by 319 to 33,319.

However, their GGY had increased by 29.7 per cent to £1.513bn. The GGY from all categories of machines of £1.515bn was more than from over-the-counter betting of £1.44bn.

CHAMPION HONG KONG TRAINER COULD HAVE STARTER IN MELBOURNE CUP

HONG KONG-based trainer Tony Cruz is thinking long term about the 2014 Group 1 Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) with his exciting staying prospect Willie Cazals.

DANNY MATTHEWS reports on the Racing Victoria website that Cruz, a champion trainer and, in his time, a champion jockey in the Asian racing hub, has had in his care the likes of Silent Witness – who won all of his first 17 starts and was twice Hong Kong Horse of the Year – and Group 1 Hong Kong Mile winner Lucky Owners.

Willie Cazals, by the American sire Aussie Rules out of the Irish mare Secrete Marina, began his racing career in Italy and achieved Listed race success twice in his first three starts.

The now five-year-old gelding defeated Sneak A Peek, currently trained by Peter Moody, by five lengths in the Listed Premio Merano (2000m) in 2011 before moving to Cruz's yard.

“He had a core lesion injury last year and he has come back well but we are going to stick to the Hong Kong program and look to the Melbourne Cup in 2014,” said Cruz who currently sits second in the Hong Kong trainers premiership with 62 winners.

Having had only seven career starts to date, Cruz is keen for Willie Cazals to conquer the local scene before heading abroad.

“First he needs to prove himself in Hong Kong. Our local program is very important and he can win some very good prize money”, Cruz said of the gelding who finished a last start second to stablemate California Memory in the Group 1 Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) at Sha Tin.

“If he is successful (in Hong Kong in the 2013/14 season) then he will come, that’s for sure.”

Four-time Group 1 winner California Memory was eligible for a full subsidy of travel expenses to Melbourne for the Group 1 Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) in October, courtesy of the Moonee Valley Racing Club, but Cruz has decided not to accept the lucrative invitation.

“California Memory will stick to the Hong Kong races as he is not a sound horse”, Cruz explained of the constant foot issues that have delivered consistent training challenges.

“Last year we tried running him in Singapore and Dubai but the horse pulled up sore so it is too risky to travel with him.”

As for shooting for a first and successful attempt at Australian feature racing, hopefully it all falls into place for Tony Cruz in 2014.

If that does happen, he believes that “Willie Cazals will probably be the one”.

BIG CHRISTIAN TIES THE KNOT IN PRAGUE AT THE WEEKEND

FORMER SKY Channel producer, Christian Letford, had plenty of good mates during his time in Brisbane and they will be pleased to learn that he got married in Europe at the weekend.

Christian, who now works with the ABC in Canberra, wed his lovely Austrian bridge Natasha, in Prague. The couple hopes to eventually settle in Brisbane.

SIX PART SERIES ON DRUGS IN HORSE RACING IN THE U.S. IS A MUST READ

THE Thoroughbred Daily News in the United States has attracted plenty of praise for its six-part series on drugs in horse racing that has just concluded.

If you haven’t read the entire series, do yourself a favor and visit the TDN’s website and catch up on this comprehensive, eye-opening volume of information.

Horse racing is not unique in having to fight drug wars.

Other sports in recent decades have been plagued with bad publicity over the use of performance-enhancing substances by individuals who, for whatever reason, feel they have to get an edge.

Track and field had its Ben Johnson and Marion Jones scandals spanning 20 years from 1988 to 2008, with many other Olympic athletes brought down by enhancements in drug testing or investigations into cheating. That sport appears to be cleaner today than it has been in decades.

The Tour de France, which American Lance Armstrong dominated for an unprecedented seven years, was saturated with stories of mysterious sudden deaths of otherwise healthy young men, team doctors with pharmacological degrees and sketchy backgrounds, and allegations of widespread doping. That sport reached such depths of dishonesty that the governing body couldn’t find clean riders to give the vacated titles to once Armstrong’s seemingly impenetrable defenses were disarmed last year.

Then there’s Major League Baseball, where a century of tradition was destroyed by a decade of deceit. Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriquez all injected excitement into the game with their home run prowess, but it turns out their performances all were enhanced through modern science. That scandal, despite the best efforts of Commissioner Bud Selig, is still playing out, as a number of players – including Rodriguez again – currently are under investigation for cheating.

Horse racing, it seems, has always been accused of having an underbelly of unseemly conduct when it comes to drugs. Yet in some ways it has been ahead of the curve in at least giving the impression that the sport is being policed properly.

The TDN series – along with previous reporting by Joe Drape and Walt Bogdanich in the New York Times – peeled off several layers of that onion. Some major racing states are relying on antiquated testing equipment and others are not devoting enough resources to standard post-race drug screening. Enhanced security procedures, out-of-competition testing, and drug research are not even in the vocabulary of most state racing commissions or the labs with which they do business.

Racing has its own version of the steroids-fueled home run race or the blood-doping tainted competitions in Olympic sports and cycling. Perhaps several.

The milkshaking era, which ran from the early 1990s until the mid-2000s, has finally been reined in – for the most part – through TCO2 testing that measures the amount of total carbon dioxide in blood. We’ll never know how many Kentucky Derby winners or Grade 1 winners were milkshaked during that period. Though illegal in most states – Kentucky and Louisiana were the last two jurisdictions to ban them, in 1999 – testing didn’t begin until around 2005, years after the Standardbred industry had begun testing on this type of cheating. A cynic might say the playing field was level during those years if everyone was cheating – which would put horse racing on par with cycling.

Equally perplexing was the longstanding permitted use of anabolic steroids until 2008, when trainer Rick Dutrow did the sport a favor by spilling the beans about the steroid regimen he followed for Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown. That drug was banned after a Congressional hearing into the matter.

The most recent scandal involved dermorphin, an insidious peptide painkiller originally derived from Amazon tree frogs but produced by dubious compounding pharmacies that operate outside of regulatory agencies. While mostly confined to Quarter horse racing, the so-called frog juice migrated to Thoroughbred tracks, just as other illegal, performance- enhancing substances have done in recent decades.

Horse racing can ill-afford many more of these scandals.

The TDN series didn’t offer a single solution to our sport’s problems, but outlining the challenges and focusing on areas of progress should give us a better idea of a path forward.

If you haven’t done so already, put it on your summer reading list.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the above e-mails should not be interpreted as those of JOHN LINGARD, the owner-editor of the letsgohorseracing web-site. That is why he has added an ‘EDITOR’S NOTE’. Every endeavor is made to verify the authenticity of contributors. We welcome any reasonable and constructive responses from parties or individuals.

Details: Published: 25 June 2013

OUR apologies for the absence of the Wednesday Whinge last week but fate intervened and it was beyond our control. The Editor is back on the road to recovery – after heart surgery (just when many thought he didn’t have one) – with thanks to the doctors and nursing staff at the Holy Spirit Hospital in Brisbane who are simply the best. Enough on that and back to business where the Whinge topics are highlighted this week by criticism of the findings by Victorian Integrity Commissioner Sal Perna tabled in Parliament yesterday concerning the Damien Oliver betting scandal. There are a host of other topics that make interesting reading – including some that missed out last week – with the focus on our theme of THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY news of the past week in OZ racing.

Details: Published: 11 June 2013

THE e-mail bag covers a wide range of topics again this week with Brisbane bookmakers copping a real bagging over their Stradbroke day percentages and questions being asked why RQ betting stewards didn’t intervene. Some e-mailers attacked Nathan Tinkler over his dispersal sale which has been described as a ‘circus.’ There were interesting e-mails on Eddie Hayson, Chris Waller, Damien Browne, Patrick Cooper and others. As usual it all provided plenty of content for our focus theme of THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY news of the past week in OZ racing.