WHAT ODDS BOWMAN SERVES OUT 20 DAY SUSPENSION AFTER APPEAL?

RACING NSW Stewards have been applauded by punters for taking action against Hugh Bowman over his ride on Farnan in last Saturday’s Run To the Rose at Rosehill but are concerned a ‘tricky’ lawyer will get him out on appeal.

Many punters and a growing number of stakeholders are becoming incensed that smart lawyers with knowledge of loop-holes in the Rules of Racing are succeeding at the appeals level.

If you were a bookie betting on the outcome of the Bowman appeal – assessing the recent form of the Appeals Body – Bowman is a certainty to get a reduced sentence which would be another slap in the face for punters and lack of respect for the action taken by stewards.

Champion jockey Bowman will fight to clear his name after being suspended for 20 days by Racing NSW stewards on a running and handling charge for going too quick on Farnan in the Run To the Rose.

CHRIS ROOTS reports for FAIRFAX MEDIA that after a two-hour hearing on Thursday, Bowman was found guilty of not having taken all reasonable and permissible measures to ensure Farnan, the Golden Slipper winner, gained his best placing in the Run To The Rose, where he faded to run fifth. He was beaten by 3¾ lengths by Rothfire.

Bowman had never previously faced the serious charge in a riding career of more than 20 years and immediately appealed. As it stands, he would be suspended after Golden Rose day on September 26 and be back for Everest day on October 17.

He told stewards Farnan had surprised him by not relaxing the way he had in his races as a two-year-old. Bowman was full of confidence going into the Group 2, but admitted he “didn’t want to be going as quick” as he did through the first half of the race. In hindsight, he questioned if Farnan could have won the race.

"He probably wouldn't have beaten Rothfire in all seriousness but had he come back a length and relaxed for me, it wouldn't have looked so bad," Bowman said.

“I needed him to help me and he didn’t.”

If I start to fight him to slow him down, it's not going to help him finish the race off.

A review of the betting found nothing untoward despite Farnan blowing late to start the $2.40 favourite. It was mainly due to "unlimited money" for North Pacific, which was backed into $4 after a series of bets, including wagers of $50,000, $10,000 and $5000.

The stewards listed three particulars in the charge. They found Bowman erred when he was aggressive to cross Rothfire in the early part of the race, saying they believed it was more reasonable to hold a spot to the outside of the Queenslander.

They also believed Bowman should have made more of an attempt to restrain Farnan between the 900m and 500m mark, where a free-going colt opened a five-length break.

The final particular was he should have been more conservative in his riding between the 500m and 300m mark after setting a fast tempo when he allowed Farnan to maintain his momentum.

Stewards used Daily Sectionals data to show he had gone 6.1 lengths faster than standard in the first 400m. That had quickened to 6.7 lengths between the 800m and 400m mark.

Bowman, who on his first day back after a six-week suspension for causing a fall in July, said he was concerned about the speed Farnan had gone by the 600m.

“The damage is done by then,” he said. "If I start to fight him to slow him down, it's not going to help him finish the race off.

“What can’t be determined, despite all the mathematical geniuses, is how the horse was travelling underneath me.”

Deputy Chief Steward Wade Birch asked Bowman why he had not been more severe in his efforts to restrain Farnan after taking the lead.

“I would have been in a fight with him if I did that and that’s why I didn’t do it, and I don’t do that ever,” Bowman said.

The appeal has to be heard next week so will take place on Thursday or Friday. The Adam Hyeronimus appeal against a betting disqualification is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

 

 

NOTHING SEEMS TO BE GOING RIGHT FOR VANDYKE SINCE QRIC VISIT

Compliments of ARCHIE BUTTERFLY who now operates a subscriber only website www.peterprofit.com but will continue to give you a taste of his postings (free of charge) at letsgohorseracing:

POOR old David Vandyke.

Nothing has gone right for him since the QRIC team bowled up at his stables for a surprise visit early last week, and his wretched run of misfortune continued on Wednesday at Eagle Farm when a couple of second placings and a curious late scratching stretched his losing streak to eight on end, the worst it’s been in months.

It was a tale of woe from go to whoa.

First Chauffeur, Dick’s former Darren Weir trained straight six winner at Flemington, came out at $1.70 and ,after looking the winner at the 200, had a heartlige and stopped, and got shellacked by the consistent but ageing Dittmas, who had never won over further than 1200 metres before in its life.

Then his former Sydney galloper Cloak blew out the door from $1.60 early to as much as $2.35 in some places before getting trounced by the heavily backed second horse Reckless Choice, who came from behind Dick’s boy and gave him windburn.

And then to top it all off Dick’s lightly raced and highly-promising four-year-old McCovey’s Cove – sort of the Boatie McBoatie of racehorses – had to be scratched from the last race after …. something. (EDITOR’S NOTE: There was a report on SKY that it had been sold to Hong Kong interests which might get through to the local chairman of stipes via his old mates in Singapore within a week or two).

Usually the Stewards tell you the reason they permit a horse to be late scratched, just as they did earlier in the day with small-time trainer Beau Gorman’s runner that had to be withdrawn after his float broke down, but in this case the only reason listed for Dick’s horse’s withdrawal was because he asked.

That’s a bit odd given the strict rules around pulling horses out after the 7.00am scratching deadline has passed, but as we saw with Alligator Blood when it was withdrawn from the race in Sydney at the last minute last year, when it comes to Vandyke it seems the usual rules don’t apply.

It’s mighty odd that the Stewards didn’t see fit to write McCovey’s Cove down as an official late scratching though, real strange indeed.

I guess that might have meant that Dick would have to provide a proper reason for his request to haul it out, and have to provide a medical certificate prior to it running again, and we can’t have that can we?

Anyway, hopefully the poor old bugger, remembered by most punters for his forgettable Elephant Juicing days, will have a little bit more luck next time around.

I’m sure he will.

After all, we can’t have his strike rate dipping under 40%.

It just wouldn’t be right, would it?

 

 

AN INTEGRAL PART OF DOING THE FORM IN BRISBANE THESE DAYS

MARK of the GOLD COAST posed an interesting question in the hours leading up to today's race meeting at EAGLE FARM:

DOES anyone know if QRIC has been to the VAN DYKE stables today?

It's an integral part of doing the form for Brisbane these days.

His runners were all very soft on BETFAIR after the snap visit from QRIC last Saturday and ran accordingly?

EDITOR'S NOTE: WE don't have long to wait MARK - time will tell! 

 

DOES THE LNP PLAN TO DISMANTLE QRIC & REPLACE IT WITH THE ‘OLD BOYS’ BRIGADE WHERE ANYTHING GOES IN RQ INTEGRITY?

WHERE does the LNP stand on the future of the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission and the embarrassing appeals system under the current QCAT format?

Labor made its future policy clear at an Industry Forum attended by representatives of the three codes in Brisbane on Tuesday but there was no indication whether the LNP was even in attendance.

The LNP needs to clear the air on whether it intends to dismantle QRIC and return to an era where the ‘good old boys’ of the integrity ranks regain control in what punters fear will be open slather for those prepared to risk bending the Rules.

Will QRIC be the first racing casualty of a new Government – based on costs? Will we see a return to the days when the Fine Cotton ring-in occurred or during the LNP Hinze era where friends of ‘Big Russ’ were protected species at the gallops and trots.

The Labor Government has made an election commitment to establish a new appeals body as it sets about trying to fix the Queensland’s much-maligned and drawn-out appeals system.

The Courier-Mail reports that the QRIC’s controversial Internal Review will be abolished to make way for a specialist appeals body.

It follows a call for Racing Integrity Act review submissions by Racing Minister Stirling Hinchliffe last year on ways to improve the integrity system, which has been criticised for being too slow and having too many loopholes for participants to “play on” while a case waits to be determined by QCAT, which can take more than a year to reach an outcome.

“A re-elected Government would set up a racing appeals panel within QRIC (to) replace the internal reviewer role,” Hinchliffe said.

“It will comprise a Chair and a panel of experts across the three codes and be able to be convened regularly to review any stewards’ decisions.

“The other element we will progress is some changes that will close the loophole around stays being granted by QCAT.

“We will legislate so that applications for stays for certain decisions will not be permitted.”

“By not permitting those stays of certain offences it will go a long way to address the concerns the industry holds about those small number of participants gaming the system and putting the integrity of the whole industry into a situation which has been questionable,” he said.

The Courier-Mail rightly reported that with the integrity arm of racing separated from the commercial side four years ago, many industry participants remain frustrated that Racing Queensland and QRIC still haven’t been able to complete a seamless transition.

QRIC Commissioner Ross Barnett has promised ‘appropriate people’ will be appointed to the new Internal Panel to be chaired by a person with racing and legal knowledge of the sport. Appeals would be held weekly and there would be no guarantee of a stay of proceedings on a range of offences.

There are also moves afoot to ensure QCAT Members hearing appeals have an appropriate knowledge of racing and aren’t bamboozled by smart lawyers which has seen some ‘bonehead’ decisions.

That’s what Labor plans to do. Don’t count on the LNP following their lead. History has shown there are two sets of rules applied to racing when the ‘goat riders’ are in power – which sadly in the past has led to a ‘protected’ species.

It’s time for the Shadow Minister John Paul Langbroek to reveal the LNP Racing Policy and give some assurances on the future of QRIC and that changes will be made to the QCAT system. The last thing the industry needs is for Queensland to look like a haven for every low life grub who thinks he can bend the racing rules to suit himself.

 

JAPANESE APPRENTICE – NOW A STAR IN NZ – WAS REJECTED BY RQ

GREG BLANCHARD, of Nudgee, continues his fight for apprentice jockeys in Queensland – perhaps he should ask the LNP what they would do to change the current system:

‘I am sending you this story to again highlight the lost opportunities for Racing Queensland.

About five or so years ago I met a Japanese lad at Doomben racecourse and I noticed he kept coming out to the races.

I took him to the Deagon picnic races were RQ had a stall and mechanical horse. The photo attached is the first time Kozzi ever sat on any horse.

One day I said to him: Would you like to work with horses. He said yes. I asked (Sunshine Coast trainer) Jack Duncan who took him on.

Fast forward, as RQ still could not take overseas kids into their Apprentice School though promises had been made for a few years and I contacted Mathew Barnsley at NZ Racing who I had previously spoken to about Korean lad Alex Shin, who went to NZ and became an apprentice.

Here we are today 2020 and the promise of getting overseas kids is no further advanced in Queensland who are still providing ‘ho hum’ excuses. Excuse me if I am a bit cynical.

But may I say how proud I am, as are Jack and Megan Duncan, after Kozzi was crowned Champion NZ Apprentice and runner-up to Lisa Allpress in the overall premership.

New Zealand does it so well and Kozzi won’t be the last boy I’ll send over there.

While this is happening, horses are still being scratched in the bush because there are no riders available – more lost opportunities.’ 

       

 

IS SYDNEY RACING ON THE NOSE & WHAT WILL THEY DO ABOUT IT?

By GODFREY SMITH

WHAT the hell is happening in Sydney racing?

Almost every major Saturday meeting in recent weeks a high profile jockey has slaughtered a heavily-backed favorite.

Stewards huff and puff and open inquiries but from a punters’ perspective give the offending parties nothing more than a hit over the hand with a wet lettuce leaf.

James Macdonald and Hugh Bowman are world class jockeys but have been the subject of rides on well fancied runners in recent weeks that punters argue could have been better ridden by inexperienced apprentices.

The latest occurred on Saturday and involved the Golden Slipper winner Farnan who took control of Bowman at his comeback run. The suicidal speed set by the Waterhouse-Bott trained three-year-old proved a mission impossible.

All the excuses in the world don’t explain why Farnan had never performed like this before. Punters expect the inquiry will fizzle out and no action will be taken. They are quickly losing confidence in betting on Sydney racing, especially on favourite.

 

AS USUAL PHIL PURSER WAS AHEAD OF HIS TIME ON WHIP ISSUE

WHEN website pioneer and all-round horse racing lover Phil Purser came out openly in support of banning the whip there was plenty of tut-tutting from some sections of the industry.

Purser, as usual, put his money where his mouth is and paid for advertising billboards to be erected besides major highways calling for whips to be banned in horse racing.

He had been advocating abolition of the whip for many years before seeing the need to make a stronger stance on the issue.

At the time he decided to start an awareness campaign with roadside billboards, Purser wrote: People need to understand that the history of our world is littered with stories of minority groups that rose from total obscurity to change the course of certain aspects of our daily life.

‘When men like successful businessman and six-time Melbourne Cup winning owner, Lloyd Williams, call for the whip to be banned in this country, one would reasonably think that he’s worth listening to.

‘We all have a front row seat to change this right now. The “followers” will do what they always do and look the other way – it’s easier that way. I won’t look the other way. I’ll do something constructive to try to right this wrong and leave the world a better place for the next generation of Earthlings.

‘There is no question that banning the whip will happen one day – so we may as well do it now - and get it over and done with. Why the hell is it the responsibility of the next generation to do something that we’ve had decades to resolve, but just haven’t quite got around to doing yet?

‘By banning the whip, the racing industry can move forward, instead of having to endure constantly declining attendances and betting turnover at big race meetings like the Melbourne Cup.

‘With no whip in sight, the under-30 demographic of today, who is the future of not only the racing industry, but also the entire nation, may enjoy a day out at the races without having to witness horses being hit with a whip.’

ALL of a sudden those who preferred to remain silent are starting to speak out about banning the whip. As usual Phil Purser was ahead of his time – yet another reason why the guy should be elevated to Racing Hall of Fame status.

 

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR IN RACING IN OPENING BORDERS

CLOSURE of the borders is a controversial issue leading into the State Election in Queensland and even some racing folk are getting involved in the protests.

One of those is Rob Heathcote, trainer of the State’s latest superstar Rothfire, a popular identity in the racing industry who doesn’t mind firing from the hip.

“On our number plates, they call Queensland the Smart State – its run by a bunch of dummies who only care about an election on October 31. Open the borders, this COVID lock down is stupid and shit,” Heathcote told Racenet.

That prompted a quick-fire response to the same website from BOB G who wrote:

Heathcote should stick to training horses. As for the borders the people in QLD agree with the Premier. As for Heathcote apparently he doesn't care how many people die. I suppose there is no interest like self-interest and Heathcote has plenty of that.”

Then the flood-gates opened to a mountain of support for Heathcote, similar to this from KATE in response to BOB G: ‘You sound as clueless and dumb as those clowns supposed to be running QLD, shame they can't think past an election and care about QLD, but of course that would be sensible.’  

 

‘GOD HELP QUEENSLAND RACING IF THE LNP WINS GOVERNMENT’

LGHR received an interesting email on a sidelight to the border issue from ALBERT W of REDCLIFFE, a one-time regular contributor who we haven’t heard from for a while, but are pleased to welcome back. It reads:

‘GOD help racing in Queensland if the LNP win Government. Not only will the State borders be removed but so will the integrity borders in racing.

‘QRIC will be the first victim, based on costs, when the real reason is they want a return to the bad old days when stewards ran the show and some of the worst offenders on the track were arguably protected species.

‘Just ask yourself who was in Government in Queensland when the worst things happened in racing in this State – and start with Fine Cotton and the Hinze era when it was a case of anything goes at the gallops and the ‘red hots’ where those close to Big Russ ran the show.

‘A return to the days as we were recently reminded by a friend on the Downs when racing writers ran messages from the jockeys’ room to the betting ring right under the noses of the stewards. The days phones in the media rooms at the major tracks were used to convey information and betting moves from criminals interstate.  

‘It will be borders down to racing in Queensland again under the LNP and every low life, criminal, no-hoper grub who can’t get a lifeline in the southern states will swarm across the border and be welcomed with open arms in the Sunshine State.

‘You won’t have situations where stables are being raided and trainers are being followed to tracks to make sure they don’t make little pit-stops or detours along the way.

‘Perhaps Rob Heathcote who was one of the biggest bleaters about the Currie stable should think twice before he condemns the current Government. Labor has its faults too but nothing to rival the track record in racing of the LNP.’  

  
 

QRIC APPEALS ‘BONEHEAD DECISION’ ON BEN CURRIE ‘JIGGER’ CHARGES

CONTROVERSIAL 4BC Morning Show Host RAY HADLEY called the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal Member who handed down the decision a ‘bonehead’.

So did a lot of other racing stakeholders and now the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission has appealed the QCAT ruling that set aside the stewards’ decision of May last year that found former Toowoomba trainer Ben Currie guilty of jigger charges. This had been confirmed by an Internal Review.

Stewards found Currie guilty of engaging in an improper action following an investigation into text messages relating to the intention to use an electronic apparatus capable of affecting the performance of two horses.

On 20 August 2020 QCAT accepted Currie’s appeal and ruled that he did not breach AR175(a) setting aside the June 2019 internal review.

The Commission has appealed the decision to the QCAT Appeals Tribunal.

Their move has been applauded by many racing stakeholders and members of the racing public who feel if the QCAT Member’s ruling is not overturned the sport in Queensland will continue to be a laughing stock in the eyes of the national racing industry.

 

 

 

QRIC PUTS ‘TRICKY DICKY’ UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT & HE COMES UP WITH ZERO WINNERS - SAVED THE OWNER EMPLOYING MEN IN BLACK

by ARCHIE BUTTERFLY, a story you didn't read from the 'Dream Team' in the NEWS Bureau

GEE poor old David Vandyke had a Barry Crocker of a weekend didn’t he?

It was crook from the get go, when half a dozen serious looking QRIC types bowled in uninvited before the crack of dawn to have a yarn, and then decided to hang around all morning and watch the play.

It’s a bit hard to encourage your spiritual horses to run faster through yoga, meditation, chanting and aromatherapy sessions when there are a whole bunch of badge sporting ruffians hanging around the place isn’t it?

They must have been on overtime these QRIC folk too, for I even hear that they followed the young buck’s trucks all the way down the highway, onto the Gateway Motorway and to the track, which was very nice of them I thought, because the taxpayer picking up the security tab relieved Allo Allo Endresz of the burden of paying for the men in black, or being sent an invoice anyway.

The announced visit from the hep QRIC cats must have upset some of DVD’s spiritual dogs and set them off barking, which in turn frightened the horses and affected their performance on Saturday and Sunday too, for poor old Dick wasn’t able to take a trick.

Six losers in a row is hardly a run of outs by the trainer’s standard, but our adopted Queensland pride and joy is no ordinary boy. This prodigal son was the number 1 training gun in the whole land, who – until the weekend – was kicking home a winner every two starters.

He was out of luck this weekend though, and the whole racing industry is in mourning for the loss of his 50% winning strike rate, and the reduction of his winner to placed runner percentage to just 77.8%, well below what we’ve come to recently expect from the trainer of spiritual horses who encourages them to run faster by quoting the dead Latin poet whose ovaries that need to be dealt to with Altrenogest are named after.

I wouldn’t get too down if I was DVD though, for there are far worse things in life than leading in half a dozen losers.

Things like finding surveillance cameras and bugs that your new friends have left behind in little nooks and crannies in your truck and in your stable.

Anyone know the Latin for don’t you worry about that?

 

MELHAM FREE TO RIDE THROUGH SPRING AFTER HEARING POSTPONED

GROUP 1-winning jockey Ben Melham will be free to ride through the spring carnival and in this year's Melbourne Cup after his hearing into betting-related charges was again postponed.

DAMIEN RACTLIFFE reports for FAIRFAX MEDIA that a three-day hearing in the County Court, scheduled to start on September 21, was set aside on Thursday by the Victorian Racing Tribunal due to a backlog of cases caused by COVID-19.

Barrister John Kelly SC, representing Melham who is challenging all seven betting-related charges, told the VRT chairman Judge John Bowman that if October 26 was the next available date at the County Court for the matter to be heard, it made more sense for the hearing to be scheduled for mid-November so Melham could focus on riding during the busiest period of the year.

Barrister Albert Dinelli, on behalf of Racing Victoria stewards, made it clear that stewards wanted the case heard as soon as possible, however the VRT registrar said October 26 would be the earliest opportunity to "get together and get an update" on when the County Court would be available for a three-day hearing.

Dates are still to be confirmed. It is likely that won't be until mid-November, leaving Melham free to ride in Melbourne's spring features, including the Cup on November 3.

Meanwhile, Dinelli said bets allegedly made by Melham on Singaporean races were against the Australian Rules of Racing.

"A jockey must not be or have any interest in a bet or facilitate a bet on any race," Dinelli said. "The words themselves simply say 'any race'.

"One of those responsibilities [as a jockey] is not to bet on any race, including one in Singapore.

"By having a bet on a race in Singapore, that itself is a breach of the prohibition in the relevant rules."

However, Kelly argued that the Australian Rules of Racing do not govern international races.

Ben Melham, winner of the 2017 Golden Slipper, is facing betting charges.Credit:Bradleyphotos.com.au

"If Mr Dinelli is right, Mr Melham is prohibited from taking his family on a holiday, walking through the betting ring at Epsom, the boundaries which isn't known to him, with his wife and children, up to the stands to watch the Derby. That can't be right.

"If that's not right it means there's a geographical limitation on the application of the rules.

"It would be logically absurd if [the rules] applied ... to international races in circumstances where there's nothing in the definition of a 'race' [in the rules]."

Judge Bowman said he would make a decision within the next week on whether jockeys betting in Singapore was against the rules of racing.

The group 1-winning jockey is facing seven charges in total including allegations he bet on horses he was booked to ride, as well as making 20 bets totalling $14,600 on thoroughbred races after initially depositing $3000 into his partner Karlie Dales' betting account at a hotel while he was out injured.

He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of two years if found guilty of betting on races he was directly involved in.

 

‘WHY DOES ARCHIE GO INTO BAT FOR EVERY LOW-LIFE IN RACING?’

LES SOLOMON of BRISBANE, obviously no fan of Archie Butterfly, goes on the attack in this email to LGHR:

‘WHY does your good mate Archie Butterfly go into bat for every low life character that should be punted from the racing industry?

Heading the list is his love child Ben Currie, then he tells us Danny Nikolic was wrongly accused as part of a vendetta by Terry Bailey and now he is kicking up for disgraced trainer Darren Weir.

To make matters worse he selectively attacks individuals like David Van Dyke, one of the finest trainers this country has seen and Wayne Innes, who has paid the price for his misdemeanours and is entitled to get on with his life.

Ask the question: Why is the Butterfly so close to Currie and who is their Melbourne connection? Big Ben is a little grub that should never be allowed to set foot on a racetrack anywhere let alone be granted a trainer’s licence.

Nikolic’s track record is well documented – that’s why no jurisdiction in the country wants a bar of him or his unruly behaviour – not to mention the alleged threats he made to stewards.

And Darren Weir is a disgrace to racing, tarnishing the image of the training fraternity through his alleged use of ‘jiggers’ – or for the sake of QCAT and Big Ben ‘harps’ – and should never be allowed onto a racetrack again.

As for Archie well he continues to sink to the depths of desperation in his crusade to save every crook in racing and wants to paint them as saints and let’s not go down the track of harness racing and his disgraceful attempt at character assassination of one of the best race-callers and finest harness administrators (not to mention a good bloke) in David Fowler.’

EDITOR’S NOTE: I don’t know what rock you’ve been living under Les but if it wasn’t for Archie Butterfly the worse side of racing and harness racing, especially in Queensland, would never have been exposed. Don’t count on your mate ‘Feathers’ to provide some constructive criticism. It seems, according to what 4BC’s Ray Hadley told us, that he was too busy building political fences for Albion Park with Racing Queensland and in the process trying to pinch the job of the best caller in Queensland, Josh Fleming. As for Ben Currie, I think racing would be better without the likes of him. And there is no place in racing for the alleged threats that Dan Nikolic made to Terry Bailey, in my opinion the best steward this country has ever produced. In the Darren Weir case the jury is still out.

 

ARCHIE RETURNS FIRE: ‘I DEFEND THE UNDER-DOGS IN RACING’

Dear Les Solomon (whoever you are)

To answer your questions, in order.

I do not go into bat for low-life’s at all. 

There are no bank robbers, murderers, convicted and jailed fraudsters and thieves, crooked cops who roll on their mates, people who steal from racing, rapists, folk who have had sex with teenage boys, trainers with dual convictions of hitting horses with the killer drug elephant juice, depraved junkies, or pedophile priests among those who I have written non-negative stories about.

I stick up for underdogs, people who have been treated unfairly - and in my view quite improperly - by the authorities, and folk who have been stitched up by coppers.

Why?

Because I hate injustice, because I respect the law even when it's an arse and I break it, believe in our system of justice and hold that it has to be applied fairly and properly to work, don't equate racing rule breaches with crimes, actually research the things I write about and know the facts and the relevant law backwards unlike you who just shoots from your arse, and again unlike you have actually met and spoken to these people I stick up for at length about the matters.

I can assure you that none of them fit into any category of low-life as I understand the term.

Oh, and because I got fitted up by the racing coppers too, and it gives me the shits. 

I ask questions of David Van Dyke's methods and success because I believe he is a cheat, and his long record of convictions supports my view. I also have a good deal of information gleaned from multiple sources to support my view, and intend writing about some of things I know.

As for Wayne Innes - whose wife you share a surname with, funny that, although appropriating my dad's for your alias ain't real funny - he is without any question a lowlife.

Twice jailed for fraud.

Ripped off Racing Queensland.

Robbed Eagle Boys.

Fleeced the Ipswich ratepayers.

Took drug money when a Kings Cross cop.

Sold drugs when a citizen.

Rolled over on his fellow coppers to save his own skin, and secure an indemnity and name suppression.

Rolled over on his co-conspirators in the Ipswich fraud.

Wore a police wire.

I reckon if you add them all up the sum total is a lowlife. A scumbag low-life.

But that's not why I attack Innes.

He threatened to harm me.

And then backed down when fronted.

I attack him because I like kicking grown-ups with hearts the size of small babies.

I am not that close to Ben Currie. I just started writing about him because what was happening to him was wrong, and the reporting of it in the media was skewed and hooked in his accusers favour. I got to know him along the way when I contacted him regularly for comment and interviewed him, found we had shared sporting and literary interests, and came to like the bloke. Simple as that.

I have no Melbourne connections other than my mate Melton Mick the now lawyer, who I met up here when he used to work on the bag for bookies in Queensland when I was frequenting every track in South-East Qld as a teen. We kept in touch when he went home, and remain firm friends.

Other than him, I don't have mates in Melbourne, and in fact have only been there 11 times in my entire life, on each occasion for either the Cup or for the Manikato/Cox Plate double, although in Media Puzzle's year I also fitted Melbourne Mick's wedding in on Sunday between Derby and Cup day.

Danny Nikolic's record is well documented, is eight years old, mainly comprises misdemeanours that occurred during a two year period in circumstances well documented, and contains nothing that would result in any other person in racing being prevented from being given their license back. I will remind you that Nikolic has ridden 39 Group 1 winners, so he must have been doing something right.

I am not sticking up for Darren Weir, and dare anyone to try to point out where I have? Quite to the contrary, I have written many articles over several years strongly criticising the man. 

What I am doing is twofold.

A - Sticking up for racing, by consistently arguing that racing rule breaches are not criminal offences.

B - Using my legal knowledge and skills to dissect a highly dubious, and hugely flawed, police prosecution. You just wait and see if I am wrong. You can have evens and get on for plenty, but as a supporter of Wayne Imnes I demand that you ante up front, and we can get Jim Murdoch QC to hold the pot for us.

As for your claim that David Fowler is a brilliant racing administrator?

Give us your address and I will send you a free calculator as a gift. 

You will need it to add up the Albion Park losses.

Cheerio Les

Good luck, happy gee ups, and have a winning day

 

 

 

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OUR service – all for the one price of $100 (you can start any Saturday from now on) will also take in major FRIDAY NIGHT racing, SUNDAY racing, FOUR BIG meetings of CUP week from FLEMINGTON, the PERTH CARNIVAL and HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL DAY in December.

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WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET 'WARNED OFF' IN QUEENSLAND RACING?

By ARCHIE BUTTERFLY

WAYNE Francis Innes was jailed last year for crimes that included defrauding Racing Queensland of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The man is a thief, and he has stolen huge sums of money from racing.

He also seduced Bill Shuck, a formerly well-respected racing man from a respectable long time racing family, into joining him in his crimes against out sport, and in doing so has destroyed Shuck’s reputation and his life, and blackened his name on race courses forever.

Innes was released from jail a couple of months ago, and is now serving the three years of his four year prison sentence that was suspended in return for his cooperation with police. That cooperation involved dogging all of his mates that he was pulling the frauds with, and wearing a police wire to make a good thing of their prosecutions.

Yesterday Wayne Innes was at the Doomben races.

A man who stole pulled a six-figure fraud on Racing Queensland, and corrupted one of their officials, was allowed to freely stroll onto a racetrack licensed by the very same government body that he stole from.

Why?

Why did Racing Queensland permit Innes to attend the races?

Why did the Brisbane Racing Club, who had previously stripped him of the ‘life’ membership he had cravenly been granted by the club, allow Innes on to their race course?

Why have the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission not warned Wayne Innes off tracks for life?

Why have they not investigated the bona fides of race horses like Shogun Sun that are purportedly owned by his wife Lisa Solomon-Innes, when the whole world knows they are owned by Innes himself?

Why hasn’t the QRIC investigated the source of the funds that Innes used to buy the horses he races under his wife’s name, to pay the horse’s training fees, so as to ascertain whether or not the money came from the frauds he pulled on Racing Queensland? (Tip – they did)

This is digraceful.

There are good racing people who can’t step onto race tracks because they have been disqualified for minor TCO2, cobalt or medication breaches.

They are not criminals, just folk who breached a rule, and the convictions for some of those breaches – the cobalt ones in particular – may even be overturned in the coming months, dependent on how the superior court rules in the seminal Darrell Graham case.

Innes is a criminal, and his crimes were committed against racing.

He should never be allowed back to the track.

His presence is an embarrassment to racing, and an insult to us all.

This should never be permitted to occur again.

The BRC seem not to care.

They ban Ben Currie and march the great racing writer Phil Purser off the course, but allow life long thieves like Peter Foster and Wayne Innes to cavort around the track like they own in.

Racing Queensland are incompetent.

It’s people can’t even schedule a race meeting so that there are enough jockeys to take the mounts, and its apprentice school can’t churn out enough kids to ride them.

It’s up to the QRIC to ban Innes from our tracks.

They must act immediately.

Over to you Commissioner.

 

WHAT ODDS WE SEE A DIFFERENT NATURE STRIP IN THE EVEREST?

THERE are two good things out of racing at Randwick on Saturday.

Punters will see a vastly improved and entirely different horse when NATURE STRIP contests THE EVEREST – what odds he just leads easily and bolts in?

KINANE, on the surface disappointing, might just grow a leg when he steps up in trip – he certainly hasn’t been suited at his two runs since a spell.

The more things change in Sydney racing, the more they stay the same. Punters again got the raw end of the pineapple.

It started with a disaster for favorite backers in the opener at Randwick when James Macdonald put in another below par ride on the heavily backed and desperately unlucky Athiri. Stewards found the tactics he adopted were not unreasonable.

Harto, the well-tried stablemate of upset winner, Jay Jay D’ar, lost all chance when it blew the start but if the interview with Chris Waller on RSN in Melbourne on race morning was any guide he didn’t expect her to win anyway.

An inquiry has been opened into the terrible ride of Glen Boss on the heavily-backed Ice Bath in the last so the least said about that the better.

 

JAMIE KAH IS IN HOT FORM BUT RIDING SHOTGUN WITH STEWARDS

THE upside of the meeting at MOONEE VALLEY was the outstanding training performance of Chris Waller with HUMIDOR although his win delivered a knockout blow to most punters.

The downside was the injury to Dwayne Dunn who struck his head on the stalls when SHOT OF IRISH reared up at the start. He will undergo surgery today.

JAMIE KAH continued to ride in devastating form but again fell foul of stewards on a careless riding charge. She was already on a stay and is to commence her original suspension after today’s meeting at Geelong. Kah will be sidelined until September 22.

Kah has taken the mantle of Linda Meech who hasn’t ridden since soon after the lockdown for the pandemics occurred in Victoria. Punters can’t wait for their favorite lady jockey to return to the saddle and are hoping stories she may be retiring are off the mark.

 

DO STEWARDS STILL SEND MESSAGE TO JOCKEYS ON BIG DRIFTERS?

ON very few occasions do favorites drift as alarmingly as GOLDEN MEAN did in the first at Doomben on Saturday but still manage to salute.

Even trainer David Van Dyke admitted concerns when Golden Mean eased from odds-on to $7 at one stage of betting. This was contributed to by good moves for former Victorian Island Daze (worked to lead & ran 4^th) and the fast finishing No Doubt A Cracker (which ran 3^rd).

One wonders if stewards still follow the lead of some smart predecessors and send a message to the start warning jockeys when horses have drifted alarmingly in price that their rides will be monitored closely.     

 

ALL RACING PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BY AWARE - READ THIS!

by ARCHIE BUTTERFLY

A MAJOR research study into the welfare of racing animals has been released this week by the University of Sydney.

It is written by a internationally respected academic named Dr Iris Bergmann, and was funded by the Australian Research Council, so it has plenty of cred.

I am going to explain the findings to you in short, easy to read and digest chunks over the coming weeks, and do it in plain everyday English rather the academic language it is written in.

It is important that you read the series I am going to write, because this study is certain to form the basis of the next wave of attacks on the racing industry by animal activists, probably supported by the ABC, over the next year.

We need to know what is coming if we are going to defend it, and I can guarantee you we will need to defend it, because a group of unnamed idiots in high places in racing have against all the rules of common sense actively participated in the research that has led to the study’s findings, and thus given it a huge degree of legitimacy that it might otherwise never have had.

The basic thrust of it is that the author – and soon the activists – are claiming that racing people don’t view race horses as horses, but rather as livestock to be bought, sold and trained to make money, and then moved on the minute that there is no longer a quid in the horse.

The study is based around this thing called photo- elicitation, which is a smart bastard’s term for showing you a picture and asking you a few simple questions about it, and then fleshing out your responses in a one on one interview to dig a bit deeper into them.

It might sound wanky, but if you think about the greyhound live baiting expose and the one from the abattoirs, it was the images that immediately shifted public opinion and caused revulsion, not the words that the presenter of the shows were saying, so it makes sense.

The four pictures – all included in this story – have been shown to an evenly balanced group of racing people and animal activists, and be warned some of the activists are very cluey and pretty sharp, and clearly understand the game, suggesting that are probably vets.

Some of the racing people are too, so its a good each way mix, which is not necessarily the greatest thing from our game’s perspective, especially because at least two of the four pictures of commonplace things we see at the track don’t look real good to people from outside racing, and are things that we are going to have to justify and explain when the shit starts hitting the fan in a little while.

I will lay it properly later, but leave you with one little fact that gives us a bit of food for thought.

Did you know that only 5% of race horses in the UK wear tongue ties?

Guess what the number is here?

21.3 percent.

How do think that is going to go down with the public when the picture below is splashed all over the papers and on the news?

Show the photo to a non-racing friend or neighbour and ask them what their first impression is, and then have a real good think about what they say.

I reckon you will immediately start to get what I mean.

More to follow.

Watch this space.

PS – If you are of an academic bent and have spare time on your hands you can read the study in full by clicking on this link (tip – it’s easier to read if you download the PDF version)

 

MAIDENS ARE RUNNING WITHIN A SECOND OF TRACK RECORDS AT EAGLE FARM - BECAUSE THE TRACK IS ROCK HARD & ROOTED

by ARCHIE BUTTERFLY

(We're waiting on a story about this from the new NEWS LTD TURF DREAM TEAM)

AZZALAND'S track record at Eagle Farm of 55.99 seconds for the 1000 metre trip has stood for a decade.

It was set on a hot, dry January day in the middle of a sustained drought on a lightning fast track by the very quick, but injury plagued, open class sprinter who went on a couple of starts later to win a Bribie Handicap, then ran third to Buffering in the Victory Stakes during the winter carnival, and Azzaland had both the rail in its true position and a strong tailwind behind him to help push him along.

There was no wind to speak of at all yesterday at the nondescript midweek meeting at Eagle Farm run on a cool, cloudy day just two days after winter, on a track where the false rail was pushed out 7.5 metres, so no-one expected any of the starters on the day to run any great times, particularly those non winners lining up for the 1000 metre maiden in race three.

Little did they know, for both the winner of the race Lyrical Girl (5 starts no wins) came out and ran the rarely seen at the Farm – and never in a Wednesday maiden time of 56.95 seconds, inside a second of Azzaland’s long standing track record time, and do it a lot tougher than Azzaland did too, by being involved in a 3 horse war up front in which she sat one off the fence in the middle and copped pressure from the ones on her inside and outside all the way through.

Interestingly, the one sitting out three-wide facing the breeze, Boom Express (3 starts no wins, beaten in Caloundra maidens at its past 2) ran just a tick over a second outside the track record itself, despite the torrid run, and the first starter Right Reason, who missed the kick and settled back near the tail of the field early, was just behind him.

Logic suggests that there are only three possible explanations for these maidens coming out and running the rarely heard of time of 56.95 seconds, they being that:

1. The winner Lyrical Girl is a future Oakleigh Plate and Lighnting Handicap winner in the making, and will now attract interest from Everest slot holders (unlikely);

2. The Eagle Farm distance markers are in the wrong position and the times are wrong (unlikely, given the track uses the GPS based Trakus timing and distance system);

3. This track is rock hard like flint, so hard that it will break horses down faster than George Clooney can pick up middle aged divorcees in a Polo Bar at midnight (almost certain).

Long-standing track records smashed to pieces on Saturday, maidens running within a tick of even older track records on a cloudy Wednesday arvo with the rail pushed out a mile, new season three-year-old stars running 32 seconds for three furlongs in trackwork – it all adds up to paint the same picture doesn’t it, and you don’t need a diplomatic Chris Waller aborting Kinnane’s Queensland Winter prep over concerns about the track breaking his star down to tell you what the picture is.

This track is buggered again.

This time its not too shifty and slow like it was last disaster around.

It’s too damn hard and fast, far too hard and fast to be safe.

What are the BRC and Racing Queensland going to do?

Other than pull the whole thing up and start again – which is highly unlikely, given that circa $40 million has been spent on the track and infield stables constructions already – there is not much that either of them can do, for the problem starts deep down right at the very bottom, in the shape of the ridiculously uber-fast herringbone drainage system.

Dale Moneith, the former Caulfield boss turned harness racing CEO who was called in as the ‘expert’ to fix the Eagle Farm track, even though he had never actually worked as a curator on a turf track before, touched on the problem in two lines of his expensive 2017 report into how to fix the debacle, but then moved on and never mentioned it again.

Monteith recommended all the turf and sand solutions in the world, and Racing Queensland spent extra millions of dollars implementing them, but skin deep fixes only last until the botox wears off, and the crux of the Eagle Farm issues run much deeper than that.

The track is going to have a couple of months off now while the befuddled course managers do their futile best to fix the inherent structural problem with spades, shovels, water, pesticides and fertilisers, and while Eagle Farm is out of action yet again, Racing Queensland will race the bejesus out of the seriously bedraggled Doomben track, and hope like Christ that it doesn’t fall over too.

It’s a hope we all share, but one that given the recent wet day’s play there wouldn’t bet on with Brendan Parnell’s money, or his corporate credit card at least.

It’s been proven throughout that all pissing in the wind and hoping for miracles does is get your strides soaked and leave you wet, cold and hugely disappointed.

So take you raincoat if you are going to the Brissy races anytime soon, and leave you hat full of hopes at the door.

 

 

VALLEY RACING & AFL GIVE IT TO V’LANDYS BETWEEN THE STICKS

MOONEE VALLEY boss Michael Browell believes sharing Cox Plate day with the biggest game of football this year will be a win-win for both sports.

The AFL announced on Wednesday afternoon that its grand final will be held on October 24 at night, following the Cox Plate.

DAMIEN RACTLIFFE reports for FAIRFAX MEDIA that Channel Seven, which holds the free-to-air broadcast rights to both football and racing, will play a major role in setting the starting times of both features, but Browell will get his wish of holding a Cox Plate close to its traditional 5pm time slot – most likely at 4.15pm.

"This announcement will see Ladbrokes Cox Plate 100 take centre stage on a day that will see the first AFL grand final played at night," he said.

"With the proposed Victorian Public Holiday on Friday 23 October coinciding with the Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Meeting, and the NRL Grand Final to be played on Sunday 25 October, this promises to be an incredible weekend of world-class sport across Australia

"The Club is grateful to AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan, Managing Director of Seven Melbourne Lewis Martin and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events and Minister for Racing Martin Pakula for collaborating with us so closely over the past few months to negotiate this outcome, which is a win-win for all parties.

"To celebrate our race day in such a significant year with the 100th running of the W.S. Cox Plate with another national sporting event as treasured as the AFL grand final is a brilliant outcome for both sporting events in a year where sporting bodies need to work together in close cohesion."

McLachlan said on Wednesday that the AFL had made a commitment to racing to avoid a clash of timeslots.

"I've been talking with the clubs and with Giles Thompson and others of Racing Victoria. I know when they want to run the Cox Plate and a night grand final will suit them just fine," McLachlan said.

"That was our commitment. It's not why we made that decision, but I know racing is going to be OK."

Meanwhile, Caulfield and Randwick are expected to share their biggest stages as they did last year.

The Everest was last year run at 4.15pm, with an hour's gap to the Caulfield Cup, and Melbourne Racing Club's executive general manager of racing Jake Norton expected a similar arrangement this year.

AFL semi and preliminary-finals are held on Friday and Saturday nights traditionally, meaning the AFL should not be clashing with racing on either Caulfield Guineas or Caulfield Cup/Everest day.

Channel Seven, which holds the AFL's free-to-air broadcast rights, also holds the rights to the Caulfield feature meetings.

 

BIG RICHIE - THE GREATEST SPRUIKER SINCE P T BARNUM

by ARCHIE BUTTERFLY

P.T. Barnum could sell ice to Eskimo’s, but the Inuit’s couldn’t stump the vig, so he made his living selling circuses to mug punters instead.

Richard Callendar does too.

Have you ever a greater spruik man for anything than Big Richie is for the Everest? I doubt it.

Richie bangs on non stop about the 1200 metres sprint, beating it up as the greatest show on earth, when really it’s just a rich man’s race, albeit a rather good one too.

The problem he has of course is that in the current pandemic driven world of uncertainty, Richie doesn’t have a great deal to talk about, so he has to make it up as he goes, and try to spin sows ears into silk purses, and pose it as unbiased truth.

Right now there are only three runners confirmed for the Everest.

The prince of them is Australia’s best short-course horse by panels, Nature Strip, who looks to have a mortgage on the race, which isn’t ideal from a promotional perspective.

Another is Classique Legend, who went to Hong Kong and failed, and is now back trying to change his luck. This horse was talked up a superstar before going to Honkers, but the reality is that best win was in a weak age-restricted Group 2 on a slow track in which he beat Jonkers.

The third is Gytrash, a brilliant sprinter from Adelaide who is probably the only chance of knocking off Nature Strip, but South Aussie horses never attract a great deal of love or excitement in Sydney, a fact that is sad yet true.

Outside of them there is presently nothing.

A clutch are being talked up, including Trekking, Alligator Blood, Rothfire, Eduardo (puh-lease), Bivouac, Farnan (you’re kidding), Masked Crusader, Catalyst (a good Kiwi sprinter? don’t think so), and Greyworm (fall on the floor laughing).

The latest to join Richie’s beat-up bunch is Anders, a three-year old who had his arse kicked by See You Soon and Dame Giselle, got beaten up in Brisbane by Gotta Kiss, and was wasted by Wisdom of Water.

Anders only claims to fame are victories in a Wyong maiden and a two year old handicap in town, a win in the Listed Rosebud beating Ole Kirk on a bog track, and a last start first in the Group 3 San Domenico in which he turned the tables on Peltzer, who had given him a kicking in a Kembla Grange maiden a couple of months before.

Richie can talk this mob up as superstars all he likes, but we all know that the current crop of sprinters aren’t top grade, and none of these outside of Nature Strip and maybe Gytrash are either.

The greatest race on Earth?

I don’t think so.

It’s not even the best race in Sydney.

Pull up Big Richie.

All you are doing is embarrassing yourself son.

 

HAS THE ‘ALLIGATOR MAN’ RUN TOTALLY OFF THE RAILS?

By ARCHIE BUTTERFLY

DEAD serious?

Sure you are Al, sure you are.

And I’m Cinderella.

The words at the top are those of Alligator Blood’s ‘owner’ Allan Endresz, who as a four time bankrupt can’t own anything at all, but never let the truth get into the way of a good story.

So now there was fiendish plot where ‘they’ – they did this, they did that, they killed JFK, no they didn’t – staged a car crash on the Gold Coast Motorway in order to cause a three hour, 100km long traffic jam, just so someone employed by ‘them’ could break into the Alligator’s float while it was cruising down a back street short cut that the two Dick Van Dyke staff transporting it had diverted it to, arguably dope it with an ovulation drug for mares that just so happens to be a steroid, jump out of the float without being seen, and vanish into the haze.

Allan Endresz gets sillier by the minute.

The next thing you know it will be the Loch Ness monster sticking his long, lithe neck up as the Alligator crosses the Coomera River bridge and giving the gelding a big tongie while sucking on Regumate drops.

Puh-lease.

Why do we tolerate these sort of dodgier than the dodger style clowns in racing, and why do we allow them to talk this sort of crap and treat it as if it is serious?

Facts are the Alligator had to be treated by someone close to the stable.

Vandyke and/or one of the two stable girls in the float and/or the stable vet.

The rest is all just Edgar Britt.

And Big Al is full of it.

As Dick Van Dyke is some day soon about to find out when the snake turns around and bites him.

How will it bite him?

Hard.

When the charade ends and all else fails. Allan Endresz will probably sue his beloved trainer Dick Van Dyke for millions in lost earnings and all that jazz.

Just wait and see.

All great love affairs between self-possessed egomaniacs end in tears, just ask Cleopatra and Caesar.

This one will too.

Watch this space.

 

‘SNOWY’ CLARK CHANNELS ZERO & SHOTS HIMSELF IN THE FOOT

by ARCHIE BUTTERFLY

THE is taken directly from Bruce Clark’s latest column on the Racenet website published yesterday.

Unfortunately for Bruce, he called One For Zorro the winner when bagging Terry the Saint for getting a photo wrong, in the same article that he put shit on one of Australia’s most accomplished race callers Terry Spargo.

The winner’s name was actually One For Rocky.

Praise the lord that Clarke’s not calling the Launceston dogs instead of Terry Spargo. He’d be calling the stripes eight and the pink two for sure.

If you’re going to fire the bullets Zorro old son, just make sure that you lock and load the gun.

 

ANOTHER INEFFICIENCY OF RQ'S HALF MILLION DOLLAR MAN

THE rift between Racing Queensland and the Brisbane Racing Club over payment for stewards’ films of race meetings arguably highlights the inefficiencies of the sport’s most over-paid administrator.

Brendan Parnell, the RQ CEO, who pockets a cool half million dollar pay packet each year, should have nipped this farcical problem in the bud before it even got off the ground.

The Brisbane Racing Club is right in digging their heels in and saying enough is enough – we no longer intend to pay for something that is the province of RQ to ensure the QRIC Stewards can do their job.

The big question needs to be asked why SKY should not have been required to provide this footage as part of the new multi-million dollar broadcast agreement. After all we are only talking about four cameras and an estimated cost of $350,000 annually.

Crazy isn’t it when Mr Parnell doesn’t seem to want to rock the boat where he was once one of the bosses at SKY but he was prepared to help his little mate Davey Fowler try to torpedo the broadcasting job of colleague Josh Fleming for a ‘pound of flesh’ involving a dirty political deal involving the Albion Park Harness Racing Club.

According to a report by Nathan Exelby in today’s The Courier-Mail, RQ previously paid for the costs of the stewards’ footage but under the new broadcast agreement with SKY the BRC claim they have been told these costs now need to be met by the club “without notice or consultation”, a fact disputed by RQ.

BRC chief executive Tony Partridge said the footage is for integrity measures only and because of this had never been paid for by race clubs. “In Queensland, the clubs already bear the costs of broadcast production even though all wagering revenue flows to Racing Queensland,” Partridge said.

“It is not reasonable to expect clubs to also pay for the production costs for stewards-only vision at a time when race clubs are operating with COVID-19 restrictions. In contrast, Racing Queensland has enjoyed the revenue inflows from betting activity during COVID-19.”

RQ chief executive Brendan Parnell said while wagering had grown during COVID-19 and money saved by removing feature races, the control body had made $10 million in compensation payments to clubs in that time.

“It is incorrect to say they weren’t aware of this. They were told last year production costs would be wrapped into the new media deal,” Parnell said. “All other clubs are contributing to production costs, why shouldn’t the BRC? The BRC elected to do its own media rights deal and production and integrity needs are an integrated service.”

The BRC funded the costs for Saturday’s Eagle Farm meeting, but has vowed that will be the last time. Integrity Commissioner Ross Barnett said the cameras are essential for stewards to conduct a race meeting.

There are two sides to the story and perhaps the BRC inherited the problem when they went their own way in negotiating a broadcast deal. But what price integrity and it is not as though whoever foots the bill it is millions of dollars?

In fact, as one industry cynic suggested, if they took back the wage that David Fowler still receives although he is not the official SKY broadcaster but was intended to be under their shady deal, that would just about pay for the stewards’ footage.

After all Josh Fleming is doing the job, Fowler is being paid to do nothing except when Fleming is on holidays. If the BRC and RQ wanted him so badly but got caught in the Ray Hadley crossfire perhaps both should be prepared to take the money back from Fowler and allocate it to a more useful cause.

And on the subject of Nathan Exelby, who broke this story, wasn’t it wonderful to see him grow an aggot or two overnight and give Allan Endresz, an owner of Alligator Blood, a back-hander for threatening litigation against Racing Queensland and QRIC.

The minute Endresz opens his mouth about how badly Alligator Blood has been done by as a result of that positive from Millions Day at the Gold Coast the majority of racing followers immediately tune out.

 

WHY DO THE SYDNEY STEWARDS EVEN BOTHER?

By ARCHIE BUTTERFLY

 

OFFICIAL Stewards’ Report from ROSEHILL on Saturday.

Intends to lead.

Settles back.

Going to ride it forward.

Settles mid-field.

Going to ride this one forward too.

Settles mid-field.

Me too, I’m going forward as well.

Settles off the pace.

Only one jockey whose trainer notified a change of tactics which never happened gets questioned by the stipes., that being Glyn Schofield on Freehearted in the first.

Why do they bother at all?

 

THE PANTOMINE CONTINUED WITH JMAC INVITED IN FOR A CHAT

THE above is taken directly from the Stewards’ Report of Race from Rosehill on Saturday.

The stipes are asking James McDonald to please explain his slaughter job on the $4.80 favourite Papal Warrior, which most observers believe should have won by plenty.

J-Mac tells his tale of woe to the stipes, who clearly swallowed it because he didn’t get suspended and no inquiry was convened.

I’m not so sure that I do.

This is why.

What J-Mac Said – “Well Sir, I was following Bobby Dee and got jammed on the inside of Not Feint Hearted, and I couldn’t get out to follow him because I was stuck racing to the inside of that runner’s heels.

What J-Mac Didn’t Say – “Well maybe I could have if I’d eased a fraction Sir. There was plenty of room”

What J-Mac Said – “Oh, actually Sir, I forgot. I did think about popping out and following Not Feint Hearted, but I noticed that he’d been three wide the trip and was tiring, and I also reckoned he was laying out, so I decided to stay in”

What J-Mac Didn’t Say – “Well yeah Not Feint Hearted did hold his spot three wide outside the leaders around the turn and into the straight, so I guess I could have followed him if I’d wanted to. I could probably have slipped around him 4-wide if he’d started to weaken too”

What J-Mac Said – “Yes Sir, when Cisco Bay improved to my outside I had to keep racing behind those (unnamed) runners, and as a result I got held up on straightening and couldn’t improve until near the 200m when I got around Cisco”

What J-Mac Didn’t Say – “Um, yeah, I guess I shouldn’t have been that surprised that a rival runner ridden by one of Australia’s top jockeys in the shape of K. McEvoy would have moved forward outside me approaching the turn Sir. My mind was just somewhere else at the time. And yes, perhaps I could have eased out inside Cisco on the turn and used my horse’s momentum to shift him wide enough to slip through into the open air. But I just didn’t think of it”.

What J-Mac Said – “I got checked over the concluding stages Sir, when Cisco Bay and Badoosh both shifted ground slightly out and in on top of me”.

What J-Mac Didn’t Say – “Do you really reckon I should have gone inside Cisco when a gap big enough to drive a truck through opened up Sir? Nah, having seen him wobbling out I thought it would be better to keep sticking to his arse until it was way too late to win the race, and I was likely to cop a Malachi crunch. After all, life’s more exciting when someone’s giving your balls a squeeze”

Just like James McDonald gave the favourite punters yesterday.

Yeah good James.

Thanks for coming.

“No Sir. Thank You”.

 

 

RACING MOURNS THE DEATH OF POPULAR GREY SUBZERO

SUBZERO, one of the most iconic figures in Australian racing, has died.

LEO SCHLINK reports for the HERALD-SUN that the 1992 Melbourne Cup winner passed away at Bendigo Equine Hospital at 2.38pm — exactly the same time his life-long carer Graham Salisbury died on June 20.

The hugely popular grey was 32.

Salisbury’s daughter Nicole was with the gelding when he took his last breath.

“He just went to sleep,” she said. “I was with him and it was very peaceful.

“He died at 2.38pm. The same time as dad did, on a Saturday as well.

“Technically, it was sudden onset (of) heart failure.”

A wonderful racehorse, Subzero is regarded as one of Australia’s greatest off-course servants with his regular — and uplifting — visits to palliative care units, schools and social functions.

The winner of the 1992 Adelaide Cup and South Australian Derby, Subzero won six of 48 starts and more than $2million in prizemoney.

 

 

THE ALLIGATOR BLOOD COURT ACTION OPENS A REAL CAN OF WORMS

By ARCHIE BUTTERFLY

THERE are more than a few problems with the speculative plans of Alligator Blood’s owner Allan Endresz to sue Racing Queensland for $6 million dollars over his horse’s disqualification from the Magic Millions Guineas after it threw a positive swab to altrenogest, aren’t there?

Where do I start?

At the beginning I suppose.

1. Alligator Blood DID throw a positive swab
2. Trainer David Van Dyke, who was fined $20 000 for presenting the Alligator to race with the prohibited substance in its system DID NOT contest the guilty finding and sentence by lodging an appeal.
3. The TAB DID NOT strike an agreement with Endresz for Alligator Blood to take its Everest slot; by the TAB’s reckoning the discussions with Endresz were only one of many they were holding with owners of horses they were considering to appoint to the company’s slot in the big one.
4. In the end the TAB chose quadruple Group 1 winner Nature Strip to take the slot, over the single time Group 1 winner Alligator Blood, who has never won an Open Company race outside of his age group.
5. This would appear entirely logical, given that Nature Strip is generally regarded as Australia’s best sprinter, and is a racing favourite for the national Horse of the Year Award.
6. In any event, simply gaining a start in the Everest would not have guaranteed Alligator Blood any greater prizemoney than the $400 000 is paid from 7th to 12th. That the gelding would have finished sixth or higher and earned a larger return is merely conjecture.
7. It doesn’t matter anyway. Only three of the 12 Everest slots are presently filled, and if Alligator Blood can repeat its form of last year running drug-free, then it is almost certain to be offered one in what is shaping this year as a very ordinary crop of sprinters.
8. Endresz also claims reputational damage. To whom?
9. Horses don’t have reputations in the legal sense, so it can’t be the Alligator.
10. Dick Van Dyke is a multiple convicted drug cheat who has twice received three-year lags for Elephant Juice, and has had two Group 1 races stripped from him with two different horses (The Alligator and Yankee Rose), so if you disregard Racing Nathan Exelby’s mindless sycophantic drivel, he doesn’t have a good reputation in the first place to damage.
11. Endresz has not been accused of anything, other than being an alleged questionable business operator with a penchant for bluster and bullshit, and a thing for protracted litigation. And those things are true, so what damage has been done to his reputation by the whole affair?
12. In any event, Australian Racing Rule AR.279 expressly denies any person the right to sue a Principal Racing Association, race club, Steward or official for damages for any act arising out of the application of the rules, and Endresz cannot logically argue an inconsistency in the rules as the basis of his claim, and then mount an argument to set the rules that don’t suit his narrative. It would be absurd.
13. Allan Endresz doesn’t even own the Alligator. A syndicate called EzyBonds No 1 does, and it in turn is owned by a family trust. Endresz is merely the non-owning syndicate manager, and as such would have to get special leave of the court to sue in his own name (which he wouldn’t dare apply for, because it would open him up to a number of issues), or in a representative capacity on behalf of the trust, which is unlikely too because for the reasons described above he has deliberately kept himself at arms’ length from it.
14. Endresz claims that unnamed villains got to the Alligator “just like they got to Phar Lap”.
15. There is a problem with that statement too, which is that no dopers ever got to Phar Lap. 15. A gangster did try to shoot at him on the morning of Derby Day 1930, but they missed, and three days later he went on to win the Cup.
16. The Alligator wasn’t shot at; he had an anabolic steroid and masking agent on board.
17. Endresz claims that he is suing Racing Queensland for not paying him the Magic Millions prizemoney, but RQ have simply paid on the officially declared revised placings, and as such have done nothing wrong.
18. If he must persist in his doomed quest, then it is actually the QRIC that took the race off the Alligator that he should be suing, not Racing Queensland.

This whole mooted claim is nonsense, at least as far as the Everest and reputation parts of it are concerned, but the positive swab in the Magic Millions matter is another issue altogether, don’t you worry about that.

My mail straight from the horse’s mouth is that in his court claim Allan Endresz is hanging his hat on a marked discrepancy in the rules between the testing of ‘stored’ and other samples, and that there is a better than outside chance that this part of his claim may well just have some legs.

The discrepancy that the Alligator Man will be highlighting is that between rules AR.240(1) and AR.259(12)

Rule AR.240(1) says that:

If a horse is brought to a racecourse and a prohibited substance
on Prohibited List A and/or Prohibited List B is detected in a sample taken from the horse prior to or following its running in any race, the horse must be disqualified from any race in which it started on that day

Conversely, and quite contrarily, rule AR.259(12) says that:

If a prohibited substance is detected in a stored sample submitted or resubmitted for testing and that sample was taken from a horse prior to or following its running in any race, whether or not the horse is to be disqualified from a race it took part in is a matter for the discretion of a PRA or the Stewards.

Both rules talk about the sample being taken from the horse before or after the race, so set aside that bit, and you are left with this.

AR.240(1) – If a horse is brought to a racecourse and a prohibited substance
on Prohibited List A and/or Prohibited List B is detected in a sample ….. MUST BE DISQUALIFIED

AR.259(12) – If a prohibited substance is detected in a stored sample submitted or resubmitted for testing …….. MAY BE DISQUALIFIED

The MUST or the MAY question is the crux of Allan Endresz argument, for the disqualification of Alligator Blood was effected under rule 240 where it is mandatory, not under rule 259 where it is a matter for decision.

The fundamental question – the one that Endresz will be arguing – is this:

What is a stored sample, and what is not?

There is no definition of ‘stored sample’ in the rules to help answer the question, so to find a solution to the conundrum we have to apply the facts of the matter and degree of reasonable logic.

No swab is tested immediately at the track.

The sample – whether it be urine, blood, saliva or hair – is taken from the horse at the race track.

It is then placed in a vial, which is placed in a sealed bag, which is collected by a race day Steward and transported to the Racing Science Centre laboratory located on the outskirts of the Albion Park paceway, where the old car park where you would pull up and be ferried to the entrance by a tractor pulling cart-style carriages once used to be.

There it is placed in a fridge and then, usually one to four weeks later, depending on the laboratory’s backlog, the sample is placed in a spectrometer or other device, and tested (the ‘A sample’).

If the sample tests positive, then part of it is then transported by registered courier to a duly accredited interstate or overseas laboratory for further testing (the ‘B sample’).

In all of these circumstances it is very difficult to see or imagine how either of the samples could not be ‘stored samples …. submitted for analysis’ , because clearly by the process involved in collecting, bagging, transporting, refrigerating and then later testing them, they are.

If that is the case however, then in the matter of Alligator Blood’s positive swab the disqualification of the horse from the Magic Millions, and the denial to owners EzyBonds No1 of the million dollar plus prize cheque was NOT MANDATORY as the QRIC stated in its published reasons for the decision to relieve Endresz managed syndicate of the dough, but rather a DISCRETIONARY MATTER for the Stewards, based upon all of the circumstances.

The problem that the QRIC face is that not only did it no consider the circumstances, it did not allow the facts or claimed facts of them to be heard.

Now all of a sudden Allan Endresz doesn’t seem quite as wacky as he at first glance appears, does he? No, not at all.

The above is all fact, what follows is speculation.

My take on the whole thing is that Endresz has ramped up his court claim to include the Everest lost earnings and the unspecified reputational damage to someone or something as a bargaining tool/bludgeoning implement designed to get Racing QLD and the QRIC to stop and think ‘shit, we’re really exposed here, because if this bloke’s reasonably strong argument succeeds, every positive swab DQ we have ever ruled is going to be overturned”.

That’s what Endresz means when he talks about the Aquanita effect, and if his argument gets up in the courts, he will be correct.

It’s a real problem for the racing authorities isn’t it?

Do they pay Endresz the millon and a bit bucks in a settlement struck with a tight non-disclosure provision in addition to paying it to the now declared winner Eleven Eleven’s connections, and then quietly amend the conflicting provisions by implementing a local rule change?

Or do they chance their arm by fighting Endresz and risk opening themselves up to liabilities in the multi milllions?

There is a long way to play out in this one, that’s for sure, and Allan Endresz is a whole lot smarter than he may seem.

What are they going to do?

Watch this space.

 

THE WEDNESDAY WHINGE 

QCAT CONTINUES TO MAKE RACING IN QLD THE JOKE OF THE NATION

BILL C of BRISBANE writes:

‘RACING in Queensland deserves what it gets while QCAT continues to provide ‘get out of jail free cards’ for those prepared to walk the tightrope of rules infringement who can afford a fancy lawyer.

Forget about lack of punter interest in the product, stakeholders feel the same way in the wake of yet another QCAT joke – this time benefitting arguably the most despised young trainer in the history of Queensland racing.

Many trainers have complained that they don’t feel it is a level playing field when they are competing against horses from the Ben Currie stable and some of his colleagues on the Downs.

QRIC and its stewards tried to do something about it but QCAT crapped in their face. That provided another opportunity for critics of QRIC to call for it to be dismantled.

Of course that is the path that the LNP will immediately head down if they win Government – citing costs – when the real reason is they want to bring back total control by a panel of stewards headed by someone who won’t rock the boat.

We’ve seen it all before in Queensland. How long is it since the old boys brigade were in charge of policing that we saw a high profile trainer or jockey disqualified for any significant amount of time?

QRIC takes over and are lambasted and accused of a witch-hunt on the Currie stable. Then when they finally land what looked like a killer punch, a QCAT Member who knows next to nothing about horse racing and racing lawyers, expert at exploiting loopholes in the law (and Rules of Racing), uphold appeals. It makes racing in Queensland look like a joke – or as respected 4BC commentator Ray Hadley suggested in the Currie case ‘was a boneheaded decision’.

Anyone who has an iota of knowledge of racing knows that there can be only one interpretation of the texts sent by Ben Currie which read:

“Blinkers on next time and hit him with the jigger.”

“Blinkers on next time and give him a hit with the jigger. Win then sell”.

Yet he got off. What a joke!

They should close the joint down.’

 

HAS ‘GLEESO’ BEEN PROMISED AN RQ BOARD SPOT BY THE LNP?

PETER R of TOWNSVILLE obviously isn’t a fan of PETER GLEESON:

‘MANY of your readers would never have heard of the TOWNSVILLE MAGPIE (do yourself a favour and log into his website). I am proud to call myself a great mate, once worked with him and both of us had the displeasure of falling foul of the self-anointed media megastar Peter Gleeson.

We knew him long before he became Editor of the Townsville Bulletin or The Sunday Mail. We watched as his career hit a hurdle when he missed the job he wanted so much as Editor of The Courier-Mail.

‘Scooter’ or ‘Typo’, as we prefer to call him, bounced back and wound up fifth banana and if you can stay awake long enough – or are prepared to put up with the (edited out) comments by that right wing crew on SKY NEWS, you eventually get to see him on the Front Page.

It’s a preview of what you can read on the Front Page of the newspapers around the country the next day - except that on many occasions the news is relegated inside a Harvey Norman wrap-around which must keep the Murdoch Media from sliding deeper into the depths of non-viability.

But back to ‘Typo’ and we can’t believe how he has so quickly jumped political ship. Not that many years ago he was a great fan of the Palaszczuk Labor Government and the story goes that Anna even offered him the job as CEO of Racing Queensland after Darren Condon was thrown under the live-baiting greyhound bus.

Gleeson rejected the offer to stick with News Ltd and it seems they have looked after him. Difference is with SKY NEWS he has to change his political shirts to express the extreme right wing views that obviously the Murdoch’s prefer these days and that means bagging anything Labor – or biting the hand of Anna who once offered to feed him in his hour hour of need.

Hence the latest column from ‘Typo’ which starts (I want bore you with the rest of the one-sided political propaganda that this bloke is writing on behalf of the LNP these days):

THERE’S a growing suspicion that Queensland is headed for a hung parliament after the October 31 election.

Number crunchers from both major political parties say that this election will be desperately close and those in the Labor Party who believe Annastacia Palaszczuk is home and hosed are delusional.

There are political corpses scattered throughout the world where hubris and complacency have cost them victory. Bill Shorten’s ill-fated tilt at The Lodge is a perfect example.

While the ALP will poll well in Brisbane for its coronavirus performance, the Palaszczuk government is on the nose in central and north Queensland and voters will punish Labor for escalating youth crime and a perception of overreach to COVID-19 in the regions.

He even goes on to give the Greens an almighty backhander writing:

LABOR won’t get the Katter’s Australian Party’s support. This leaves the other scenario – a Labor-Greens minority government, which is the most dangerous of all the combinations for Queensland. If the Greens got any control or influence in state parliament, Queensland would be a very different place.

Let’s take a closer look at their ­totemic leader and most high-profile politician, Gabba councillor Jonathan Sri. A self-confessed anarchist and communist, Cr Sri lives on a houseboat and doesn’t pay any rates. He says he can’t afford to buy or rent a property on his $180,000 annual salary.

Last week, he missed a finance committee meeting because he was on a microphone stirring up CBD protests to free refugees. There was widespread CBD traffic disruption. He complained to The Courier-Mail that he was sick and tired of organising protest rallies, just a week after Sri tried to distance himself from his involvement in protests.

Last week, Cr Sri posted on social media about so-called “blood stained water fountains – a powerful and ­creative protest from a few activists in Brissie this morning calling for ­refugees to be released from indefinite detention’’. Businesses were forced to drain the fountain and clean the graffiti.

This is the same Cr Sri who pretended to be somebody else in a phone message to an Ipswich state MP. It’s the same Cr Sri who tried to compare Extinction Rebellion CBD protests with Anzac Day marches and has encouraged illegal squatting.

The Labor-Greens minority government is the one to be worried about.

NOW I’m not saying the Greens aren’t a wacky bunch and a big worry for any State where they might gain balance of power but might I suggest that Gleeson when he writes his one-sided columns makes a declaration.

My mail is that he is extremely close to LNP front-man John Paul Langbroek, the Shadow Racing Minister in Queensland, and has been promised a seat on a new look Racing Queensland Board as the greyhound industry representation should the Government change at the upcoming election. It has also been suggested he is currently a consultant to the LNP on Racing.

Isn’t that a major conflict of interest when you are writing blatantly biased political pieces like Gleeson does or are there one set of rules for the Murdoch Media and one for the rest? Their team of commentators continually accuse the ABC of left wing political bias while they do exactly the same but from a right wing perspective or that is how many people see it.’

EDITOR’S NOTE: I have to declare that I am a long-time colleague of Gleeso’s and think he would have made a terrific editor of The Courier Mail. I am the first to admit I don’t like the Murdoch Media but this bloke has been an inspirational success story from the days when I first knew him at the Brisbane Sun. He would make a terrific representative for greyhound racing on any Board of any political persuasion – he is so passionate about the sport. My hope is that if the LNP claims Government in October the first thing they do is make Ray Stevens the Racing Minister and the second that they make changes but retain QRIC under the leadership of Ross Barnett who doesn’t deserve the criticism he receives. One thing that would help is a few new stewards but not ones of days gone by with too many favorites, skeletons in their closet and axes to grind.     

              

HERE’S HOPING THERE WAS NO INTERFERENCE IN THIS CHANGE

MARK B of CAIRNS sent this email:

‘THE Harrovian, undoubtedly the best horse in North Queensland, is due to return in the Newmarket on Saturday – which doubles as Cairns Cup Day.

And the question might be asked: What weight will be get?

The Harrovian won last year’s Amateur Cup with 59kg – and at his last appearance lumped a massive 67kg and treated his rivals with contempt in an Open (1400m) at Cannon Park in April.

But the question (and decision) on the weight he would carry on Saturday has somewhat conveniently been taken away from the Handicapper.

It appears that someone, with a bit of authority in the north, has decided the Newmarket will this year be run under Weight-For-Age conditions.

Funny that – or is it?’

 

THE JOKES CONTINUE IN TOOWOOMBA RACING - COME ON COMMISSIONER IT'S TIME FOR A NEW CHIEF STIPE ON THE DOWNS

by ARCHIE BUTTERFLY - a story that makes LGHR question why any punter would want to bet on Toowoomba racing. Then again why would a steward want to take any action with the absurd system at QCAT where smart lawyers seem to be assured that charges will be dismissed?  It's time to dump that crew too!

TWO weeks ago the Tony Sears trained gelding Easy Come, which had run a huge fourth in a decent race at Doombem after being posted three-wide the trip at its previous start, came out at $1.90 favourite and blitzed his opposition in a Class 1 race at Toowoomba.

The Mark Currie trained Hautclere finished 4 lengths behind him in second.

On Saturday night Easy Come stepped out against Hautclere again over exactly the same course and distance, and on the strength of his previous win this time he was sent out by the punters at $1.24.

As he did in his previous win, Easy Come led in the race, and ran slower early sectionals on the Good 4 than he had a fortnight before on the Slow 6, so at the turn those who had taken the tomato sauce were counting their money and heading for the payout queue.

They stopped and turned around pretty quick.

By the time the field hit the $200 mark, the sure thing had hit the wall. It punctured like a pricked balloon, lay down like mangy mongrel dog, and got beaten like an egg, ending up in 2nd last place beaten 4.4 lengths.

The winner was Hautclere the Currie horse, of course, of course.

The turnaround in form was 8.4 lengths.

When questioned about the run after the race by Queensland’s most brilliant Chief Steward mister Rion Hitchener, trainer Tony Sears put his $1.24 shot’s defeat down to the strong tempo in the middle stages.

Mr Hitchener obviously failed to notice that the overall time was a full quarter of a second slower than Easy Come had run on a two grades slower track just two weeks before.

And this man still holds the full backing of his boss the Commissioner of the QRIC. God help us all.

Easy come, easy go though.

I guess if you’re silly enough to bet at Toowoomba, you deserve everything you get.

And you don’t get much at all.

Just a black eye and an empty pocket.