LGHR TAKING A FEW DAYS R & R - APOLOGIES FOR OUR ABSENCE

THERE WILL BE NO STORIES PUBLISHED BEFORE FRIDAY AS LGHR TAKES A FEW DAYS R&R AFTER A BUSY CUP WEEK WHEN WE ENJOYED A PROFITABLE WEEK OF THE LGHR LATE MAIL. WE'LL BE BACK SOON.

 

SHOULD STEWARDS HAVE RELEGATED CEOLWULF - WOULD HE HAVE WON CHAMPIONS MILE WITHOUT EXCESSIVE USE OF THE WHIP? 

THE downside of the Victorian Spring Carnival has been Stewards allowing top jockeys to make a mockery of the whip rules.

One could argue that if they were doing their job policing the sport then Ceolwulf should have been disqualified after his win in the $3 million Champions Mile.

But once again no high profile Steward in the country seems to have the balls to implement the Rules to the letter of the law and take the fall-back option of heavily penalising the winning rider.

Jockey Chad Schofield copped a massive $35,000 fine for overuse of the whip during his winning ride on Ceolwulf – hitting his horse four more times than allowed. Five is the limit for jockeys before their horse reaches the final 100m.

Even FAIRFAX MEDIA posed the question that many stakeholders and punters are posing: The fine is fair enough, but should Schofield have lost the race?

Ceolwulf beat home Pericles by a nose, so a compelling case can be made that Ceolwulf would not have won had Schofield not urged him forward by overusing the whip.

But, realistically, for Schofield to have lost the race, Racing Victoria stewards would have had to launch their own protest, hear their own protest and then make a decision. It is confusing stuff.

Plus, to do so would have created serious ramifications.

Relegating Ceolwulf from first to second would have cost his connections $1.26 million in prize money. Not sure they would have taken that lying down. There’s a fair chance they would have appealed such a decision to the Victorian Racing Tribunal.

As for Pericles’ trainer, Bjorn Baker, he was typically laidback about it all on Sunday morning when contacted by The Age.

He said he had been too busy watching his own horses in the Champions Mile rather than watching the opposition.

 “It’s very easy in hindsight to say, ‘we could have, should have, would have’ (protested), but at the end of the day, it’s really up to the stewards to decide,” Baker said.

“I’m not too sure how much of an impact it could have had. At the end of the day, both my horses went great, Stefi Magnetico, too, and you have got to look forward, not back. On the day they got beaten by the better horse.”

CEOWULF and SCHOFIELD have a love-hate relationship with punters. The horse seemed to lose a leg racing in Sydney before trainer Joe Pride added the blinkers and a couple of Schofield’s rides on the horse – one by his own admission – were very ordinary. In contrast he didn’t miss a beat on Saturday.

DAMIEN LANE, one of the best jockeys in the world, is another who has ridden shotgun with the whip rules during the Victorian Spring Carnival.

Back in September, Lane was suspended for 15 meetings for breaching the whip rules (using the persuader 10 times, five more than acceptable) when he rode Aeliana in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes. His suspension ended in early October.

It wasn’t the first time this year Lane had flirted with over-use of the whip. He suffered a two-week suspension and $10,000 fine after winning the Australian Oaks on star filly Treasurethe Moment.

The Victorian-based Lane was found to have struck Treasurethe Moment 10 times prior to the 100m, five more than permitted, while overall striking the filly 20 times, which stewards deemed excessive.

The previous weekend he was fined $750 for a similar offence aboard Belle Detelle in the Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes.

It seems the only way Stewards will get the message across to jockeys (who figure a fine and suspension weighs up against their percentage for winning a big race) is to relegate a winning horse in a big race and cop the consequences. If they don’t the animal liberationists will continue to take a ‘free hit’ at the expense of horse racing.

 

 

'UP YOURS' TO ON-COURSE RJC PUNTERS WANTING CUP DAY TAB BET 

FEW racing and media identities have contributed more to the industry in Central Queensland than Tony McMahon.

Although Tony hasn’t been in the best of health for some time, LGHR was pleased to see he was still writing ‘An Occasional Column’ and we’re sure Ray See who runs the popular Racing around Queensland Facebook Page won’t mind us republishing it:                

By Tony McMahon

AS we all know it is hard to win in this game. However, on Tuesday I encountered another form of losing which I must confess was to say the very least most unusual.

A lady (well I thought she was) asked me for my tip in the Melbourne Cup. ‘Half Yours’, to which she left me dumb-founded with her instant reply: Well ‘up yours’ too if that’s the way you feel, you rude bastard. ‘After all, I only asked you for a tip’.

It was a case of me being the loser despite tipping a winner. As is said, ‘that’s racing’ but I just had to share it with you as it is golden. What do you think?

Before I forget, some interesting reading in the Stewards’ Report from the Rockhampton Jockey Club race meeting on Tuesday. I am not needling you into reading it, but I think it will inject some interest into your day or night.

I rarely attend a RJC race meeting at Callaghan Park these days as I seem to be the ‘go to person’ for complaints. Believe me I get plenty. It’s sad as I’ve been involved professionally with racing in Rockhampton for 37 years and until the last three, Callaghan Park was my home away from home.

Anyhow what would I know? Without exaggerating, more times than not wherever I go in Rockhampton someone comes up to me and asks: ‘What’s going on over there (Callaghan Park)’ and believe me it is said in a derogatory manner.

On Melbourne Cup Day, Jean and I were invited to a private function by friends hosted by DCMotors in the Acton Stand and it was a credit to the firm and a delight to attend. No sooner had we gotten out of the Uber when a disgruntled friend and a very upset one at that outside the entrance gate came over to me.

It was about 11.45am: “Tony what’s wrong with this place. There is no-TAB terminal operating here today. I’m leaving and going straight over to a club. I can’t believe it,” he said, to which I replied “Neither can I”.

He was the first of quite a few people who sourced me out with similar tales of disappointment and disbelief about no tote on Melbourne Cup Day.

Actually, I book-ended the card as while waiting for another Uber to leave Callaghan Park at about 6pm at the same entrance gate another very disappointed friend also told me a similar tale of bewilderment and woe about the RJC having not catered for small, shall we say the little once a year punters and many bigger ones on Melbourne Cup Day with a TAB tote terminal or terminals being in operation. After-all, not everyone has a TAB betting account or a mobile phone, he rightly told me.

Naturally, on Wednesday I sought a written explanation from RJC CEO David Aldred and here is his reply:

“RJC is a TAB track and our service agreement is for our TAB race days only. Not non-TAB as you are aware Melbourne Cup Day is extremely busy TAB Australia wide.

We advertised the race day as a Non-TAB race meeting with bookmakers betting only and clients booking for functions were informed.

We had three bookmakers operating who seemed to service the clientele betting only on track well”.

Interesting David as I didn’t know the three bookies concerned offered trifecta’s, multiples, etc and they didn’t.

David, with due respect I didn’t come down in the last shower and I don’t swallow your explanation about the bookies servicing the punters’ needs well.

Look, in a former life when I was younger and not the victim of stress related seizures and was the full time Racing Writer (dubbed by the late Lizard Lisle as ‘Stirrer’) for The Morning Bulletin when it was in its enlarged print form I would have delighted in taking David Aldred and the RJC to task. I would have had a field day with them.

I will say this. I find David’s explanation very strange and difficult to comprehend.

Because firstly Mackay Turf Club, which also conducted a non-TAB Melbourne Cup Day race meeting on Tuesday, had five (5) TAB tote terminals in operation.

When I informed MTC Club CEO Jo Hynes about Rochampton having none he was stunned. “I can’t believe that Tony. On Melbourne Cup Day you have to cater for the punters”, he said.

Further north, Townsville Turf Club also had a Non-TAB meeting and it had a TAB terminal in operation.

Read on!

The Mackay Turf Club’s biggest sponsor is the Corporate Bookmakers firm Ladbrokes.

According to the Rockhampton Jockey Club’s website one of its major sponsors is the TAB, if not the major sponsor.

That’s right wasn’t Nash Rawiller the TAB Rockhampton Winter Racing Carnival Ambassador this year?

This makes David’s explanation all the more intriguing.

Given the litany of betting agencies available these days to punters, I would have thought the TAB would have certainly allowed for a terminal at Callaghan Park to operate on Cup day despite it being a non-TAB affair.

Surely it would not have cost the RJC an arm and a leg and no matter it would have been a worthy public relations exercise.

David, I am not a man of your talents but I would suggest given your explanation you negotiate a new service agreement with the TAB so as in future if you again schedule a non- TAB meeting on Melbourne Cup Day the RJC can have tote terminals in operation.

Furthermore, I can’t help but wonder did the RJC contact the TAB about installing a terminal for Cup Day.

I even wonder was TAB aware that the RJC, which they sponsor, did not provide TAB facilities on Tuesday.

It’s a safe bet TAB definitely knows now.

Then again what would I know having only been professionally employed in racing all up for about 56 years?

As I said last week in a column ‘credit where credit is due’ when David Aldred was the recipient. Actually, I thought he may have acknowledged that publicly but racing journalism has taught me you mainly only get reaction to perceived criticism.

Anyhow, again hats off to David for his duty of care on Tuesday when he stepped in to broadcast two races over the public address at Callaghan Park. Once again, a few folk on course asked me why David called them wondering if Russel Leonard, who was calling the card, had come down unwell and was sick.

I must confess I was curious too and sought a response from David. He was surprised that I enquired but as I explained as club CEO it was, I thought unique. “No”, David said Russell (Leonard) was not sick but I (he) just stepped in to give him a rest”. Very honourable David after all it would have been a daunting task for the experienced Leonard to call nine races housing 53 starters officially over 5.10 hours and that’s not taking into account the delay!

 

TAKE A BOW ROBBIE KATTER FOR DOING THE JOB OF RACING MP'S 

AT last, a high profile politician with the balls to weigh into a racing debate without having any ties with the Racing Minister, his Shadow or Racing Queensland, all of whom are being accused of only caring about the south-east corner.

Member for Traeger, Robbie Katter, blasted the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission and Racing Queensland over the newly-introduced Hot Weather Policy which he says shows the lack of grass roots knowledge the ‘rocket scientists’ in the south possess of outback racing.

His comments followed the decision which forced last Saturday’s meetings at Barcaldine to be brought forward to 10am and Cloncurry to 11am. Now Robbie needs to get his teeth around why over 20 horses had to be scratched at Cloncurry and it had nothing to do with the hot weather.

Despite plenty of advance knowledge on this RQ sat on their hands instead of transferring Cloncurry to Sunday which would have freed up jockeys from Barcaldine to ride at both meetings. They either don’t know or don’t care. Whatever, the sooner Racing Minister Tim Mander puts the cleaners through some of these ‘non-events’ calling the shots at RQ the better.

LGHR has been told a new Board cannot replace the Labor appointed one until the recommendations of the delayed Racing Review are released which we are assured will be before Christmas.

Robbie Katter is spot on when he says the Heat Policy is ‘another example of the south-east dictating to the bush.’ While the silence of all things racing is deadening from the LNP and Labor, at least the Katter Party is providing a voice for the bush.

“You don't meet too many trainers who run their horses to the death in the heat,” Katter said. “The system works pretty well how it is. Trainers will try to do the right thing by their horses. Applying the same rule of one-size-fits-all around Queensland based on heat is absolutely ridiculous.

“Ask anyone who grew up in Brisbane all their life and moves out to Mount Isa (about the difference in heat). You get used to it out here.

“The focus is always on the south-east and we're just an after-thought. All too often, we're trying to pick up the pieces and fight just to get some sense and reason back here."

As one cynic suggested, it might be time for outback clubs to start applying for grants to install light towers for night racing. Good luck there. The powers-that-be are more interested in spending $200mn of industry and taxpayer funds building a new grandstand for a privileged few thousand Members for their ‘mates’ at the Brisbane Racing Club.

 

AT THE CURRENT RATE APHRC WILL BE FLAT BROKE IN THREE YEARS 

HARNESS racing in Queensland continues to lose support by the day and the latest turnover figures haven’t helped those wanting to sell up Albion Park, relocate HQ’s to back-of-Burke and spend the proceeds on the gallops and dogs which are paying their way.

It has just been revealed that for the second successive year the Albion Park Harness Racing Club has posted an annual loss of $750,000.

As Archie Butterfly, who makes no secret of his love for the sport, reported: The real problem that the Creek faces is its revenue base earned from wagering turnover is falling while its costs keep rising.

On his website, peterprofit.com, ‘The Butterfly’ points out that the APHRC still has $2.3mn in the bank. Two years ago it had $4.1mn. At this rate the club will be broke in three years’ time.

Good luck if those running the show are counting on a turnover boost considering the lack of confidence punters have in the on-course product. Running an Interdominion might help but the chain around the neck of Albion Park racing rests with regular Saturday nights which anyone who follows the sport closely will claim is a ‘joke’.

Here’s hoping when the new Chairman of Stewards gets his feet under the table that he dispenses with the failure to address the problem by those policing the sport for decades now.

Good place to start will be a few inquiries into these alleged ‘boat races’ we keep hearing are held on a weekly basis, haul in some drivers who are regarded as ‘untouchable’ and fire the bloke out of a cannon who is still said to be running the show from the sidelines.

 

‘OUTBACK FIGURES DON’T SUPPORT HEAT POLICY IMPLEMENTATION’ 

AFTER reading about the implementation of the Adverse Weather Policy to be introduced in Queensland, our regular contributor GREG BLANCHARD of the GOLD COAST, decided to check all Stewards’ Reports for the Far North West Region this year. Here’s what he found:

‘THE majority of veterinary comments were on the poor performances of horses – most with no obvious abnormalities while some were lame.

The only thing remotely close to adverse weather was at Mt Isa on April 26 when Gulf of Sidra was reported to be ‘mildly dehydrated’ but a vet examination failed to identify any significant abnormality.

The worst of the vet reports for all Stewards’ Reports that I checked was at McKinlay on June 21 when Execute, which faltered after the winning post, was found to have suffered a significant near foreleg injury and had to be humanly euthanized.’

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER RESPONDS TO YOUR INTEGRITY CONCERNS 

WE recently put a series of readers' questions to QRIC Deputy Commissioner Kim Kelly and here are his responses – what a breath of fresh air after the ‘goose’ that drove the Integrity body into the ground before shooting himself in the foot.

Here are the questions that LGHR had received from punters and stakeholders that we forwarded to QRIC with the answers from Kim Kelly:

In respect of your queries below, I can advise of the following: -

A week or so ago I received an email claiming there were only TWO STEWARDS on duty at a Sunshine Coast meeting and complaining that they were run off their feet. I didn’t believe it so I published nothing.

Today I received this one concerning a race meeting at Atherton:

‘Four (4) full time stewards to cover 27 horses in five races at a Sunday Atherton non-TAB meeting seems excessive to me, noting double time also available to those full-time employees………justified? I think not.’

MR KELLY: I can confirm that a review of the rostering of Stewards for the Sunshine Coast Turf Club race meetings conducted between 5 September 2025 and 26 September 2025 (ten (10) individual race meetings) revealed that seven (7) of the race meetings involved the rostering of five (5) Stewards to service the meeting, whilst the remaining three (3) race meetings were serviced by six (6) Stewards.

In respect of the two (2) race meetings conducted by the Atherton Jockey Club during the same period (27 September 2025 and 26 October 2025), I have been informed that on both occasions four (4) Stewards serviced the meetings.

Irrespective of the actual figures for any of the aforementioned race meetings QRIC has an obligation to ensure that all race meetings, irrespective of the code of racing, are adequately serviced by Stewards, Compliance Assurance Team members, Veterinarians, Sample Collection Officers and the various supporting departments within the organization to ensure that the integrity of racing, the welfare of animals, and the health and safety of riders and participants is not compromised.

Re: LGHR received several emails blaming QRIC for continuing a vendetta when it comes to swabbing against (a trainer) in Toowoomba while ignoring how horses (which are racing extremely well) from a Brisbane stable seem to escape the same attention.

MR KELLY: I have previously publicly stated, and reinforce here, that QRIC employs an ‘anywhere, anytime’ policy in respect of its sampling strategy. I can also extend that out to ‘anywhere, anytime, anyone’ as the sampling strategy shows no fear or favor to any person who is subject to the Rules of Racing. The racing industry and public can be assured that QRIC will employ any measure available to ensure the Rules are complied with and that a level playing field is enjoyed in all codes of racing conducted in Queensland.

 

TRAINERS WANTING STABLING AT EAGLE FARM, ‘JACK’ OF BRC ‘SNUB’ 

SEVERAL trainers have contacted LGHR highlighting what must be the worst-kept secret in south-east Queensland racing.

It involves trainer Jack Bruce being allocated the barn at Eagle Farm that has become available with Annabel and Rob Archibald cutting back on numbers.

One trainer commented: ‘Story goes Bruce plans to shut down his Sunshine Coast base.

WTF goes on at the BRC – honestly?

Why doesn’t Queensland biggest club give off-course trainers a chance to at least apply for these stables like when the B J Smith barn came up for rent?’

ANOTHER trainer wrote:

‘THERE won’t be any off-course stables left in a few years and the BRC certainly don’t seem to be worried about what happens to the trainers occupying those now.

Why wouldn’t they give a barn to someone off-course rather than a trainer who is already established and up and running - not on one but two racecourses?

It’s a joke and only supports the belief of some that the BRC is only interested in helping ‘certain’ trainers.’

EDITOR’S NOTE: LGHR is happy to publish a response from the BRC to the above criticism. Even if you got ‘Manuel’ to oversee a spin-doctoring response by ‘Big Ben’ Dorries in The Courier-Mail or on Racenet, stakeholders might get an idea of what is happening behind the scenes.  

 

 

FAST FORWARD A FEW DECADES & IT MIGHT BE MALE JOCKEYS MAKING NEWS WHEN THEY END MELBOURNE CUP DOMINATION OF LADY RIDERS 

JAMIE MELHAM became only the second female to ride the Melbourne Cup winner but as silly as it sounds in a few decades time it could well be a newsworthy event if a male was to salute in the big two-miler.

Such is the increasing involvement of women in racing that it’s only a matter of time before they dominate the riding ranks. In fact it is already happening in Brisbane where last season two outstanding young ladies fought out the jockeys’ premiership.

Michelle Payne broke the glass ceiling with her win on Prince of Penzance in the Melbourne Cup. A decade later she was the first lining up to congratulate Jamie Kah in not only emulating her feat but also becoming the first woman to ride the Caulfield – Melbourne Cup double.

Ironically, there was plenty of irony and some sadness behind her success on Half Yours, a horse bred by the late Col McKenna, who died a year ago, with the aim of winning a Jericho Cup, run in memory of the great Bill The Bastard of World War 1 legend.

So much for those who thought Half Yours was a doubt at the 3200m of the Melbourne Cup – the Jericho is over 4000m. Sadly McKenna never got to see the horse he bred win the big Cups double.

His wife Janice, who decided to cull the big number of horses Col had in work, consulted part-owner, trainer Ciaron Maher and decided to sell Half Yours. Calvin McEvoy, co-trainer and son of Tony, had his sights set on buying the five-year-old and it proved a career-defining decision.

Melham wore on her vest a badge belonging to her grandfather who died recently and those who believe in miracles insist he steered her safely along the rails, dodging the tiring Land Legend to snatch a runaway win from the Irish invader Goodie Two Shoes and the Maher-trained Middle Earth.

Whether it was a sour and sour result for Victoria’s leading trainer, being overhauled by the horse he once prepared for his mentor McKenna, the stable enjoyed a major consolation prize saddling up the trifecta in the $3 million Listed Big Dance at Randwick when Gringotts beat Vivy Air and Lugh, winning the race for the second successive year.

Champion trainer Chris Waller gang-tackled the Melbourne Cup but the best result for his stable came from River Of Stars which ran fourth. For the remainder it was a train-wreck. Stewards reported:

BUCKAROO: Slow to begin. Eased down from the 300m. A post-race endoscopy of Buckaroo detected a degree of internal exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage that may have affected the gelding's racing performance. A veterinary clearance will be required prior to racing again.

LAND LEGEND: Slow to begin. Raced keenly in the early stages when racing wide without cover. Near the 2000m was allowed to stride forward before obtaining the lead near the 1700m. Rider Joao Moreira explained after being fractious in the barriers, Land Legend over-raced through the early stages. Moreira added that despite his best efforts to ease in an endeavour to have the gelding settle, Land Legend continued to over-race and for this reason he allowed the gelding to stride forward. Moreira further added that Land Legend never settled at any stage and as a result weakened in the straight. A post-race veterinary examination did not reveal any significant findings. Stable representative Charlie Duckworth advised that Land Legend would now be spelled.

VALIANT KING: Rider Jye McNeil pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding under the provisions of AR 131(a), in that near the 2600m he rode his mount in, resulting in Presage Nocturne (IRE) and Vauban (FR) racing unnecessarily tight for some distance. McNeil had his licence to ride in races suspended for 18 race meetings, with the period to commence on Friday 7 November 2025 and expire on Sunday 23 November 2025. Accordingly, McNeil will be able to return to ride on Monday 24 November 2025. In assessing penalty, account was taken of his guilty plea, good record, that it was a Group 1 event, the Feature Race Penalty Guidelines and that the incident was in the mid-range.

Stewards reported that German visitor PRESAGE NOCTURE, heavily-backed into favouritism for the Cup, raced in restricted room near the 2600m between Vauban and Valiant King (Jye McNeil) which shifted in. Rider Stephane Pasquier reported that his mount raced tight inside Valiant King in the early stages and he felt the horse did not appreciate racing in restricted room. Pasquier added he was of the view this was the primary reason Presage Nocturne did not finish its race off. A post-race veterinary examination did not reveal any significant findings.

 

BORN LOSER OR BORN TO LOVE A PUNT – LGHR IS NO MARK TWAIN BUT SPARE THE SELF INDULGENCE OF WHY TUESDAY IS SO SPECIAL 

MOST of us remember where we were at a time in our lives when something that shocked the world occurred. Older ones will never forget the day that Man Landed on the Moon or the assassination of President John F Kennedy in Dallas.

For others it might be the tragic car cash in Paris that claimed the life of Princess Diana. Very few – old or young – will ever forget those horrifying images of terrorists flying passenger jets into the Twin Towers in New York.

For those of us who love horse racing have you ever stopped to think how and when you got involved and the circumstances surrounding that first time you had a bet or the first Melbourne Cup you can remember?

For some an experiment with the punt might have been at an early age like that first cigarette in the toilet cubicle at school. For those who enjoyed the exhilaration of watching a winner they had backed charge across the line for the first time it was probably a defining moment.

It set the scene for them to chase that elusive winner for the rest of their lives. For many of us punting on the horses has become a weekly ritual. For others it might just be an event restricted to special occasions, like the Melbourne Cup.

Whatever your choice I sincerely hope that the punt is a leisure pursuit you have grown to enjoy over the years – like I have – and not an addictive habit that has affected the way you and your family live. Having said that, you would arguably have to be very un-Australian not to have a bet on Tuesday.

For me that first punting experience was unforgettable. It occurred while I was at boarding school. My best mate’s older brother was a no-nonsense prefect and a champion athlete but he also secretly doubled as the SP bookie at Melbourne Cup time. Not that it was a great secret to some of the teachers who were known to have a bet with him.

I grew up in a family that frowned on gambling. I would tell my friends that my dad was a Captain in the Army. I bent the truth a bit – as he was actually in the Salvation Army. While I was at boarding school he and mum were overseas fighting the war against hunger and poverty in Third World countries. The closest they ever got to punting or punters was distributing copies of The War Cry in the local pub of a Friday night or standing outside the track after the last on a Saturday with a collection box in hand. To think that I would actually be betting on a horse, while still at school, would have horrified them.

On leaving school I pursued a career in newspaper journalism. Don’t ask me why but I blame it on watching too many Superman episodes as a kid – Clark Kent in the telephone box then flying around with Lois Lane under his arm really got to me. Pity I hadn't read the rules of sexual harassment as I got further down the track. No longer was it fair to put the hard word on the barmaid after footy training or try to up end the young female cadet on the carpet in the editor's office after the boss had retired for the day. Political correctness is such it pays not to even have a good perve these days. 

During my cadetship the ageing editor and owner of the newspaper where I worked in a large country town turned out to be a passionate follower of racing. He was a former war correspondent who loved nothing more these many years later than to take his old typewriter to the track every Saturday and cover the local races. We hadn't heard of computers or mobile phones in those days - not to mention race replays or SKY.

I was soon seconded to tag along and chase up the results and betting details for him. I met a lot of wonderful racing characters and it wasn’t long before his passion for a small punt soon rubbed off on me. My love affair with horse racing and the punt had begun.

Unfortunately, it was not greeted too warmly on the home front where my folks had grandiose ideas of me becoming a communications officer for the Salvation Army. I remember when Uncle Marty – a big jovial man who played in the Army band – came to join us for Christmas dinner one year. What he didn’t know is that I used to watch him every Sunday night – from the second floor window of the newspaper office where I worked. We would look down on the main street as the Salvation Army band marched proudly along. There was Uncle Marty in the back row beating the big drum with a greyhound bus right up his clacker and the driver high in the irons, slowed to a walk, as he waited impatiently to get back off the main street which led onto the Highway.

That Christmas dinner the topic somehow turned to the evils of gambling and mother – God bless her soul – mentioned how I was now writing stories on horse racing. After a dressing down on the evils of gambling I made the mistake of suggesting that the Salvos didn’t mind taking the last few coins from down on their luck punters as they left the track. It was the last time Uncle Marty ever came to Christmas dinner. Don’t get me wrong I will always admire the great work the Salvos do. They are absolute Saints to a lot of down and out families.

But that little discussion got me to thinking how could the son of two people so hugely religious and so strongly against horse racing and gambling grow to love the punt so much. It wasn’t as though I was falling over drunk and gambling away my pay packet every week or didn’t have any other leisure pursuits. In fact the majority of my spare time in my teenage and early working years was taken up playing sport. Unfortunately that suffered a major setback when I started working in a newspaper as it involved a lot of night and weekend work and I couldn’t train or participate in team sport as often as I wanted.

WELL the mystery of my love affair with horse racing was finally solved early one fateful Sunday morning when I was in my early 20s, half asleep and hungover. I was awoken by a telephone call and the woman on the other end of the line said: “Is that you John? It’s your mum calling.”

Now I knew it wasn’t mum – she and dad were off on some mission in Africa. My first thought was that this was a practical joke from one of my mates. “I didn’t know they had phone boxes in the jungle,” I replied. She missed the point and went on to ask if I had been to church that morning and if I had been raised a Catholic. “Woo there, hold the phone old girl, what are you talking about?” Minutes later I was to realize that the folks who brought me up and I called ‘mum and dad’ had actually adopted me. Pity they forgot to mention it. On the other end of the phone was in fact the person who had given birth to me. She went on to explain that there hadn’t been a day in the 20 years since that she had not thought of me but legislation had only recently been introduced that allowed her to track me down. Pity those same legislators in their wisdom didn’t think to give me a bit of warning of the bombshell that lay ahead.

FROM the half hour conversation that followed – and the numerous intimate chats we subsequently had – I came to believe that I wasn’t the ‘born loser’ that the Salvationists were ready to suggest but in fact I had been born to punt. It turned out my conception was the result of a roll in the hay in a barn behind a bush dance held after a picnic race meeting that my mother had attended with her parents when she was home on holidays from boarding school. She was the daughter of a high profile sheep cocky and prominent member of that political party that I wouldn’t vote for to this day if my life depended on it. Back then, an almost 16-year-old daughter having a baby was frowned upon. But being Catholic, an abortion was out of the question – thank the Lord for that – and I was adopted out to a family that I have to say gave me everything a child could ever want and more love than one could ever imagine. They also - when finally confronted - had an understandable explanation for not telling me about my past.

BUT back to why I feel I was born to be a punter. It turned out that my mum’s parents raced horses – the reason for their attendance at the picnic meeting that fateful weekend. The guy who did the deed was in fact a cowboy and amateur jockey who had come to town to ride at both the rodeo and the races. Her parents no doubt felt it was a pity he didn’t refrain from completing a ‘riding hat-trick’ at least on that occasion. But from my point of view, whatever success that cowboy-cum-jockey enjoyed, I am forever grateful that he at least rode one winner – with all due respects to the problems it created for my mother’s pristine family. For me the phone call on that Sunday morning provided more answers than questions. At last I knew why I loved the races – or convinced myself that I did – a pleasure that I have pursued for my entire life and will continue to do until the day I die.

IT also explains why MELBOURNE CUP week has become my favourite. With all due respects to The Everest and what it has achieved bringing a lost generation back to the track, the iconic Flemington two-miler will always be the race that stops the nation. It’s arguably Australia’s only genuine, unaffected folk carnival. It’s a day when the richest and the poorest are drawn together by the flimsy excuse of a horse race.

It’s a day of extraordinary good humour, helped along by old-fashioned larrikinism and new-fashioned exhibitionism. It’s a day for toffs and show-offs, for winners and losers and, sadly, for many at the track just another reason to get drunk.

One of the ironies of the Cup is that many of the 100,000 or more who converge on Flemington on Tuesday won’t see much of the big race. For them, it will be little more than the roar that accompanies ‘They’re Off,’ a flash of colours as the big field thunders by, the buzz that builds to a crescendo, and at the end, the million dollar question: ‘Who won?’

The great American writer Mark Twain visited Australia in the late 1800s, while on a world-wide lecture tour. He was realistic and humorous in his appraisal, but also, on the whole, quite flattering.

Twain arrived in Victoria at the time of the Melbourne Cup, and here are his observations at the time:

‘It is the Melbourne Cup that brings this multitude together. Their clothes have been ordered long ago, at unlimited cost, and without bounds as to beauty and magnificence, and have been kept in concealment until now, for unto this day are they consecrated.

And so the grandstands make a brilliant and wonderful spectacle, a delirium of colour, a vision of beauty. The champagne flows, everybody is vivacious, excited and happy – everybody bets, and gloves and fortunes change hands right along, all the time.

Day after day the races go on, and the fun and the excitement are kept at white heat. And when each day is done, the people dance all night so as to be fresh for the races in the morning.

And at the end of the great week the swarms secure lodgings and transportation for next year, then flock away to their remote homes and count their gains and losses, and order next year’s Cup clothes, and then lie down and sleep for two weeks, and get up sorry to reflect that a whole year must be put in somehow or other before they can be wholly happy again.

The Melbourne Cup is the Australasian National Day. It would be difficult to overstate its importance. It overshadows all other holidays and specialized days of whatever sort in that congeries of colonies.

Overshadows them? I might almost say it blots them out. Each of them gets attention, but not everybody’s. Each of them evokes interest, but not everybody’s. Each of them rouses enthusiasm, but not everybody’s. In each case a part of the attention, interest, and enthusiasm is a matter of habit and custom, and another part of it is official and perfunctory.

Cup Day and Cup Day only, commands an attention, an interest, and an enthusiasm which are universal – and spontaneous, not perfunctory. Cup Day is supreme, it has no rival.

I can call to mind no specialized annual day, in any country, which can be named by that large name – supreme. I can call to mind no specialized annual day, in any country, whose approach fires the whole land with a conflagration of conversation and preparation and anticipation and jubilation. No day save this one; but this one does it.’

Who can argue that little has changed in more than a Century since Mark Twain penned those wonderful words?

 

EXAMINE BIG PICTURE BEFORE LISTENING TO THESE PINOCCHIO'S 

WITH plenty of corporate bookies and the TAB’s bleating how Derby Day produced their worst results in recent memory we decided to have a look at the collective results to see just how bad it was.

Their worst results at Randwick were AUTUMN GLOW, JIMMYS STAR & WOOTTON VERNI but surely they saw that trio coming.

Macdonald elected to ride at Randwick rather than Derby Day which was a ‘dead giveaway’ (but they still offered a special $4 about the unbeaten Waller runner in the Golden Eagle).

JIMMYS STAR was easily the best performance of the beaten brigade behind Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising in The Everest. WOOTTON VERNI was coming off a Coongy Cup win in the Rosehill Gold Cup where the one tipped to test him, Maison Louis, went like a mule.

But let’s have a closer look at the support races in Sydney.

Lovewillcomelater $21 got the protest in the Hi-Way, one of the rank outsiders Bravissima won the next at $41, Sonofdec the Midway at $21, then Black Run at $13, Pokerjack at $21 and Midnight Dynamite the last at $8.50 (where the two heavily-backed runners Golden Straand $2.2 finished out of a place & Polyglot $2.9 was eased out of the race on the home turn). Sure it was a bad day for the bookies - NOT!

Then on Derby Day at Flemington Mark Zahra had a party, grabbing the spotlight from JMac at Randwick with four winners and a Group 1 double on the heavily-backed Godolphin owned TENTYRIS in the Coolmore and OBSERVOR in the Victorian Derby.

Granted, this was a black day for the bookies in the support races as well starting with Sheza Alibi in the Vanity and odds-on Getta Good Feeling in the Wakeful.

The only results they really had were the defeat of Regal Award at odds-on in the Carbine Club and the win of New York Lustre at $9.50 in the last, the Ichiban Sprint.

BUT if you want to look elsewhere just cop the results that were served up in Adelaide where the form was almost impossible to follow as the State labelled the 'hottest' in racing by punters lived up to its reputation. 

After Guru Warrior got home at $1.5 in the first at Morphettville, here’s what was served up to long-suffering punters who have no respect for their money and continue to bet in SA.

Grinzinger Champ $12, Aitch D’Amico $21, Bolt By $31, Mr George $41, Hot Statement $16, Thunder Shoc $14 & Mystic Wonder $18. They have to be kidding!

Plenty of losses on the big southern states races would have been recouped in ‘crow-eater’ territory where warning signs should be telegraphed by corporate bookies and the TAB that: ‘BETTING ON SA RACING IS A WEALTH HAZARD’.

Not that anyone was feeling sorry for the corporates after some of the big pros – and the smaller punters – cleaned them up in Sydney and Melbourne on Saturday but there’s still three days of the Flemington carnival to go so standby for those traditional boilovers that occur every year.

 

SURELY RACING REVIEW WON’T RECOMMEND ANOTHER ‘FREE RIDE’ FOR EVER INCREASING NUMBER OF PARASITE CORPORATE BOOKIES 

THE countdown has begun to ‘party time’ in racing  - that’s Melbourne Cup week – when once-a-year punters try their luck but sadly guarantees a major boost in profits for the already-fattened coffers of the Corporate Bookmakers.

As the number of these ‘fleas’ continues to balloon out of control, sadly with the support of the Government and racing authorities (many of whom are jumping into bed with the big ones sponsorship wise), the smaller bookies who served the country well for so long are being forced out of business – not to mention the affect it is having on the TAB which provides the bulk of prizemoney for the industry to exist.

Now the ‘big’ bludgers want a reduction in the Point of Consumption Tax they now have to pay and LGHR understands that is one of the reasons for the delay in releasing the recommendations of the Racing Review in Queensland.

The mail is strong that the Review has recommended a decrease of the POC in Queensland from 20 to 15 per cent. Fortunately, some Government MPs are not comfortable with this – hopefully sanity will prevail and the Corporates will continue to pay their way at the higher rate.

Ever since Queensland went to a 20 per cent POCT in December 2022, the major corporate bookmakers, with the exception of Tabcorp, have been rallying for a revision back to 15 per cent.

The consensus was that the push to 20 per cent, which had been accompanied by a change in the Racing Queensland funding model, had gone too far. As per the popular concept of the Laffer Curve, taxation had begun to disincentivise consumption, and the net result was a negative.

As pointed out by The Straight recently: The Queensland Treasury has maintained bullish projections as to the ongoing growth of wagering and betting taxes, but the feedback from bookmakers and the racing industry is that this is not realistic.

They have pointed to the ACT, where POCT sits at a national high of 25 per cent. As turnover has plummeted, the Government there now collects less tax now than when the tax rate was at 20 per cent. That suits those who might want to tax gambling out of existence, but is not good for Government coffers.

But in a complex eco-system like wagering, the Laffer Curve is arguably too simplistic. It assumes the sole disincentive to consumption is the cost of taxation, and does not account for other external factors, like the broader cost of living crisis.

Laffer also points to the fact that a lowering of the POC tax rate would mean an automatic rise in turnover. But in documents seen by The Straight, leading bookmakers are not predicting that a possible drop in Queensland’s POCT rate will necessarily see a revival in turnover. Even if it did, it is likely to be only in the realms of a five per cent jump, not enough to offset the circa $70 million less revenue at the lower tax rate.

A GOVERNMENT ACCEPTING LESS TAX REVENUE DUMB AS DOG SHIT? 

THAT poses the question what Government would sign on to getting less tax revenue? – hopefully not Queensland which faces a raft of budgetary challenges, hospitals, schools and hosting an Olympics in seven years.

As it already passes on 80 per cent of POCT revenue to the racing industry, the Queensland Government currently receives about $57 million in net tax receipts from this source. Should it want to retain that guarantee, then it may be that Racing Queensland needs to take a smaller slice of a smaller pie.

Again, RQ is hardly equipped to take a $70 million haircut off its existing operational costs, so it would need to look to secure funding from elsewhere.

The other lever it has at its disposal is race field fees – what it charges the bookmakers to bet on its product. The current net rate on that is 2.2 per cent for the major operators, which generated circa $132 million a year for RQ in its most recent annual report.

While increasing race field fees to cover POCT shortfalls would appear to be the wagering equivalent of robbing Peter to pay Paul, it would achieve one significant thing.

It would allow the racing body to have greater control over the elasticity of pricing. It could opt to alter its pricing structure to incentivise turnover and promotion, without relying on the Government risking a greater share of POCT receipts.

The lever would now be back in the hands of the regulator, which could then adjust pricing according to demand. It would also, according to projections, see race fields return as the primary source of industry funding again.

It’s an approach with some drawbacks, and could adversely impact smaller bookmakers, but it has some key supporters in the wagering and racing game - those who don't give a stuff if the family-owned operators who served the country well for so long are forced out of business.

The Queensland POCT situation is a test case for the rest of Australia, particularly New South Wales. The long-term Tabcorp-NSW agreement is up for discussion with Peter V’landys and Gillion McLachlan said to be leading the charge. A Government POCT rise is said to be off the agenda in any reform.

Why then would Queensland want to ‘go it alone’. Corporates are already accused of ‘cheating the current tax system’ by taking out multiple licenses – in some cases up to 10 under different trading names. By splitting turnover across shell companies, they stay under the $15 million ‘start-up’ concession cap, minimising POCT and turnover tax liability.

And to add insult to injury these parasite corporates want bonus bets excluded from POCT. These are the incentives they offer every week to ‘mug’ punters who loose offering them ‘free bonus bets’ on some occasions with strings attached.

Collectively, these groups are turning over tens or even hundreds of millions while still enjoying the same concessions designed for genuine small operators. The cost to racing is huge: Millions in lost tax that should have been reinvested into prizemoney, infrastructure, and integrity.

If the recommendations of the Racing Review have been delayed because there is indecision amongst Government MPs, here’s hoping Racing Minister Tim Mander and Review Chairman Matt McGrath fall on their swords where any reduction in POCT is concerned. But don't hold your breath!

 

RQ ‘ROCKET-SCIENTISTS’ CONFRONTED BY BUSH EMBARRASSMENT 

ANOTHER indication of how dumb some of these ‘rocket-scientists’ running Racing Queensland are has been evidence by an alarming situation in the outback this weekend.

It’s hard to believe that there are no jockeys available to ride an unbelievable 22 horses at the Cloncurry meeting on Saturday. Last weekend over a dozen had to be scratched at Richmond because there were no riders.

Instead of looking after the rich getting richer Corporate Bookies and reducing the tax they have to pay, the Racing Review should have focused more on this problem. But it’s outback racing so who gives a stuff if the owners pay to have their horses trained and these can’t start because there are no jockeys?

Some who would know have told us that scheduling needs to be better and these outback clubs need to push away from Saturdays. But how many people would they attract to the track midweek. There still has to be some give and take.

Here’s a free tip for the bike-riding CEO of RQ who apparently didn’t want to talk about the new heat policy for bush racing.

Move Cloncurry to Sunday. That way you can pick up plenty of jockeys already in the outback to ride at the Barcadine meeting on Saturday.

Then again there probably aren’t enough days left for the brains trust at RQ to sit down and have several meetings (over a dozen cups of coffee and scones) to discuss this and decide what to do.

The sooner there’s a shake-up at RQ and a few of the ‘First Lieutenants’ of the CEO are fired out of a canon the better. Take a tip Racing Minister if this doesn’t happen the good ship RQ Titanic will sink sooner than expected.

 

NEW HEAT POLICY TAKING CONTROL OF OUTBACK RACING AWAY FROM LOCAL CLUBS & PLACING IT IN HANDS OF SE QLD OFFICIALS 

THE Outback racing industry is up in arms over a change in heat policy that is taking control away from local clubs and placing it in the hands of south-east Queensland officials.

MATT NICHOLLS reports for NORTH WEST WEEKLY on concerns that an already-reduced racing season will be shortened as a result of the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission’s (QRIC) new Adverse Weather Policy, which could be ratified as soon as Friday afternoon.

This is despite expert claims that horses rarely suffer from heat-related stress at Outback race meetings.

In fact, Mount Isa-born-and-bred veterinarian Katelyn Thompson, who has been the on-course vet at Buchanan Park for the past eight years, told North West Weekly: “I have never had to clinically treat a horse for heat stress.”

Last Saturday, meetings at Richmond and Isisford were forced to be staged between 11am and 1pm, while this Saturday’s meetings at Cloncurry and Barcaldine will also be shifted to avoid extreme temperatures (both are forecast to be 40 degrees Celsius).

The Barcaldine Racing Club was made to start at 10am, while a decision on the Cloncurry and District Race Club's starting time was not confirmed at the time of writing.

With Racing Queensland putting pressure on clubs to draw crowds to prevent the reduction of race meetings in 2026 and beyond, both the Cloncurry and Barcaldine clubs, as well as other industry leaders, believe the heat policy is going too far.

“It just becomes a COVID meeting if you start at 10am,” said Cloncurry and District Race Club president Luke Daniels of racing without crowds.

“I work out here every day and it starts to sting a bit if it gets over 45 or 46 degrees, but no one is that worried if it’s 41 or 42.

“They want to push these races through quickly but they’d be better off spacing them out to give the jockeys more time to recover between races.

“The horses are usually OK.”

North West Weekly understands that a meeting will be held between QRIC and Racing Queensland on Friday to rubber-stamp the new policy.

No industry representatives were going to be present until enquiries made by this masthead resulted in two Country Racing Panel members getting an invitation to dial in.

North West panel representative Dan Ballard and Central West counterpart Gary Peoples will now be invited to have their say.

But the new policy is virtually a done deal, according to QRIC deputy commissioner Kim Kelly.

In an extensive interview, he confirmed that the new policy would likely be implemented within days.

“I would expect that toward tomorrow (Friday) or in the early part of next week that we'd have something ready to be put up on the website and ready to be digested by industry and by the public,” Kelly said.

RACING QUEENSLAND DECLINED TO BE INTERVIEWED 

RACING Queensland declined to put up a representative to be interviewed.

In a statement, the Deagon-based body said: “Racing Queensland is presently providing input into the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission’s updated Adverse Weather Policy. Programming adjustments made as a result of adverse weather are done with both participant and animal welfare at the forefront.”

Barcaldine Racing Club resident Willie Chandler was less than impressed with being dictated to by south-east officials.

“These decisions are being made by someone in Brisbane with no idea,” he said on Thursday morning.

“I spoke to Racing Queensland on Monday and said there might be an issue with the heat and it was decided we would start at 12 and punch through and finish before 2 o’clock.

“That was ticked off by RQ and, within an hour, we had been ordered by QRIC to start at 10am.”

The problem for Barcaldine is that the Qantas flight lands at 11.15 on Saturday mornings. Booked on the plane were two jockeys and the club’s veterinarian.

The vet has since had to find a seat on an overnight bus to return to Barcaldine, while the two jockeys will fly into Emerald tomorrow (Friday) and drive out for the meeting.

“The people on the ground should be able to make these decisions,” Chandler said.

“No one wants to put horses or jockeys at risk. But we live and work in these conditions. It’ll be hot on Saturday, but it won’t be dangerous.”

Now starting at 10am, with the last of the card to be run at noon, Barcaldine Racing Club will no longer charge a gate fee on Saturday.

“If this was your one-off race meeting, you've just got obliterated,” Chandler said.

“To me, this is all about chest pumping from Brisbane – ‘we will tell you what to do and when you need to do it’.

“We’ve been racing in the heat for 100 years and we know what we are doing. We might as well only race for six months of the year if you can’t race during the day when it gets a bit hot.”

Retired champion bush jockey Dan Ballard is on the Mount Isa Race Club committee and is the North West delegate on the Country Racing Panel.

"Where is the data? What is driving these decisions? I'm not aware of any horses succumbing to heat stress," he said.

"If we're going to be completely risk-averse, we might as well not race.

"This should be a data-driven discussion, not an emotionally-driven discussion."

Ballard said the panel was not asked to provide input into the new Adverse Weather Policy.

“There’s a lack of pragmatism with the current policy,” he said.

“As it stands, you’re required to have two vets when the heat policy is enforced. It’s difficult to adequately describe how impractical that is out here.

“We have two vet surgeries (in Mount Isa) and they alternate weekend call-outs so they don’t burn out.

“There’s probably only four or five vets in the postcode."

Ballard said he was “really proud” of the North West clubs who had been flexible and willing to change programs as a result of the current policy.

“Not only to host them, but to do things to abate concerns about heat,” he said of the measures taken by clubs to make conditions better for horses and jockeys.

“If changes aren’t made (to the policy), we’re going to be dealing with a six-month racing calendar.

“The current policy is very difficult to navigate.”

Dr Thompson said she was not approached for feedback in regards to changes to QRIC’s policy.

However, she believed there was no risk to horses from racing in the Outback’s high temperatures due to the low humidity.

“I can count on one hand the horses I’ve seen suffer from heat stress,” she said.

“I have never had to clinically treat a horse for heat stress.

“Horses are stabled in these conditions, worked in these conditions and are acclimatised to these conditions.

“I don't think the heat is the major factor – humidity is more of a factor.

“It’s rare to see high humidity out here. We might get to 38 degrees and 10 per cent (humidity). I’d be more concerned about the heat in Townsville.”

Wyandra/Cunnamulla trainer Alistair Webb is making the six-hour trip to Barcaldine on Saturday with just one horse – the in-form Mon Pierre – who is trying to earn a place in the Country Stampede Final at Doomben in December.

His jockey Matthew Gray was originally supposed to fly in on Saturday, but had to make alternative plans to get there when the meeting was shifted.

Webb believes the Outback racing scene will fall away if bush clubs are forced to race outside of regular hours.

“I think it's dumb,” he said of the 10am start.

“Clubs have got to survive. The other day, Charleville started early and finished at 2pm and everyone went home … the club lost money.

“What's the difference between 10am and 2pm? Even at 10 it’s pretty bloody hot.

“If they get their way, we’re only going to race from April to September.”

 

GRACE GRACE GIVEN FREE SHOT BEFORE CCC INVESTIGATES ‘MATES’ 

 THE big question that stakeholders want answered is whether Grace Grace will do her job as Shadow Minister for Racing and ask in Parliament this week why the Government is yet to release the recommendations of its much-publicised Racing Review.

With the ‘goat-riders’ in disarray over whether taxpayers and the industry should fully fund a new grandstand at Eagle Farm for a privileged few thousands Members, surely Ms Grace isn’t too close to the Brisbane Racing Club to want to rock the boat.

While the industry awaits the outcome of this predicament – and whether funds from the sale of Albion Park will be used to finance up to $200mn needed to replace the condemned John Power stand, there is action at the station at the Crime and Corruption Commission.

It seems they are about to do the job that the Government and Racing Queensland refused to and investigate the cloud hanging over the Brisbane Racing Club Board which was the subject of some contentious questioning at the recent AGM. For some reason the mainstream racing media, specifically News Ltd has failed to cover this big story and their rival Fairfax was refused permission to attend the AGM.

LGHR can confirm that the matter is now in the hands of the CCC, a five-member Board which is headed by Bruce Barbour who was reappointed as Chairperson after the LNP regained Government.

A Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee monitors and reviews the performance of the CCC includes seven MP’s and is chaired by Mark Furner, the Member for Ferny Grove. From a racing’s perspective it includes Ray Stevens, the Member for Mermaid Beach and Glenn Butcher, the Member for Gladstone, both of whom have good knowledge of the industry.

Stevens, in particular, is a former Director of the Gold Coast Turf Club and in the opinion of many (LGHR included) should at one stage of his long political career been Racing Minister. His support for colleague John Paul Langbroek (what was he thinking) in an LNP leadership spill won by Tim Nicholls reportedly cost him the factional numbers needed to be Racing Minister.

Interestingly, Stevens is an ally of Racing Minister Tim Mander – caught in the crossfire over the Eagle Farm grandstand funding largely because of the ‘dark cloud’ hanging over the BRC Board operations in recent years, while Nicholls is one of those MP's ‘in bed’ with Queensland’s leading club because it is bang smack in the middle of his electorate.

Thank God we have an independent body like the CCC and this overseeing Parliamentary Crime and Corruption and Committee which was recommended and established in the wake of the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

But back to the original point of this story and the last thing Racing Minister Mander needs at this time is interrogation in Parliament about why the surprise delay has occurred to the release of recommendations of the Racing Review.

Grace Grace has been given a ‘free hit’. Surely she is not influenced to such a degree by the BRC Board and its former Chairman (as many believe) that as Shadow Ministed refuses to do her job and ask the questions that the industry and stakeholders want answered.

 

QRIC NEEDS TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY DID DEAL WITH JIGGER TRAINER 

AND on the subject of the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (which many want dismantled or combined with a Control Body), it is once again under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Rather than LGHR try to explain, here’s a story by Archie Butterfly on his must-read, subscriber only website, www.peterprofit.com, today:

‘IT was revealed on Wednesday in the Racing Appeals Panel that the QRIC had cut a deal with trainer Todd Austin to reduce his disqualification (from five to three years) over the Birdsville incident involving shocking a horse with jolts of electricity from a jigger.

The question that must be answered by the QRIC is why?

Protecting the welfare of racing animals is one of the QRIC’s primary purposes, part of the very reason for its existence.

How is doing deals to reduce the sentence of a person found guilty of involvement in delivering electric shocks to a horse with a hand held device compatible with the purpose?

It does not seem to be at all.

A public explanation by the Integrity Commission is required!

 

QRIC WILL SURVIVE BUT AT WHAT PRICE TO INTEGRITY OF SPORT? 

AS the industry waits for the results of the Government-ordered Review into the Queensland Racing Industry to be announced, one thing’s for sure.

The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission will thankfully survive in some form but hopefully talk of stewards coming under the same arm as administration does not happen.

It’s fine for the ‘bean counters’ to insist that QRIC costs less but WHAT PRICE INTEGRITY? And we’ve all seen in the past what happens when control boards and their chairmen have influence over what happens in the policing of racing.

There has been a turnaround of confidence – it’s still got a long way to go – since the arrival of Kim Kelly, the internationally experienced steward who is now a Deputy Commissioner of Steward.

The departure of the ‘dead wood’ that was causing QRIC to spiral to the stage where it was regarded as a standing joke, with poor stewarding policies and accusations that it was no longer a level playing field, had to happen.

WORRYING SIGNS POLICING QLD RACING A CONCERN TO PUNTERS 

BUT from a punters’ perspective there are still some worrying signs. LGHR welcomes a response to the following from QRIC or Kim Kelly but here are some concerning emails that we have received.

A couple of weeks ago we were told that only two stewards were in control of a TAB meeting at the Sunshine Coast. We didn’t publish concerns raised believing it couldn’t have been possible.

After last weekend we received this email from a respected, long-time follower of racing in North Queensland:

‘FOUR full-time stewards to cover 27 horses in five races at a Sunday Atherton Non-TAB meeting seems excessive to me, noting double-time also available to those full-time employees………justified? I think not.’

Then from a more concerning integrity perspective these concerns were raised by several punters and stakeholders:

'WHY is QRIC continuing to focus on a prominent stable in Toowoomba while turning a blind eye to another in Brisbane? Surely the favouritism that once occurred does not still exist?’

 

QRIC NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE SERIOUS CONCERNS AT BARCALDINE 

THEN there was the situation raised this week by Archie Butterfly on his must-read subscriber only site, www.peterprofit.com which read:

‘WE continue to receive information that unlicensed trainer Todd Austin is preparing at least seven horses at the Barcaldine track, and that he is doing it out of a car so he is not visible and can drive off undetected if by chance the Stewards unexpectedly arrive during trackwork hours.

Those that know say that Austin is doing this with the express knowledge of the Barcaldine Racing Club, whose President Will Chandler has raced a lot of horse and won a lot of races with Todd Austin as his trainer, not that we are saying there is any relationship between these things.

You may have noticed that we called Austin unlicensed rather than disqualified.

That is because our mail is that Austin’s term of disqualification has been reduced by QCAT (although no decision in the matter has yet been published) and has now expired.

Austin’s hearing listed for Friday at the Racing Appeals Panel is reportedly his appeal against the decision of Stewards to refuse his application made after the reduced period of disqualification ended.

The decision of the appeals panel in this matter is likely to become an important precedent case when it comes to any future licensing applications made by (Victorian) Darren Weir and co after their disqualifications finish, so it is vitally important that all material facts are put before the Stewards, including the alleged matter of Austin training horses in breach of the Rules.

Questions need to be asked of the Barcaldine Race Club as to whether Todd Austin is/has been training horses at their track, for if he has been it potentially jeopardizes the club’s license and exposes the committee and the club to having legal action brought against them in the event that there is an incident causing damage or loss involving an unlicensed and uninsured trainer.

As we have repeatedly raised, the location and status of a number of horses that have been transferred out of the Brett Cavanough stable to person or persons unknown also needs to be established.

The two matters are linked, for these are at least some of the horses that Todd Austin is alleged to be training at the Barcaldine track.

There is no smoke without fire.

QRIC need to send the troops out to Barcaldine to douse the flames.

 

KELLY CAN’T CORRECT PROBLEMS WITH ONE HAND TIED BEHIND BACK

THE above issues raise concerns about the ability of some high profile QRIC Stewards and therein lies a major problem for Deputy Commissioner Kim Kelly.

The buck should stop with the Chief Steward Josh Adams but few punters have much confidence in the job he is doing. As one wrote:

‘WHEN was the last time Adams conducted a running and handling inquiry involving a high profile trainer or jockey? Anyone who follows racing in south-east Queensland knows it isn’t that squeaky clean. A close look at the connections of some of the leading jockeys would be a good place to start. And on the subject of stable raids, do they even occur anymore? One struggles to imagine Mr Adams doing any fence jumping. For starters he would need a leg-up.’

And this one from the north:

‘LGHR knows the worth of the Chief Steward in the Far North having watched his career rocket under the then leadership of the good doctor Bob Mason and his namesake who was QRIC Commissioner. Week in, week out, we see integrity disasters in the north but this bloke continues to survive. Then we have the ‘red hots’ where nothing seems to have changed if you listen to the punters. Did that new Chief Steward ever arrive because if he did the more things change the more they stay the same.’

EDITOR’S NOTE: The problem is that no half-decent steward is prepared to relocate to Queensland while the current cloud hangs over QRIC and policing of the industry here. If the cost-cutting means a reduction in stewarding, swabbing and stable raids, then they might as well close the joint down. The trots is a basket case, the dogs are battling the animal liberationists circling like vultures and Kim Kelly is being forced to try and clean the joint up with one hand tied behind his back. If the light at the end of the tunnel relies on the recommendations of the Racing Review, the punters are stuffed!

JUST ANOTHER ‘SUCK UP & SURVIVE DAY’ AT FANTASY ISLAND RACES

HERE’S something we heard that apparently happened at the Doomben races last Saturday that won’t surprise those who know the individuals involved:

A prominent racing scribe, with a close association to the Brisbane Racing Club, was doing his weekly lap of leap-frog with Manuel – the media jack-of-all-trades at Headquarters.

After spotting a thorn-in-the-side for his ‘mates’ running the State’s leading club enjoying a day out at the races, the media man grew a spine that he lacks in most he writes.

He sauntered up to the guy who has dared to put the officials they call ‘Buckets’ (because he’s bailing out the water from a sinking ship) and ‘Bails’ (the one who supposedly would like to switch jobs from one sport to another).

‘Would you like a chip?’ the scribe (with a short memory) condescendingly asks the old-timer who once allowed him and his daughter to free-load for a brief holiday at their stud on the Downs.

“When are you going to write something about when the recommendations of the Racing Review are going to finally be released to the industry?” was the reply.

The scribe quickly burred up: “I don’t talk orders from you when it comes to writing my stories!”

That prompted the thought from the Member that the BRC loves to hate: ‘Well who do you take them from?’

In next to no time our spineless scribe scampered back for a ‘well done boy pat on the head’ from his mentor Manuel. And as a big jet flew overhead on its trajectory into nearby Brisbane Airport someone heard him say: ‘D’Plane Boss, d’Plane!’

HOOFNOTE: For those too young to remember "D'Plane boss, d'plane!" was a famous catchphrase from the 1970s-80s TV series Fantasy Island, spoken by the character Tattoo (they could remake another version based on what is happening in racing in Brisbane these days).

 

‘COULD NEVER HAPPEN IN OZ RACING DUE TO LACK OF TAB ACCESS’ 

PETER MAIR, from SYDNEY, another of our regular contributors, weighs into the debate involving insiders with a betting edge. He writes:

...betting edge for insiders?....no way.

Class-action allegations over US betting edge for insiders

https://thestraight.com.au/class-action-allegations-over-us-betting-edge-for-insiders/

This would not happen here ------ no one would be permitted to have special access to a TAB hotline to place big, complex, syndicate bets before the jump. The jump would never be delayed!

Our betting stewards, reviewing betting activity on rough results, routinely find any evidence of insider 'edges' and prosecute the participants to the full extent of the law.

............... CCTV records, of punters in TAB agencies placing big cash-bets on unexpected winners, are routinely scrutinised,  very closely, by Stewards for follow up action on participant connections to be explored.

 

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY SIDE OF COX PLATE DAY THROUGH THE EYES OF PUNTERS WITH A LITTLE SELF INDULGENCE FROM LGHR

THE GOOD

WALLER ESCAPES HERO TO VILLIAN BY A NOSE 

THERE was a nose – some might say a sneeze by jockey Mark Zahra – between champion trainer Chris Waller going from hero to villain in last Saturday’s Cox Plate at The Valley.

Punters, accustomed to Waller favorites getting beaten by roughie stablemates held their collective breaths as Via Sistina got the photo verdict over Buckaroo in the $6mn G1 WFA classic.

Like him or not, Waller stage-managed another Group 1 success – it was the second successive year Via Sistina had won the Cox Plate – timing the champion mare’s preparation to the minute.

Waller did not have her ‘pinned down’ until the day of the big race. But it’s par for the course for his ‘stars’ to have ‘warm-ups’ in lead-up races to be primed for the Grand Final. His media ‘spin doctors’ refer to it as a 'training regime'. We call it 'practice runs'. The stewards call it 'best left alone'.

The close result reignited what LGHR has maintained for so long. With over 2000 Corporate Bookmakers in this country now – the majority of them arguably parasites when it comes to caring for their clients – surely some can offer a price for those wanting a ‘bracket bet’ for stablemates from big stables.

In the 38 contenders chasing a Melbourne Cup start next Tuesday, Waller has eight and Ciaron Maher five. The best of Waller’s chances, according to the markets, are Valiant King $7, Buckaroo $8 and River Of Stars $15.

 

HERE’S HOPING MAHER STABLE PAID THE ZAHRA FINE 

CIARON Maher might be hoping on a miracle to win the Melbourne Cup with one of his roughies but barring bad luck has a great chance in Saturday’s Victoria Derby.

The win by Observor in the Gold Vase at the Valley last Saturday was quite outstanding considering the margin he could have won by.

Mark Zahra earnt the wrath of stewards easing down on Observor to a casual stroll across the line ensuring the Godolphin-owned colt did not exert too much energy.

That cost Zahra a fine and caused some angst among margin bettors considering Observor could have won by up to five lengths.

The Stewards’ Report read:

RIDER Mark Zahra was fined $1500 under the provisions of AR 131(b) for failing to ride his mount out to the end of the race.

Don’t underestimate the effort of runner-up Providence which stormed home after being held-up until passing the 300m mark. He gets out to a more suitable trip in the Derby and don’t forget Chris Waller doesn’t have them ‘spot on’ until the Grand Final.

 

THE BAD

AFTER SATURDAY IT SHOULD BE RENAMED ‘HOARSES’ NOT ‘HORSES’ 

FAIRFAX Media got it right when they wrote:

HALL of Fame singer Daryl Braithwaite, champion jockey Hugh Bowman and a host of party-pooper security guards triple dead-heated for the least-inspiring performances of Cox Plate day.

Bowman has won four Cox Plates and ridden more than a 100 Group 1’s but had a ‘shocker’ on Aeliana. He drove her straight into a speed trap, poking along the rails and into the rear end of a tiring Light Infantry Man – which on paper, looked to be one of the slowest horses in the race.

Sometimes the difference between champ and chump in a post-race analysis is a split-second gap. Had one opened for Bowman, allowing Aeliana to burst through to fight out the finish, he would have been lauded as a genius.

Sadly, he had a lap full of horse and nowhere to go. Aeliana finished a disappointing sixth behind Via Sistina and will be sent to the paddock for a spell.

As for Braithwaite, his iconic Moonee Valley anthem Horses should have been renamed “Hoarses” on Saturday after the ageing singer struggled to hit the high notes – more the pity for the 76-year-old who has helped make Cox Plate day such a special event.

Then to the security guards who misread the moment by confiscating post-race souvenirs, including pot plants and a massive length of running rail, from excited fans as they departed the closing track. It’s not like Moonee Valley Race Club are going to need these things any more, the place is about to be demolished.

 

SHINN HAD ONE OF THOSE DAYS THAT JOCKEYS PREFER TO FORGET

SPEAKING of bad days at the office, champion jockey Blake Shinn had an afternoon he would rather forget.

The four-time Scobie Breasley Medal winner was expected to be a major player in the Cox Plate on Queenslander Antino, but the pair never fired a shot, finishing seven lengths last.

A post-race vet check did not reveal any issues, so Racing Victoria Stewards asked Shinn and trainer Tony Gollan to explain Antino’s substandard performance – neither had an answer.

Shinn said the gelding never travelled comfortably during the race, while Golan said Antino had worked well during the week in what had been a faultless preparation.

He told Stewards the horse would now undergo a thorough veterinary examination. Let’s hope he can bounce back and take part in Flemington’s Champions Day.

It was a similar story for Shinn in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes. He finished second last on $1.80 favourite Charm Stone, and once again had no explanation for the disappointing performance – nor could the post-race vet.

The mare looked to be cruising outside leader and eventual winner Jigsaw but punctured once they hit the straight. Co-trainer Mick Kent Jnr said Charm Stone would now undergo a more thorough vet check.

 

THE UGLY

‘HE’S DONE IT ONCE, DIDN'T NEED TO SEE IT AGAIN’, THEY’RE KIDDING! 

THERE were three major talking points at Cox Plate Day which the mainstream racing media were seen in the role of apologist more so than caring to delve too deeply into.

One was the reason behind the absence of Yulong Investments billionaire owner Yuesheng Zhang not being at Moonee Valley to see his great mare Via Sistina win the Cox Plate for the second successive year.

Not too many were wearing the Yulong excuse that: ‘He’s done it once. He doesn’t need to see it again.’

The rumour mill was in overdrive with stories about visa, passports and even a connection to a major story in China involving the Agriculture Minister who is in ‘it’ up to his eye-balls and could face the death-penalty.

THEN we had the rumour merchants in over-drive with absurd reasons why the Queenslander Antino lost a leg in the Cox Plate. Even allowing for the improvement of Via Sistina, the Tony Gollan trained galloper lost eight lengths in the space of a fortnight.

It is imperative that Stewards and the Gollan stable come up with an excuse for the poor performance or the rumours will simply gain momentum. It can’t just be put down to ‘one of those things in racing’ or every horse has an ‘off-day’.

 

CHINESE WHISPERS INVOLVING BIG STABLE IN  FINANCIAL STRIFE 

AND finally the Chinese whispers involving a major training establishment hitting a massive financial hurdle can’t stay under wraps for much longer.

Story goes this involves debt in the multi millions that could see another big stable declared bankrupt unless a rescue package magically appears overnight. It would be a massive blow to Australian racing.

The stable concerned has relied on the support of a major backer with massive interests overseas and in Australia but surprisingly those at the coalface say there is no likely life-line on the horizon.

 

HOW COULD A HORSE WITH CHAMPION QUALITIES LIKE ANTINO PERFORM SO BADLY & LOSE AN AMAZING 8 LENS ON VIA SISTINA? 

RIDICULOUS rumours will gain momentum until the biggest mystery of the Victorian Spring Carnival is solved.

The spotlight is not only on the Melbourne stewards but also champion trainer Tony Gollan to provide a reason for Antino’s dismal performance in the Cox Plate.

Those blaming a lack of security for the defeat of the Queenslander are either talking through their pockets, having nothing better to do with their time but create mischief and are showing a lack of respect for Gollan, who is one of the best in the business.

The question still remains:

How could Antino (close 2^nd) perform so badly after sitting wide and beating the reigning champion Via Sistina (closing 3^rd) home in the G1 Turnbull at Flemington? The turnaround in the Cox Plate was an unbelievable eight lengths with Antino running last after tailing the field the entire trip.

Here’s what the Valley Stewards’ reported:

ANTINO: Slow to begin. Rider Blake Shinn explained that the gelding never travelled comfortably and came under pressure from the 800m, failed to run on and he was at a loss to explain the performance. Shinn added that in his opinion there may be something amiss with the gelding. A post-race veterinary examination did not reveal any significant findings. Trainer Tony Gollan explained that Antino had worked well and the gelding has had a faultless preparation leading into (the) race. Gollan added that Antino would now undergo a thorough veterinary examination upon return to the stables, the results of which he will forward to Stewards. Stewards will follow up with the stable.

It was no suprise to most that Via Sistina would improve sufficiently to beat Antino and defend her Cox Plate crown – but certainly not in that manner.

Trainer Chris Waller did not have her ‘pinned down’ until the day of the big race. But there was no way any form expert – let alone the stable who expected Antino to win – would have imagined him going so badly.

In the case of Waller it’s par for the course for his ‘stars’ to have ‘warm-ups’ in lead-up races to be primed for the big one. They call it 'training regime'. We call it 'practice runs'. The stewards call it 'best left alone'. 

So what is the answer to the biggest mystery of the spring (so far):

Antino might not have won at the Valley but was proven in top company prior to Saturday – running third to Pride Of Jenni and Mr Brightside in the G2 Feehan last spring.

It wasn’t as though Antino isn’t proven at weight-for-age – winning the G1 Doomben Cup in a cakewalk in the winter.

Aninto’s latest flop was in the G1 Hong Kong Mile last December when he finished sixth to Voyage Bubble and was immediately spelled.

This was a horse that simply didn’t want to go when Blake Shinn asked him to improve at the half mile. He raced like a Maiden. So what went wrong?

Just putting it down to one of those things in racing isn’t good enough. There has to be a reason. The punters want to know and more importantly Tony Gollan and his owners will no doubt lose sleep worrying until they get to the bottom of it.

Here’s hoping it’s nothing serious and that Antino finds his best form and returns for another crack at a major Australian carnival after a spell.  

 

YULONG DISPELS CHINESE WHISPERS – ZHANG 'DIDN'T NEED TO SEE VIA SISTINA WIN ANOTHER COX PLATE - IT'S NOT A VISA ISSUE!

RACING giant Yulong Investments have taken the unusual step of sending a text message to Australian racing connections to dismiss rumours about billionaire Chinese owner Yuesheng Zhang’s absence from Saturday’s Cox Plate meeting.

The man behind mega racing operation Yulong Investments was not at Moonee Valley to watch his Cox Plate favourite Via Sistina successfully defend her crown.

DANNY RUSSELL & ANDREW WU report for FAIRFAX MEDIA that concerns had been raised in racing circles this week that Zhang could not secure an Australian visa in time to make it to Melbourne to watch the race.

But Yulong confirmed to FAIRFAX on Friday morning that the organisation’s general manager, Jun Zhang, who is the owner’s son-in-law, had sent a text to several people in the breeding industry this week to dispel the concerns.

“I just wanted to take a moment to address the recent rumours about Yulong – they’re completely untrue,” Jun wrote.

“Thank you all for your concern and support. I’m sorry this kind of talk has been circulating and causing some unnecessary distraction.

“Let’s stay focused on what really matters which is enjoying the racing season and continuing the great work we’re all doing together. Really appreciate everyone’s effort and commitment to Yulong.”

Yulong is a massive racing and breeding industry that operates out of Nagambie.

The operation’s horses race with several leading trainers across Australia such as Chris Waller, Ciaron Maher and the Hayes family’s Lindsay Park.

At a Cox Plate launch earlier this month, Yulong chief operating officer Sam Fairgray said it had been phenomenal for his boss to be trackside to witness Via Sistina’s record-breaking romp last year.

“He obviously isn’t here all the time, but to be here, among the atmosphere and the closeness of the Cox Plate, and for her to win the way she did, it was a very, very special moment for him,” Fairgray said.

“I’m sure he’ll remember that for the rest of his life.

 “I’ve been with Mr Zhang since 2018, and he can’t speak English, but he’s gone from someone who’s quite shy and reserved to now making so many friends within the racing industry here in Australia and worldwide, and he absolutely loves it and the thrill of it.

“And, you know, knowledge wise, he would be up there with anybody here in Australia, with knowing what’s going on around the world and here in Australia and the industry.”

Fairgray gave no indication of any impending drama when he explained earlier this week why Zhang, the owner of last year’s Cox Plate winner Via Sistina, would not be at Mooney Valley for Saturday’s race.

“He’s already seen a Cox Plate win – he’s done it once, he doesn’t need to see it again,” Fairgray said.

HOW CAN REVIEW RECOMMENDATION FOR PUBLIC FUNDED MEMBERS ONLY GRANDSTAND PROCEED WHILE DARK CLOUD HANGS OVER BRC? 

 IF you are to believe significant scuttlebutt emanating from Government circles, Racing Minister Tim Mander is caught between a rock and a hard place as the industry impatiently awaits release of the Racing Review recommendations.

Story goes one of the major recommendations would see the LNP Government spending up to $200 million of taxpayer dollars or valuable industry funds to replace the condemned Eagle Farm grandstand that is currently for the exclusive use of a few thousand privileged Club Members.

Stakeholders are calling for several assurances:

• That no return from the sale of Albion Park harness racing headquarters is used to pay for a grandstand at Eagle Farm.
• That the Brisbane Racing Club show-cause to the industry and taxpayers of Queensland why they should not pay for the new stand out of their own funds or at best be part-funded to replace a grandstand that has been condemned.
• If the Government and the industry pay for the replacement to the John Power stand that the BRC is required to convert it for public use as well and not exclusively for a privileged few thousand Members and their guests.

The real predicament for the Government and the Racing Minister rests with the cloud hanging over the BRC Board – before and after its Annual General Meeting last week with those close to the coalface suggesting that the release of the Racing Review recommendations was deliberately postponed pending its outcome.

Despite a ‘censorship’ of coverage by the mainstream racing media, especially The Courier-Mail, of what happened behind closed doors at the AGM (and a refusal by the BRC to allow Fairfax to attend), recordings of proceedings have done the rounds and there are growing concerns that the minutes of the previous AGM were railroaded through by a small majority when there was a consensus of opinion that these were not a true reflection of the financial records of the Club with important information omitted.

Some of those at the AGM say new Chairman Richard Morrison and his ‘First Lieutenants’ did a good job at shutting down discussion on contentious questioning from disgruntled Member Wally Gleeson and have been accused of failing to treat his probing of governance and integrity issues within the BRC with the respect it deserved. The AGM wounded the BRC but they got through the day but the industry may not have heard the last of the controversy yet.

NEVILLE BELL to the AGM – ‘I FEEL LIKE THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM’ 

GLEESON – and his supporters (a number that has grown even further since the AGM) – were determined to seek answers about the sale of what is now used as a display unit in one of the high rise complexes adjacent to the Eagle Farm track. Their insistence on answers eventually led to former BRC Chairman Neville Bell rising to his feet to address the meeting and describing himself as ‘the elephant in the room’.

It was explained that the unit in question was put up for sale and anyone could have bought it. A company associated with Mr Bell turned out to be the eventual buyer. There was confusion over who sold the unit but it was eventually ascertained – with the help of a search that had been undertaken by Wally Gleeson – that the BRC sold the unit to a company associated with then Chairman Bell and that he had rented it back to Mirvac for an annual income starting at $50,000 (a private business deal that he was entitled to undertake). Gleeson and others wanted to know why the sale had not been recorded in the Finances of the Club and consequently to Members in the Minutes of any AGM since it occurred, reportedly in 2022.

Then there was the situation where questions were asked by Gleeson about the resignation of former Property & Asset Manager (Jeff Kahler) but no details of what payout he received and if there was an ex gratia payment made to him by the Board were forthcoming. Gleeson and the AGM were told that Kayler, like former CEO Partridge, ‘received what he was entitled to’ – end of story.

RQ CEO CAUGHT IN CROSS FIRE AMID CALLS FOR CCC INTERVENTION 

THERE are now calls for this whole messy affair to be referred by Racing Queensland or the Government to the CCC (Crime & Corruption Commission) with RQ CEO Lachlan Murray caught in the crossfire.

As sad as it sounds LNP Racing Minister Mander is seen to have an unusual ally in all of this in his Labor predecessor Grace Grace who won’t be asking him any touchy questions in the House about this situation. Believe it or not, after a year in office the new Government has yet to replace the RQ Board that she appointed.

Chairman Steve Wilson, who is known to be close to Ms Grace, has resigned but isn’t due to depart RQ until the end of this month. That has raised questions whether he should have any influence of whether RQ or CEO Murray forwards the matter to the CCC after witnessing first-hand what happened at the AGM. No doubt they will rely on legal advice.

More importantly, the question is being asked whether the Government can release the Racing Review recommendations, especially those pertaining to the BRC (eg a new Eagle Farm grandstand) if, as expected, the CCC soon opens an investigation into aspects of the AGM and other issues whether the matter is referred to them by RQ or other concerned individuals.

Don’t let anyone tell you that this isn’t an issue with the potential to cause major embarrassment for racing in Queensland and the relatively new Government. The Murdoch Media will not be able to sweep it under the carpet forever.

STAKEHOLDERS WANT ANSWERS FROM CM ABOUT ALLEGED COVER-UP

QUESTIONS are already being asked why the state’s leading newspaper has refused for over a year to write a word on what is one of the biggest stories in Queensland racing.

One would hope it has nothing to do with an alleged close relationship between an Editorial high-roller at the CM and a prominent Board Member and a visit to last year's Everest meeting. 

Surely there isn’t enough ‘free-loading at special race days’, front row tickets to the Broncos and Lions, not to mention crickets tests at the Gabba, to influence whether stories that might reflect badly on ‘mates’ are run by the C-M, the circulation of which has been spiralling downward for years.

WHAT LGHR does know about what has happened behind the scenes at the leading ‘fish and chips wrapper’ will blow your socks off.

An investigative journalist from The Courier-Mail tried to write a story about the controversy surrounding the BRC, seeking information over who owns units in the complexes there, why a former CEO left and had to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement along with several other issues.

WHY DID THAT COURIER-MAIL STORY NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY? 

LGHR understands that after the journalist concerned (who we don't know and have never spoken to) planned to send a series of probing questions to Racing Minister Mander, Racing Queensland and Brisbane Racing Club, he/she received a ‘please explain’ from an Editor. It begs the question if the questions were allowed to be sent and if these were did one of the recipients speak with an Editor and why? We all know a media organisation, run by Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, would never try to influence what a journalist writes. Their journalistic ethics would never allow that to happen – anyone who watches SKY NEWS would testify to that. 

One of the questions drafted for Tim Mander was:

WHAT specific responsibilities or obligations fell upon you as Minister prior to the launch of the Racing Review in March 2025, particularly in ensuring that governance and integrity concerns within the racing industry were addressed?

Mander was also asked why serious concerns raised with him were not referred to the Crime and Corruption Commission or the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Questions proposed for the C-M investigative journo to RQ included:

WHY did RQ assert that it lacked the statutory powers to investigate governance and financial complaints involving the BRC? And why did RQ – a public unit of administration – not refer these concerns to the CCC and ASIC.

Questions planned to be raised with the BRC (which for legal reasons we are not prepared to  elaborate on) sought a response to concerns being raised about unit ownership, alleged conflicts of interest and whether any of this was connected with the sudden resignation of a CEO.

Whether any of the above trio recieved or provided answers to the questions, we don’t know. Perhaps (here’s hoping this is not the case) they didn’t bother responding in the knowledge that the story was going nowhere.

LGHR makes no allegations against the BRC, its Board or former Chairman Neville Bell but in the interests of stakeholders and transparency promised by the Racing Minister under the new Government one would think information would have been more forthcoming than it was at the recent AGM. We have published our series of stories on this issue because the mainstream racing media refuses to do their job which is not only inexplicable but also shameful.

Two other issues that are even more concerning to many are:

• This matter not being discussed by the Parliament largely because former Racing Minister Grace Grace is seen to be too close to members of the BRC Board and the former Chairman so she isn’t going to raise it. And, rather than do his job and ask some questions of Ms Grace about the BRC, Minister Mander for some inexplicable reason doesn’t want to get involved when he should be making mileage out of what started under a Labor Government. Stakeholders want to know why?
• The disgraceful failure of the Murdoch Media to cover this issue will eventually be addressed. There needs to be an explanation from the Editor, especially now that news has leaked of an investigative journalist facing internal C-M roadblocks in attempts to write a story about it. If it’s for legal reasons then say so, but surely something should be written on this newsworthy issue. Until it is, the industry will continue to accuse the C-M of being in bed with some at the BRC and of a cover-up which will provide some nice fodder when the Press Council and Media Watch hear about it in the near future if that hasn’t already happened. And how long will it take for one of the ‘real’ heavy-hitters in the Australian media to step up to the plate with an expose on national television?

Standby for some real fireworks folks!

 

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY SIDE OF CAULFIELD CUP DAY – PLENTY HAVE THEIR SAY & A LITTLE SELF INDULGENCE FROM LGHR

THE GOOD

LGHR: THE Caulfield Cup has traditionally proved the best guide to finding the winner of the big two miler in November and last Saturday’s addition should prove no exception.

We felt there were three runners to emerge from the race as genuine Melbourne Cup hopes and that has been reflected in the prices of Half Yours, Presage Nocturne and Valiant King.

Winner Half Yours has not won beyond the 2400m of the Caulfield Cup and has copped a 2kg penalty, Presage Nocturne, which ran 4^th, won the G3 Prix De Barbeville over 3000m at Longchamp in April and UK import Valiant King was an eye-catching 4^th after winning the G3 Bart Cummings at Fleminton over 2420m (the furtherest he has won over).

The performances of this trio have been reflected in their Melbourne Cup prices: Half Yours is now equal favorite with Al Riffa at $6 after $26 was bet in early markets. Presage Nocturne has firmed from $34 to $9 Valiant King $101 (before he won the Bart Cummings) to $7.

Trained by Chris Waller, Valiant King is a stablemate River Of Stars, raced by Yu Long Investments, which ran his best race since coming to Australia when second to Half Yours at $91 in the Caulfield Cup. He has won up to 2900m in the Listed Chester Stakes in the UK in 2022. He is $34 to $15 for the Melbourne Cup.

Equal favorite for the big race on the first Tuesday in November, Al Riffa, is trained for Coolmore by Irishman Joseph O’Brien. He has won at G1 level and amassed almost $3mn in prizemoney. His latest win was in the Irish St Leger over 2820m at The Curragh.

Plenty of water to flow under the bridge yet but at this stage we’re leaning to a Waller win with Valiant King with a healthy respect for the ‘Frog’ Presage Nocturne.

JAMIE MELHAM, after becoming the first lady jockey to win the Caulfield Cup and hoping to replicate what Michelle Payne achieved on Prince of Penzance, is hoping to complete the big CUPS double on HALF YOURS:

Melham was overcome with emotion as the reality of her win in the 149-year history of the Cup sank in. She paid tribute to father-and-son training duo Tony and Calvin McEvoy, as well as her great mate and mentor, the late Colin McKenna..

Melham, 29, even paid homage to trailblazer and friend Michelle Payne by toying with the Melbourne Cup winning jockey’s famous quote: “Everyone else can get stuffed [who] think women aren’t strong enough, ’cause we just beat the world.”

But Melham, who changed her name from Kah after tying the knot with jockey husband Ben earlier this year, warned that her version was not fit for public consumption.

“What I want to say can’t go on camera,” Melham said with fierce determination. “I would say, ‘they can all get …’, and it would start with an f.”

Melham admitted she was abnormally anxious in the lead up to the Cup. “I have never been [that] stressed before” – knowing she was on the race favourite that would ultimately deliver her 18th, and greatest, Group 1 victory.

Her former mentor and loyal backer Col McKenna, who died during last year’s Spring Carnival, remains closest to her heart. “After the ride, when I pulled up, I looked up and I had asked him, ‘Make sure you open a gap for me’, and he did,” she said. “He would be proud. If he was here still, and he didn’t own it, he would still be proud.”

 “Just saying ‘Caulfield Cup’ is going to make me cry. I’ve had an incredible career and ridden 17 Group 1’s now, but that major has obviously eluded me, and I just wanted to get one. But now I want maybe three more, maybe a Melbourne Cup. This horse is going to run the trip out.”

Incredibly, McKenna had bred Half Yours, who was trained by Ciaron Maher before being sold to the McEvoy’s after the popular Warrnambool owner’s death.

THE BAD 

PETER MAIR, a regular contributor from SYDNEY, was keen to debate STATE v STATE – RACING ONE MAD:

IN a two-horse race, Racing Victoria finished second on Saturday.

Against the odds, the Victorian Spring Carnival is being stolen, sidelined by Racing NSW.

 The time-honoured Caulfield Cup meeting has lost caste. As for epitaphs, 'more than half ours' sums up the way this turf war is unfolding.

The RVL show moves on to Cox Plate Day with reasonable prospects bar, possibly, having three-year-old’s contest the first four races – improbably ranked as 'Black Type'.

The night-before gamble with the track continues, the Friday night program featuring a G2 race over 2600m but otherwise more mid-week fare -- five BM70's, a BM80 and a VOBIS 1500. Why would you do it?

Everest Day is now Racing NSW's one-day-wonder, flagship. With more than most of the 'crowd' drawn from the youngster demographic, one wonders what is going on besides the racing. RNSW's coming Saturday meeting, without a crowd, will about hold its own with RVL.

On the bright side, perhaps captured by the international outbreak of peace talks, there was a more conciliatory tone from RNSW in the war declared on the ATC:

“At this stage, we’ve only given them a show-cause notice to tell us how they’re going to improve, and then we’ll sit down with them in the next couple of weeks to go through it,” …...... “the [ATC] club will make a fortune” from Everest day revenue, including its percentage of betting turnover. “.........the way it’s structured, any bets internationally, they get direct, so that will make one to two million,” he said. “...... they never had the Everest before. We pay for the race, but any revenues go to them. All the ticket sales, international rights, digital rights, go to the ATC, so the Everest has been a windfall for them.”

The good humour of the day continued – possibly even a little more over the top:

“We’ll probably do the [having spectators in the] infield for next year, and we’ll plan to put another level on the Winx Stand.”

For the older demographic – it is just not the same, is it?’

LGHR received a couple of emails asking if we felt the result of the CAULFIELD CUP would have been different had ADELAIDE RIVER not taken charge of jockey Jordan Childs.

In our opinion HALF YOURS was a ‘handicapping certainty’ and barring bad luck would have won anyway. Stewards have thrown the book at the Kris Lees-trained galloper. Here’s what they reported:

ADELAIDE RIVER: When questioned, rider Jordan Childs stated it had been the intention to settle in a handy position. Childs explained Adelaide River raced keenly through the early stages, however when challenged by Plymouth near the 1600m, the gelding commenced to over-race.

Childs added that Adelaide River continued to over-race from the 1400m where he allowed his mount to stride in an attempt to assist the gelding to race more tractably. Childs added that after obtaining the lead, Adelaide River then commenced to hang out from the 1200m and as a result raced wider on the course than intended. Trainer Kris Lees confirmed the nature of the instructions were to settle in a handy position.

A post‑race veterinary examination revealed cardiac arrhythmia. Lees was advised as this was the second time Adelaide River has suffered cardiac arrhythmia, the gelding must not start in a race, official trial, or jump-out until the Stewards have received a satisfactory report from a qualified veterinary surgeon with specialist qualifications in equine medicine which includes the results of: (a) echocardiography performed by that veterinarian at rest; (b) electrocardiography (ECG) performed by that veterinarian at rest and at exercise and (c) any other examination that that veterinarian requests.

Following acceptance by the Stewards of the above report, they may grant written permission for the horse to be nominated for and participate in an official trial or jump-out. The gelding must not be nominated for a race unless: (a) it trials to the satisfaction of the Stewards in an official trial or jump-out, of at least 1000 metres; and (b) a qualified veterinary surgeon provides a satisfactory post-trial report that includes the results of cardiac auscultation within 15 minutes of completion of the official trial or jump-out.

 Following a satisfactory trial or jump-out which only Stewards or veterinarians officiate at, and upon receiving the satisfactory post-trial veterinary report referred to above, the Stewards may grant written permission for Adelaide River (IRE) to be nominated for and participate in a race.

THE UGLY 

DOUG J of MELBOURNE has his say on the clash of the Caulfield Cup and The Everest:

‘Just wanted to have my two bob’s worth after listening to all this racing media crap out of Sydney after The Everest and how it made Caulfield Cup day look second rate.

These guys and gals in Harbour City certainly look at things through rose-coloured glasses. Sure they had just over 50,000 at The Everest and reportedly most of them were 26 and under.

But how many of them even had a bet or were just there to party, get pissed and hopefully get laid? At least the Caulfield Cup crowd – unlike Melbourne Cup on most occasions – were more racing enthusiasts than part-goers.

Apparently it was that bad in the ‘mosh pit’ at Randwick that this ‘lost generation’ of racegoers were relieving themselves on the ground beside the track because there were insufficient port-a-loo’s to accommodate their needs.

Even Ricard Callander, a great spin-doctor for all things V’landys and Sydney racing, wrote in his column:

‘THE ATC got almost everything right on Saturday at Randwick for The Everest day but the lack of and positioning of Portaloo's was way off the mark and close to cruelty. I saw one chap wet his pants as he stood in the line for over half an hour.

I asked him why he was still in the line, "By the time I get to the front I reckon I'll need another one".

RICKY K of MELBOURNE writes:

‘CAN you believe that Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landys has indicated that Sir Deleus – banned from racing during the Melbourne Spring Carnival due to veterinary concerns – may be permitted to run in Sydney?

PVL has highlighted different veterinary protocols in NSW to Victoria and says Racing NSW will stand by the recommendation of their Chief Vet after examing the horse that was one of the favorites for the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.

If Sir Deleus gets the all-clear and bobs up in a nice race for five-year-olds in Sydney soon, here’s hoping he just wins. Because if the horse, heaven forbid it doesn’t, happens to breakdown in running and cause chaos, Racing NSW will open the door to all sorts of litigation.’

 

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY SIDE OF THE EVEREST DAY – PLENTY WANT TO HAVE THEIR SAY WITH SOME SELF INDULGENCE FROM LGHR 

THE GOOD 

LGHR: Whilst we don’t like the ‘slot’ race concept or the absurd amount of money involved which restricts involvement to multi-millionaires or the companies they operate, there is one thing about The Everest that cannot be denied.

The foresight of Racing NSW CEO Peter V’Landys – like him or not – has brought a lost generation back to the track. SKY reported 70 per cent of the 50,000-plus crowd were 26 or younger. But whether they were there to party or punt is debatable.

Sydney racing officials should build a monument for the Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising and move heaven and earth to ensure he returns to defend his Everest title next year. He alone ensured this was much more than just a ‘hyped’ Group 1 sprint for absurd prizemoney for the best sprinters in the land.

PETER V’LANDYS: ‘You wouldn’t write the script much better. The atmosphere that The Everest meeting generates, people just can’t describe it. There were people there who have been throughout the world, and they were still in awe of Tthe Everest. Even the Hong Kong people couldn’t believe it.”

The Racing NSW boss said there was room for growth next year at Randwick, which was at capacity on Saturday. Hospitality included the new Base Camp VIP area, which V’landys said Racing NSW spent $9 million to create.

MARK G of BRISBANE makes a good point: ‘THE combined block-busters of The Everest and Caulfield Cup now threatens to overtake VRC Derby Day as the biggest in Australian racing. Whatever, it is good for the sport which is racing so many challenges.’

GARY J of MELBOURNE writes: ‘KA YING RISING proved he is the best sprinter in the world but the big winner on the day was David Hayes quick to admit it was the most memorable moment in his remarkable training career and also the toughest 10 days of his life.’

THE BAD 

LGHR: IF Sydney racing wants to attract more internationals to The Everest and their other big races, they need to ensure that training and quarantine centres provided meet every need of these star attractions.

The ability to swim at his home base of Sha Tin has been credited as one of the secrets to the success story of Kai Ying Rising. This wasn’t available at Canterbury with trainer David Hayes admitting ‘fitness’ was the concern after the horse didn’t trial as well as some expected.

Even after the win champion jockey Zac Purton admitted the Hong Kong superstar ‘wasn’t at his best’ but was quick to add ‘it was still good enough to beat them today.’

The fact that a redeveloped Randwick can accommodate only 50,000 racegoers on big days is also disappointing. Something needs to be done to correct that as The Everest continues to grow in popularity.

PETER V’LANDYS: “The most important thing for us is always the weather because that’s one thing you can’t control, but it was perfect (on Saturday). And having the tickets sold out almost two weeks before helps because you can plan on the day to provide more customer service, which the ATC did.”

But he admitted the problem of not being able to accommodate thousands more who wanted to attend needed to be addressed urgently. “We have to talk to the ATC, but the in-field in the old days used to be used and there’s no reason why we can’t put in an up-market area in there.

“We’ve got no space left on the other side unless we extend the Winx Stand. When we built it, we engineered it so you could put extra floors on. But, we fund it, so anything that happens, we pay for it. We’ll probably do the [having spectators in the] infield for next year, and we’ll plan to put another level on the Winx Stand.”

NOT everyone agreed with the ‘red carpet’ treatment afforded KA YING RISING:

Even before the big race was run ‘LARRY THE LOSER’ (we haven’t heard from him in ages) chimed in with this assessment:

‘WHY does some foreign so-called superstar get extra special preferential treatment?

Surely there are plenty of owners / trainers who slog it out day in day out in this country to try and win races on a level playing field that would like to have one of their flighty charges sitting out the back in a quiet stall, probably listening to soft classical music, rather than being tied up with the commoner's waiting for their time to compete.

Obviously, the Rules of Racing allow this to happen, and I get it that it's The Everest, but it just doesn't sit well with me. 

PS: NOT having a bet in the race and the nasty side of me hopes that it gets rolled. Good for ‘racing theatre’ though. Everyone has an opinion, including me.’

JEFF from BRISBANE had a side-swipe at the high profile ‘tipsters’ and form analysts:

‘CAN you believe how many of our leading tipsters and form analysts jumped off the best sprinter in the world Ka Ying Rising and recommended that we find something else to back in The Everest?

‘The Hong Kong horse was the highest laid on Betfair and when they jumped you could have got better than $2 despite the fact on the Chinese tote he was long odds-on. Imagine what the Hong Kong punters would have done to our precious corporates had they bet locally.

‘We were told he wasn’t fit, hadn’t trialled well, was terrible value, was racing on a different surface to Sha Tin where he had beaten nothing and wouldn’t be able to withstand the might of the powerful Waller stable which had three starters.

Some of the blame also lies at the feet of LGHR, who told us if the real Ka Ying Rising turned up he would just win but added the proviso that rather take odds-on the favorite it was better value and a safer bet to back Joliestar each-way, which ran fourth. Thanks a million’.’

BEVERLEY J of SYDNEY, who admits she likes a drink and a punt in moderation, poses an interesting question:

‘HOW much did the ‘plebs’ (through the gate race-day customers) have to pay for beer and spirits on Everest Day at Randwick?

It wouldn’t have been cheap and by the look of the crowd come Sweet Caroline time gallons had already been consumed. How many of them had a punt or even knew one of the horses that were lining up for the big race?

Sorry Mr V’Landys but that’s not returning a lost generation to the track – it’s just a reason for a big party and piss-up in a concert-like mosh pit beside the track. Many were more a hindrance to the horses – a la that disgraceful booing of the Hong Kong champ on his way to the barrier.

One could argue that everything was done to beat the superstar visitor. The expected storm didn’t arrive but the track was watered (more to the advantage of the locals than the favorite), he wasn’t provided with a swim facility which was vitally needed for his preparation (as happens in Hong Kong) and heaven forbid this wasn’t another big race that resulted in a Waller-thon result.

When I saw that blond-haired turf scribe standing beside David Hayes – getting his nose in front of the SKY cameras after the race – I wondered just who was holding Chris Waller’s hand?’   

THE UGLY 

LGHR: The percentage of drunken ferals among the crowd who tried to upset Ka Ying Rising by booing him from the time Zac Purton jumped aboard until he paraded down the straight on the way to the barriers was simply unacceptable.

Someone needs to educate them that racing is different to a footy game or the cricket where you boo your rivals. It was the one downside to a great event and Purton admitted it surprised him and never in his riding career had he experienced such bad behavior from a crowd before.

It reminded LGHR of the time when the great Silent Witness won a Hong Kong Sprint on International Day at Sha Tin. He was up against a Japanese superstar and the visitors had arrived in force. They filled almost a grandstand madly waving their national flag.

When their hopeful (I can’t remember his name) dashed clear on straightening the Japs went wild, then out of the pack emerged Silent Witness and gave him windburn.

As the Hong Kong crowd went bezerk, the visitors were silenced until the winner was paraded in front of them and they showed their appreciation of his performance. There was no booing before or after.

HENRY W of SYDNEY wasn’t as nice to that section of the crowd who showed a lack of Aussie sportsmanship:

‘SHAME on those drunken idiots – and they got hundreds of others to follow – who booed Ka Ying Rising and jockey Zac Purton trying to upset the visitor on his way to the start of The Everest.

They couldn’t even put their ‘booze’ down for a few minutes to stumble through the words of Sweet Caroline Sucks. You can boo at the footy or the cricket but at the races it’s a ‘no-no’. Focus on getting pissed and laid you ferals.’

MERV the MAD PUNTERS from BRISBANE (a regular contributor) wasted no time with his backhander:

‘ONCE again Richie Callander showed us what a bad judge he is. Stick to ‘spin doctoring’ Chris Waller old mate instead of trying to pick winners.

In case you missed it, here’s part of what the opinionated big Rich had to say in his column last week:

IN racing and punting, sitting on the fence means nothing to anyone so here it is, Ka Ying Rising can't win the $20 million The TAB Everest on Saturday.

Full stop. It's that simple.

Before the Hong Kong champ stepped out in a barrier trial at Randwick last Tuesday, I thought The Everest was his and the rest were running for second. But a week later, I reckon his odds-on quote is doing punters a favour and it's making the market for the others.

Forget the fake news that floated around over the weekend suggesting the Hong Kong superstar was injured or off his feed. There'll be no excuses come Saturday. His trainer David Hayes has declared his sprinting superstar fit and ready to go.

Now, David Hayes is a legendary trainer but he's even better at handling the media and delivering a few beauties. Hayes was chest-pumping about his champ running 38 seconds at Canterbury on Monday morning. A few of you reading this would go close to that!

His best line came when discussing Ka Ying Rising's recent trial.

"The two he trialled against the other morning, Joliestar and Angel Capital they'll have to find eight or nine lengths, as we were going just as easy as them in the trial, so I think we have them covered."

Hahahahahahahaha — one of your best, Hayesy.

For the media, Hayes maintained a brave face following the trial, but Ka Ying Rising looked well below what most expected. Can he get him spot on for Saturday? That's the million-dollar question.’

EDITOR’S NOTE: What makes racing so great is that we all have an opinion – just like you MERV! Good on Richie for expressing his – even if he was wrong. Let’s not forget his final say on the issue:

‘WIN, lose, or draw, Ka Ying Rising's trip Down Under for The Everest has been the biggest thing to happen to Sydney racing since Winx's farewell.’

That was so right!