BEN CURRIE TIPPED TO WIN QCAT APPEAL & HAVE STABLEHAND’S LICENCE RENEWED
THE immediate racing future of one-time leading trainer Ben Currie could well be decided when he fronts the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal this afternoon (Tuesday). Currie is appealing the decision of the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission NOT to renew his stablehand’s licence reportedly for ‘disciplinary reasons’. The fact that QCAT – an organisation that […]
INDUSTRY SAYS MANDER SHOULD HAVE RETAINED KELLY & GIVEN McGRATH THE BOOT
MOST stakeholders and the punting public are trying to come to terms with how Racing Minister Tim Mander has allowed the Queensland industry to lose one of the best stewards in the world. Of more concern are the reasons behind why Kim Kelly quit at a time when the new LNP Government Review into Racing […]
ALAS ANOTHER GOOD MAN HITS THE ROAD BECAUSE OF THE DETERIORATING STATE OF RACING IN QUEENSLAND
MATT NICHOLLS, whose short-lived stint as a columnist for LETSGOHORSERACING ends today, is so disenchanted with the state of play in the local industry heading forward that he has decided to move on. We thank him for his contribution and encourage RQ to head-hunt his talents. THE definition of insanity is doing the same thing […]
KIM KELLY RESIGNS – A BLOW FOR INTEGRITY OF RACING IN QUEENSLAND
THE same time that racing in Queensland was welcoming back Minister Tim Mander it has to say goodbye to the most experienced steward it could hope to have in Kim Kelly who today announced his resignation as Deputy Commissioner with the QRIC amid concerns the body will soon lose its independence. “My time with Queensland […]
RACING RELIEF AT REINSTATEMENT OF TIM MANDER AS MINISTER
THE racing industry in Queensland is breathing a collective sigh of relief with the overnight news that Tim Mander has been reinstated as Racing Minister. Even those who were critical that the industry was not moving forward fast enough under the Mander implementation plans were concerned that it was going nowhere – in quicksand – […]
‘INFLATING FIELDS WITH APPARENT NO-HOPERS – NO REASON TO CELEBRATE’
OUR regular SYDNEY contributor PETER MAIR fires from the hip when questioning how good it is for ROSEHILL GARDENS to have capacity fields plus emergencies this weekend. He writes: ‘RACING NSW has a promotion for tomorrow’s (Saturday) races on its website. A capacity field in the Black Type feature of the day at Rosehill Gardens […]
A CRISIS THAT IS DESTROYING RACING IN COFFS HARBOUR
THE SYDNEY racing media prefers to focus on the positive stories – like the amazing success of trainer Chris Waller and jockey James Mcdonald, how more advanced the sport in NSW is to Victoria and the role that their CEO Peter V’landys played in establishing a long overdue National Tote. But when it comes to […]
LONG OVERDUE NATIONAL TOTE TO BE INTRODUCED IN AUGUST
THE BIG news of the day, broken in the Sydney Telegraph, has announced that a National Tote will be introduced to Australian racing after a landmark deal brokered between Tabcorp and the racing industry. This is long overdue and hopefully it is not too late to counter the takeover of the betting industry by corporate […]
WHY DOESN’T HARNESS RACING ATTRACT THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA COVERAGE IT ONCE DID?
WHY do the minor codes – especially harness racing – no longer attract the mainstream media coverage they once did? Just compare the situation leading into another Interdominion Pacing Championship at Albion Park on Saturday night to the situation some decades ago. A chosen paid contributor – Adam Hamilton – once a top harness scribe […]
SA GREYHOUND INDUSTRY REACHES ANIMAL ABUSE COMPLIANCE DEADLINE
A two-year deadline for the SA greyhound racing industry to meet improved standards to combat animal abuse has now been reached, with a final report on compliance expected within months. ABC NEWS reports that the industry has been on notice to clean up its act since 2023, when the national broadcaster revealed videos of greyhounds […]