PETER MAIR from SYDNEY has provided this interesting comment about former SMH Turf Editor CHRIS ROOTS, remembered by many in North Queensland where he was removed as racing writer for the Townsville Bulletin because he proved too critical (now that doesn’t sound like the Mudoch Media):
THE VOICE OF CHRIS ROOTS
………………is not heard as clearly as it once was in the Fairfax Media.
Everyone reading the Illawarra Mercury long respected his assessments of the form…. and, elevated, as the racing-voice of the SMH, he became a go-to commentator on industry policy and lead-tipster in its Friday Form Guide.
And then he was not.
Australian-racing needs independent voices.
Chris has resurfaced:
…………..ignore what he says at your peril.
phttps://betsy.com.au/mad-monday-waller-maher-hazzard-review-everest-pvl/
FIELD COMPOSITIONS
ABOUT the looming presence of Ciaron Maher at Leilani Lodge:
“Nevesh Ramdhani, Australian Turf Club general manager of racing, said — It should make a big difference to our field sizes by the end of the year because there will be more horses at our tracks……”
Perhaps — but is the prospect of ‘bigger fields’ with two-stables dominating metropolitan racing in NSW a ‘good thing’?
How will punters cope with a full field from two stables sharing the spoils — not only winning and placing, but collecting ‘lots’ from down-to-tenth’?
………….not for my money, SP stable-elects fall short, so often.
How about ‘two-at-the-most’ for each in any race!
LEGISLATE REVIEW OF NSW Racing (bar funding for racing and accountability of RNSW
As Chris says:
The at-times controversial process has seen evidence from the [HAZZARD] review leaked back to Racing NSW, whose governance, transparency of its commercial work, consulting mechanisms, and sustainability were part of the review’s scope.
“The purpose of the review is to determine whether the terms of the Thoroughbred Racing Act remain appropriate to ensure the integrity and proper regulation of thoroughbred racing in NSW and support the industry’s development and sustainability,” the terms of reference read.
The key word is transparency and we need that from the racing minister.’
We do need ‘transparency’ but any idea that ‘a racing minister’ either knows the score, or has the discretion to or shine-the-light is a nonsense — premiers and treasurers decide where sunlight shines and it generally does not.
…………..well we might hope that Chris Roots, now loose from the mainstream racing media, is given the freedom to say what he wants to.
PERHAPS RACING NSW SEES THE MAHER MOVE A NEEDED CHALLENGE TO WALLER
THE news that leading Victorian trainer Ciaron Maher plans to increase his presence in New South Wales provides a glimmer of hope for those who believe the domination of the Chris Waller stable is not ‘healthy’ for racing in the Harbour City.
LGHR has received emails from some close to the coalface in Sydney asking why the big deal over Maher being granted an exclusive lease of 125 boxes at what was formerly Leilani Lodge at Warwick Farm from Racing NSW which paid $20mn for the property.
Maher already leases the Racing NSW-owned Bong Bong Farm that it purchased for $22mn from Waratah Thoroughbreds.
Perhaps Racing NSW believes by giving Maher a ‘red carpet ride’ onto the Sydney racing scene his presence will help boost field sizes and more so the domination of Waller which has created accusations that his stable is a ‘protected species’.
