IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published by the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer TERRY BUTTS reports on a win of sorts for the big Brisbane trainers at the expense of their country cousins on the Work Place front.

He also questions whether the Sydney racing dramas are painting a picture of a less than level industry playing field, warns buyers of ‘shonky’ dealers selling horses and previews the Mt Garnet Annuals this weekend.

Here is the Butts column:

BRISBANE TRAINERS ENJOY A VICTORY ON THE WORK COVER FRONT

IT would seem that the bigger Brisbane trainers have had a victory of sorts in their bid to ease their personal Work Cover costs.

You might recall the hullabaloo earlier in the year when the trainers, through the Queensland branch of the ATA, approached Racing Queensland with a proposal to introduce a levy they claimed should be paid by all trainers in the State.

The big boys in the south complained of their six figure Work Cover costs. Some accused other trainers of not paying their fair whack of workers’ comp.

So they wanted all the trainers to pay a fee - $25 was the figure mentioned - for every starter whether the prizemoney was $100,000 or $1,000. And  their Work Cover commitment was over.

Of course the bush and country trainers didn’t want to know, especially the owner- trainers, of which there are many in country Queensland.

Things got a bit heated too at times, with one city trainer, an ex-pat Kiwi, referring to North Queenslanders as ‘grubs’ at a scheduled meeting of the ATA.

 

DENIS HEINEMANN BROKERED THE DEAL THAT ENDED THE DEADLOCK

THE Rockhampton Trainers’ Association, claiming its members were conveniently left out of all negotiations with Racing Queensland, was stubborn in its rejection of the QTA initiative.

And if it had not been for the actions of the ATA committeeman Denis Heinemann the ATA and the RTA would still be at loggerheads.

Heinemann, at his own expense, flew to Rockhampton to address the Central Queensland trainers. And it would seem he has come away with a compromise.

He told the trainers there would be a change for certain and it was time for everyone to consider the best options.

It is now proposed trainers are responsible for 40 per cent of their premium and the other 60 per cent of the State’s Work Cover premium is to be raised by the introduction of a subsidy of $20 per starter for the city and $10-$15 for the country areas.

 

MANY COUNTRY TRAINERS BELIEVE THEY ARE SUBSIDIZING THE BIG STABLES

THERE are still many country trainers who feel they are subsidizing the big stables because of their failure to manage their business.

A couple of city trainers reckon they are subsidizing their country brothers who they claim submit a false pay roll figure.

The ATA says a trainer with two horses pays $300 (minimum) for Work Cover each year. Some licensees pay the $300 and don’t have a single starter.

Some trainers with 50+ starters still only pay $300, because they have no wages – yet some have 150 starters and still pay $300.

 

THE LEVEL PLAYING FIELD ARGUMENT RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD IN SYDNEY

INTERESTING developments in Sydney racing and everyone seems to have a view.

And they are expressing them.

Ironically, both the Chief Stipe Ray Murrihy and star witness Gai W aterhouse will be in Warrnambool for the Grand Annual this week before returning to Sydney for the much anticipated resumption of the inquiry (now scheduled for Monday instead of Friday).

Some see the long adjournment as a ‘cooling off’ period. 

And there are some who reckon the level playing field of Sydney racing is more like a ploughed paddock.

Pain killers found in a bag of feed and then the favored mare turning up to race with a sore neck.

Maybe if she had eaten the contaminated feed she might have felt less pain and fared better!

 

BEWARE OF ‘SHONKS’ SELLING RACEHORSES AND NOT PAYING FOR THEM

POTENTIAL owners and trainers are again reminded of the ‘shonks’ out there in the market place selling racehorses.

There have been dozens of cases of horses not arriving as promised after agents have been paid.

There have been two recent cases in Charters Towers and Mackay.

A client of Rebecca Binder’s stable bought and paid for a horse in April and though she has the horse – the previous trainer, in Victoria, will not release the papers until it has been paid for.

You can’t blame the trainer but what about the new owners?

And, oddly – you might think wrongly – the racing authorities are loathe to do anything about it.

They are good at jumping fences and ‘arresting’ blokes with stomach tubes but neither the stewards nor their integrity officers are as enthusiastic when it comes to owners who get ‘duded’ by unscrupulous horse dealers.

The only advice is to buy direct from an owner or trainer, or through a reputable agent.

 

THE MT GARNET ANNUALS A MAY DAY WEEKEND ‘MUST’ FOR MANY

THE Mt Garnet annuals this weekend usually marks the change of racing seasons.

The woollies come out of the mothballs and the racing world welcomes the chills of another winter carnival of racing that runs right up until the Cairns Amateurs in September – or perhaps the Innisfail annuals on Caulfield Cup day. It is the season.

For decades Mt Garnet was a May Day weekend ‘must’ for many. Visitors from all over the state and beyond made the annual trek.

Garnet is the curtain raiser (for horses and handlers and partygoers) to  the famous Oak Park meeting in  July where the woollies are a  definite essential, along with rum flasks and  other ice breakers.

A couple of years ago the Mt Garnet Race Club committee decided to switch from the traditional Saturday and Monday format and race on  the first Friday and Saturday of May.

It was a success and now of course the Newman Government has decided the Labor Day long weekend belongs in October.

So it could be said, the Mt Garnet committee got it right, or saw the change  coming.

Fields for Cup day (Saturday) and the first day were not available at time of going to print but we can tell you that Julie Atkinson is already there with The Take which will attempt to win his third successive Bracelet on Saturday.

It’s never been done before but there is an air of confidence in the Atkinson camp that the veteran nine-year-old will notch the hat-trick.

 

COLUMN COURTESY OF TERRY BUTTS AND THE NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, one of Australia's leading rural newspapers.

TERRY BUTTS can be contacted by e-mailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.