IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published by the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer TERRY BUTTS reveals a worrying situation for racing in Queensland with a spate of positive swabs that have stunned trainers and even caught stewards by surprise.

He also has an update on the racial vilification case in Mt Isa, a report on the state of play in racing in Mt Isa and an ‘exclusive’ on the move by the Townsville Chief Steward to take over in that role at Toowoomba when the new Clifford Park track opens on New Year’s Eve.

Here is the Butts’ column:

 

TRAINER ADAMANT SECOND SWAB WILL COME BACK NEGATIVE TO BANNED SUBSTANCE

MACKAY trainer Wayne Pomfrett says he is not in the slightest concerned about the outcome of a positive swab returned recently by his ex Brisbane galloper Oscarmania.

He says categorically the referee swab will come back from Sydney (where second tests of Queensland swabs are analysed) negative to the banned anabolic testosterone.

“It has to because I have never used an anabolic steroid in my life. I don’t believe in them,” said the trainer.

Pomprett is also awaiting the results of two more urine samples taken from the same horse after wins at Bowen and Mackay earlier this month.

But what concerns the successful Ooralea trainer most is how the horse returned a positive in the first place.

There is something horribly wrong with the testing techniques in Queensland,” he declared.

And many agree.

 

STEWARDS SAID TO BE ‘SOMEWHAT BAFFLED’ AFTER SEVEN POSITIVES IN NINE MONTHNS

EVEN stewards are said to be somewhat baffled.

Racing Queensland senior steward Daniel Aurisch confirmed there were seven positive swabs to the drug Prednisolone all within a nine months period.

“We are still trying to sort it out,” he said.

Prednisolone is in ointments and also the once popular and widely used pain killing drug Soul-Cortef.

But back to Pomfrett who would face an automatic disqualification after November 1, under controversial new rules relating to the use of steroids in horses.

“We are allowed 20mg of testosterones per litre of urine with a safety level of plus or minus three mg per litre- so it could be an allowable maximum reading of 23mg per litre of urine.

 “My horse’s reading was 25 when tested by Racing Queensland scientists.

 

TRAINER CLAIMS READINGS RETURNED NSW ARE WELL BELOW THOSE IN QUEENSLAND

BASED on his own research, Pomfrett claims it will come back much lower “because levels in NSW are well below Queensland readings”.

He says a Rockhampton horse recently returned a reading of 30 at the Queensland testing lab, but came back from Sydney with a level of 20mg per litre.

Pomfrett has contacted the renowned Sydney veterinarian Ray Biffen (he made the feed supplement for Chris Waller that was subject to an AJC inquiry some months back) and he said the reading was probably due to the fact the horse having been “cut proud” at the time of its castration.

“If that’s the case, there should be allowances,” said Pomfrett.

“How does a buyer know a horse has been cut proud and generates more testosterone in its body than normal,” he asks?

And still in Mackay. The leading local trainer Darren Symons is also having an agonising wait for a referee swab to return after his smart new galloper Rofranoz returned a positive to Prednisone.

He too says he has never ‘used the stuff’, a claim made by a couple of other trainers, in Rockhampton and Atherton, who have positives and are awaiting inquiries.

 

MT ISA MOVES TO RECTIFY PROBLEMS BY LIFTING BAN ON SATURDAY TRACKWORK

WE hinted last week that things were not all that tranquil in the Mt Isa racing scene.

But following last Saturday’s AGM of the Mt Isa Race Club, committee member and prominent local trainer Neil Byrne believes there is a remedy and that there is renewed confidence in the future.

He said the sudden ban on Saturday trackwork last week that infuriated most trainers has already been lifted and  that it was “business as usual” at the track.

Byrne would not elaborate, but confirmed there had been an ongoing feud, at times bitter, ‘between a couple of rival camps’.

“But that happens everywhere in racing,” he said. “And Mt Isa is no different”.

He also admitted that the racetrack was in need of urgent work and blamed its deterioration on a number of factors.

Byrne said the departure of the Huddy family from Mt Isa had left a big void.

“Graham used to volunteer all of his big machinery and did a lot of work on the track.

“But while Linda remains club treasurer, the couple who sold up five years ago, now spend a lot of time in the south.”

Byrne hinted that the new landlord of Buchanan Park, the Mt Isa City Council has shown little sympathy to the club and its associated track problems, particularly with water use.

“And it’s 42 degrees out here most days. So you can imagine the water usage.”

He said while most  jockeys and trainers describe the track as atrocious, and in some parts downright dangerous, one long time racing identity of the town says it is the only racetrack in the world where barrier one is the worst possible draw.

“You might as well scratch. You have no hope from the one,” he said.

And you only had to see the TAB meeting televised from the Copper City several weeks ago to agree.

Maybe it’s time for Racing Queensland to take a look.

 

INTERESTING FACEBOOK SEQUEL TO TIPPING RACIAL VILIFICATION CASE

THERE is no doubt the  fine imposed on trainer George Tipping  for calling jockey Adam Morrison a black c… has exacerbated the ill-feeling between rival factions.

In what was the first racial vilification charge in racing, Tipping pleaded guilty and copped a $1500 fine.

In an interesting sidelight to this whole sorry saga was a comment posted on Morrison’s facebook (that has since been removed) from a friend who wrote that he would owe $575,000 if he had been fined $1,500 every time he called Morrison the same as Tipping did.

But Morrison replied that he (the sender) was a friend.

So, in this case… colour doesn’t matter.

Or does it?

 

TOWNSVILLE CHIEF STEWARD HEADING BACK TO TOP JOB IN TOOWOOMBA

WELL the rumours were right – Townsville is to have another chief stipendiary steward – the third in three years.

Rion Hitchener will depart his Cluden base early next month to take up a new appointment as chief stipe at his hometown of Toowoomba.

The appointment will coincide with the opening of the new Clifford Park racetrack.

Rion has been in the Townsville hot seat for just one a year and performed admirably earning the respect of most licensees, in what is considered a large and very tough sector of the Queensland racing map.

He left Toowoomba as No2 under Martin Knibbs and with the promotion of that steward to Brisbane, Rion goes back into top slot.

He is young, keen and has a strong family background in racing which has no doubt stood him in good stead. He is a steward with a future.

It will be interesting to see the replacement for Townsville, which like Toowoomba is on the verge of a new era.

The promise for a new track and modern facilities for Cluden is expected to be realised next year with an announcement expected in weeks.

It is important the right choice of chief stipe to replace Rion is made.

Knowledgeable, capable stewards are thin on the ground, especially in Queensland, and the north has suffered enough in the past decade – certainly since the days of Alan Cooper, the recognised doyen of all country stewards.

Frankly control of racing hasn’t been the same since Alan Cooper was forced to hang up his hat. For years he ruled the north with an iron hand.

In a nutshell he was very firm but very fair.

And many incidents mentioned in stewards’ reports nowadays would never have appeared during Cooper’s reign. He certainly was not a headline seeker.

A quiet word in a quiet place, or a suggestion they take the next bus out of town was his way of dealing with first time offenders.

And it was usually enough.

 

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.