IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published by the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer TERRY BUTTS reports that Racing Queensland will look closely at race dates in the north to avoid clashes of the kind that will occur this weekend.

Butts also has column items on a highly-credentialed Kiwi appointed CEO of the Rockhampton Jockey Club and of the death of a training legend on the Atherton Tablelands.

Here is his column:

 

RQ HAS PROMISED TO LOOK CLOSELY AT RACE DATES TO AVOID CLASHES IN NORTH

RACING Queensland CEO Darren Condon has vowed to take a closer look at race dates this week in a bid to avoid clashes such as the one looming this Saturday between Atherton and Ingham.

Though the clubs are affiliated in different associations Ingham (in Leichardt) and Atherton (in the Far North), there will be a strong contest for both horses and jockeys. Both clubs rely on the same pool.

Townsville-based riders will go to Ingham and the Cairns and Atherton-based jockeys will obviously stay at home.

It really is an unfortunate clash and neither club expressed a desire to change to Sunday claiming it is just too expensive to race on the Sabbath after penalty rates for staff are factored in.

Besides, Ingham says there is never a problem with Saturday race crowds.

“The local community always supports us,” said their hard working Ingham president David Adcock.

Don Scheffler from Atherton says there are 15 marquees already booked for the meeting at Morrow Park on Saturday indicating that racing on the Tablelands has retained its popularity.

So both meetings will proceed provided they get sufficient nominations. They must have 25 acceptors or the meeting will be abandoned by RQ.

 

POLICY SLANTED AGAINST INGHAM RACING WHICH IS BATTLING TO SURVIVE

DAVID Adcock says it is a battle for Ingham racing to survive in the current climate.

Ingham is classified as a non-strategic club and Atherton is a strategic club, which entitles it to $3,000 administration subsidy each race day and $5,000 prizemoney for each race.

Ingham is allocated only $4,000 per race and has no subsidy.

Yet this weekend Ingham has framed a five race card offering $41,800 (including an $11,000 QTIS bonus of which the club had to contribute $5,500)) and Atherton has a five race card worth $30,000.

Does that seem fair?

Yes, it is a problem that Racing Queensland might have to visit once again.

“Queensland Racing says that the strategic clubs are doing it tough. What about the poor old non-strategic clubs,” asks Mr Adcock, and he has many sympathisers?

 

LACK OF SUITABLE SATURDAY DATES MAJOR PROBLEM FOR COUNTRY CLUBS

ONE OF the big problems is the lack of suitable Saturday dates for the country clubs.

The bigger clubs like Townsville and Rockhampton claim they need Saturday dates to boost their internal revenue.

Midweek TAB meetings are generally run at a loss and they are both clamouring for more weekend dates which, of course, impacts on the smaller clubs.

Long gone are the days when Townsville, Mackay and Cairns raced every Saturday with a meeting at one of the nearer country venues from Bowen to Mareeba as well.

That was way back in the days when more than 300 horses were in work at Cluden and jockeys queued up to ride them.

Yes, long gone.

 

RUCKUS IN MT GARNET OVER PUBLIC HOLIDAY CARNIVAL CHANGE

FURTHER north there is a ruckus in the sleepy old mining town of Mt Garnet.

For years the club has staged its famous two-day carnival on the May Day weekend but with the LNP deciding to switch Labour Day to an October date, the long weekend in May is no longer.

So now many of the race club members are keen to switch to the Queen’s Birthday weekend in June.

The rodeo which has also been an attraction at the Garnet meeting is not able to switch anyway. It is locked into to the May date by the governing body.

 

HIGHLY CREDENTIALLED KIWI TAKES OVER AS NEW CEO AT ROCKHAMPTON

ROCKHAMPTON Jockey Club has appointed highly credentialed Kiwi Bill Colgan to replace Garry Armstrong as the new CEO.

He will commence a three-year contract with the RJC on December 9.

Mr Colgan has extensive experience in the racing industry in Western Australia and New Zealand.

He holds a degree in economics and all up has spent 24 years working in racing administration.

He is a former registered hobby trainer in WA and worked for more than a decade in management at the Pinjarra Race Club. He also spent three years managing country race clubs in that state.

Mr Coglan held the position of CEO of the New Zealand Racing Board which had regulatory governance of racing codes and operated the national TAB.

Mr Colgan says he has a deep passion for, and knowledge of an industry which has given him empathy for the difficulties facing stakeholders, including owners, trainers, breeders and jockeys.

“Thoroughbred racing is my passion,” Mr Colgan said.

“I still race a number of horses in Australia and NZ and club challenges are at the grass roots level of the racing industry.

“I would like to test my capability at delivering a sustainable future for the RJC and regional racing industry.”

RJC Chairman Bill Ouston said Mr Colgan was among the best credentialed racing administrators in Australasia and the club was fortunate to attract a candidate of his calibre.

“Although in senior management roles, Bill has kept in touch with club management, particularly through his role to revitalise New Zealand racing by leading club administrators in improving the on-course customer experience through race day initiatives,” Mr Ouston said.

 

END OF AN ERA AS LEGENDARY HORSE TRAINER PASSES AWAY IN ATHERTON 

ONE of North Queensland’s legendary horse trainers Harold Atkinson passed away last week. He was 91 and an active racegoer his entire colourful life.

Harold will be best remembered as the trainer of Passion Moon, winner of 109 races from Atherton to Eagle Farm. He still holds the record for most wins in Australia (if not the world).

Amazingly Passion Moon also ran 109 placings from a total of 284 starts.

Passion Moon’s record at Cairns track alone was 27.5 wins, his last recorded at the Cairns Amateurs in 1962 when he won the Wrotham Park Cup and the trophy and ribbon which are on display at the Tolga Museum with much of Harold’s other paraphernalia accumulated over a long period.

Long time friend Helen Fuller remembers Harold when he used to walk from Atherton to Tolga to tend his horses. She recalls him training Passion Moon who won his first race at Doomben in 1956, leading him from a car.

The old galloper lived until he was 23 and was buried on the Morrow Park racecourse where he had spent most of his racing and retirement years.

Harold spent all of his life in Atherton apart from nearly three years in the Army (1943-46) during which he served in PNG.

“Sadly although Harold had girlfriends, he never married,” said Mrs Fuller.

Harold gave away training some years ago but was still a regular on race days.

“I saw him at the Tolga annuals in September this year. He arrived by taxi and was one of the first there at 11am,” Mrs Fuller recalled

“When the races were finished I would look out from the upstairs bar area and there he would be walking out on the arm of some young girl whom he had conned to take him back home to Carinya.

“I had even done this myself,” she said.

“Tolga has lost one of its racing identities, a true gentleman, and a lover of horses, a successful trainer and a friend to all.

“In my mind Harold will still be training horses at the big racetrack above and my father, Bunny Allwood (the bookmaker) will be taking his bets for him,” she said.

 

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.