IS THE BOARD ELECTION PROCESS AT QUEENSLAND RACING FAIR?

THERE have been a number of e-mails in the past week which have questioned the fairness and legality of the actual election process and time-line for the vacant spots on the Board of Queensland Racing.

This election has been a contentious issue with the Supreme Court having ruled that a new Recruitment Company be appointed to deliver another short list but the issue being raised here involves the actual voting process.

We have selected two from a number of e-mails received on this issue that best explain the concerns expressed:

‘Several of the stakeholders involved in the Queensland Racing Board elections believe that the system is not fair and needs to be changed before the voting process is undertaken on December 21.

‘The time-line for voting, which has been circulated and obviously drawn up by Queensland Racing or its lawyers, will see three different voting times with one group voting first, then another and finally the Board.

‘It is our belief that all groups should vote simultaneously and that the parties involved should not be allowed to have any contact – by mobile telephone or otherwise – whilst the voting process is undertaken. That is the fairest option.

‘We believe that as it stands after the A Class clubs vote the results are known before the next group votes and then the Board knows the outcome of the two lots of votes before they lodge their preferences for the vacant seats.

‘We respectfully suggest that this is unfair and allows the system to be manipulated. It could affect the outcome for particular parties.

‘You could liken it to a Federal election with Queensland voting one day and the results being made known before New South Wales voted and then the same before Victoria voted. It’s a farcical situation.

‘We would argue that with Bob Bentley thought to be strongly behind the push for Neville Stewart to win one of the vacant spots that his Board could know what votes are needed to get their desired result by looking at the results of votes already posted. That can hardly be fair. Surely the court should be ensuring that this is not allowed to occur.’ – Dan McLean – Brisbane.

Then there was this e-mail:

‘Monday, December 21^st, is D-Day for racing in Queensland. The industry should be considering the question of what the future holds if Neville Stewart joins his old mate Builder Bob on the QR Board.

‘Those of us who remember the days when they were ‘Babes in the Wood’ together on the old Queensland Principal Club fear what might happen if an older and wiser duo are reunited at the new-look Queensland Racing where no legal expense is spared to get what the boss desires.

‘Anyone who doesn’t toe the Bentley line might as well go to the dogs because they will have no future in racing in Queensland. For those of us who saw some hope with Bill Andrews there as a thorn in the side of the current regime, the thought of this pair running the industry unchecked is unimaginable.

‘You might ask what that good union man, Mr Bill Ludwig, is going to do to keep the good ship QR from running aground. The answer is simple. We fear he’ll be doing the same as his mate, Minister Lawlor: ‘SFA.’ – Name and address with-held by request.

STRONGER STEWARDS’ STANCE CALLED FOR ON SHORT-PRICED FLOPS

THE defeat of yet another short-priced favorite at a metropolitan meeting in Brisbane promoted a couple of e-mails targeting inaction by the stewards.

Here’s an example:

‘The percentage of short-priced and odds-on favorites that win in Brisbane is pathetic. Slice and Dice was just another example at Eagle Farm last weekend when beaten at odds-on.

‘He could not have been more impressive at his previous start then comes out and goes woefully but to make matters worse there was no reasonable excuse offered for his poor showing.

‘Punters expect a better explanation for poor performances than what they are getting in Brisbane. Time and time again it’s just a matter of reporting back if anything is detected.

‘If trainers cannot explain why short priced favorites are performing badly then perhaps the stewards should bar those horses for a month or two and then force them to trial satisfactorily before racing again.

‘I hear that John Shreck is back in business with Queensland Racing and was seen at Toowoomba last Friday. It’s a waste of time him going up there. No-one wants to bet on these cushion goat tracks. The horses are bad and the results even worse.’ – Graham Dobson, Wishart.

THE WINTERBOTTOM COVERAGE ON SKY WAS ROCK BOTTOM

WE regularly receive complaints from punters concerning the quality of service on the TV racing networks – Sky Channel and TVN.

Here’s an example of one that arrived in the e-mail box this week:

‘What a circus last weekend was for those who choose to stay at home and watch the racing on television. I try to switch from Sky to TVN and back until one particular presenter who seems to have a mortgage on Saturday afternoons drives me away from Sky.

‘On Saturday I became particularly annoyed by the bitchiness between the two channels over the coverage of the Winterbottom Stakes from Perth. First we had TVN tell us that Sky had stopped them contractually from showing the race live.

‘Then Sky returned serve with an explanation that TVN had decided to run the replays of the Newcastle races (Heaven knows why) and therefore could not show the Winterbottom live.

‘This handbag throwing went on all afternoon with Sky declaring they were the only racing channel with live rights to show the Winterbottom. I looked forward to their coverage expecting something special after all the fan-fare. Alas I was disappointed.

‘As the time arrived for the Winterbottom to jump Sky was showing a trot race for Newcastle – dynamic stuff that. No lead-up to the big race or one of those familiar Sky faces on a junket to the west to provide interviews etc.

‘All we got was a cross as the horses went into the barriers. Ortensia had no sooner staged her magnificent last to first performance to win than Sky switched to a race in Singapore (of no interest and with little investment in the pools).

‘Finally they did go back to Perth where Craig Williams was about to be interviewed. But we were then denied the pleasure of hearing that because of the need to cross to some obscure dog race. We were told that the interview could be seen on Racing Retro the next day.

‘If that’s Sky Channel’s idea of live and exclusive coverage they should be ashamed of themselves. What a joke!

‘But I’m not going to let TVN off the hook either. When I tuned in to see the replays of the Saturday races from Eagle Farm they decided to show the previous week’s meeting. What’s going on?’ – Alan Johnson, Mansfield.

We have received several e-mails recently concerning brawling and bad behavior at Brisbane racetracks. Here’s an example:

‘It’s that time of the year when the racing spotlight again focuses on Queensland leading up to the Magic Millions. One would hope the quality of the action on the track will improve on what we have been witnessing.

‘But more to the point if the action off the track – which is all bad – continues at the current level there will be few people of my age prepared to go the races at all. My wife and I love our day out at the track but our patience is being tested.

‘Recently we were leaving Doomben and had to dodge a terrible brawl between a big group of louts that continued down Nudgee Road and across the railway line. This was terrifying for people of our age.

‘Then at Eagle Farm there was a fight inside the course before the last race which had to be broken up by security. Whatever happened to the days when you could go to the races and just have a good time with your friends?’ – Name and address with-held by request.

FORCED OUT OF QR – JEREMY IS NOW GOING TO THE DOGS

WE received this e-mail concerning the appointment of a former high profile Queensland Racing executive to a Board position with the Queensland Greyhounds.

‘Are you aware that another Bob Bentley cast-off has been appointed to a Board position with another code – the greyhound industry in Queensland?

‘Jeremy Turner was forced out of Queensland Racing where he was highly respected as the chief executive during those days when everyone who didn’t agree with the hierarchy seemed to be off-loaded.

‘Turner, like a lot of others who parted company with Queensland Racing, has gone on to bigger and better things in his business life but is now on the comeback trail in the racing industry, albeit at the greyhounds.

‘He was recently appointed to the Board where hopefully his services will be welcomed and rewarded. It’s a pity he was lost to the gallops. QR could certainly do with a chief executive of his quality.’ – Name and address with-held by request.