IN his widely-read racing column SILKS ‘N’ SADDLES in the North Queensland Register, TERRY BUTTS tells of yet another damaging and shameful decision by the hierarchy of Queensland Racing that will sadly impact on country racing.
Without any consultation whatsoever, the North Queensland Amateurs has been stripped of its traditional annual Friday feature meeting for reasons which defy belief. We reproduce the Butts column courtesy of the North Queensland Register.
'QUEENSLAND DROPS ANOTHER GRENADE ON TOWNSVILLE RACING
THE North Queensland Amateur Turf Club has just and rightful reasons for believing it has been poorly treated by the racing hierarchy of this State, Queensland Racing Limited, and shunned by the Government.
Without any consultation, the club had their traditional midweek TAB race date ripped from them last week because it was deemed the meeting did not attract enough patrons. What a joke!
The Friday fixture attracted many more patrons than any other midweek meeting at Cluden, and that includes last Monday’s highly publicised fixture that featured a $150,000 QTIS 600 two-year-old event.
That the fleecing of the Friday date was decided in an office in Brisbane and was dropped like a grenade on the voluntary committee of the Townsville amateurs by letter was bad enough.
The club had already been told in 2007 that they were “too social’’ and with some justifiable reluctance, adhered to a QR suggestion they should give up the ball and Sunday garden party – an event that in years gone by was one of the most social days in Townsville.
It was a time when crowds and kids packed the racecourse for a sumptuous seafood lunch, an art auction and danced the day away or even jigged to the ukulele with Joe Goicochea, himself a former president of the club back in the ‘roaring and naughty’ nineties.
They were great days when the North Queensland Amateurs was regarded by many, this writer included, as perhaps the best two-day country carnival in the State.
Under the sponsorship of Carlton United, membership of the club was wait-listed and tickets to the ball scarce as hens’ teeth.
Things haven’t been quite the same since Barb Braunberger and CUB left the fold.
The once famous meet and greet at the Sheraton was passed over and subsequent venues were never able to harness the same convivial atmosphere of the poolside party.
But the carnival has remained one of Cluden’s main attractions and the loss of the Friday fixture will be felt severely.
The QRL also displayed a distinct lack of sentiment by axing the first day in the year that the club is celebrating its Centenary.
In spite of the reasoning, one can’t help feeling it was definitely one below the belt.
But, while bitter with the decision which she says came as a complete and utter surprise, current secretary, Chris Rennie, is adamant the show will go on – and the centenary will be celebrated as it should be.
She recalls that QRL “donated” $50,000 to Cairns Amateurs for their 50th celebrations.
“We have asked for $250,000 so we can put on a $100,000 Cup. To date, there has been no response from QRL.
Chris Rennie concedes the once-rich amateur club is stone broke. “We lost $100,000 the day EI broke out in Queensland.”
It will be remembered that racing came to a standstill in the State on Townsville Amateur Cup Day in 2007.
Everyone was at the races – except the horses – when at lunch-time that day QRL made the hasty and somewhat ill-considered decision to close it up.
What would have happened if the Townsville meeting, miles and miles away from the infected areas, had gone ahead?
The answer is absolutely nothing, except for the fact the club might still have $100,000 in the bank.
And now this!
There is a genuine fear about the future of NQATC. Memberships were withdrawn in large numbers after the EI crisis (some might say circus) and the loss of the Friday racing, the ball and the Sunday arvo shindig is hardly encouragement for old members to return – or to attract newcomers.
At the very least, QRL should come to the party (pardon the pun) with the request for added prizemoney for what may well be the end of NQATC.
It is odd that QRL can deem Townsville “too social” and recommend they drop the ball and recover from their agenda of events.
Interestingly, QRL has not taken the Friday TAB date away from Cairns Amateurs.
So obviously it is not considered “too social”, which, of course, everyone knows damn well that it is – much more social than Townsville by a long shot.
Member for Burdekin, Rosemary Menkens, got it right when she said both the timing and lack of overall regional understanding are appalling.
“QR has no idea when it comes to regional heritage. A great many regional and country followers look to this event as their annual break,” she said. “The Townsville economy will also suffer, as the flow-on effects of the Amateurs have been worth millions of dollars over the years.”
Of course her opposite number, Craig Whoever ... the Thuringowa MP, who sees nothing, hears nothing, and does absolutely nothing, hasn’t said a word.
Nor has the so-called Racing Minister Peter Lawlor, the man who bans kids from attending race meetings with their parents (so the family stays away), yet allows them unrestricted entry to the footy and V8 car races where presumably there is no alcohol.
How ridiculous is that. Both of these ‘pollies’ are in positions where they can wield some influence to benefit the industry and the region, but continually do sweet all.
They don’t even try.
The last word is with Chris Rennie: “We have complied with QRL to cut the ball and Sunday garden party and they still take away our Friday. The long-winded explanation, when it’s all boiled down, is country racing suffers in order to provide more race days and funding to the South East corner.”
She accuses QRL of “playing with communities, social networks, and real people”.
“People rely on the racing industry for a living, as well as to provide a form of entertainment to generations of people right across the north and north-west,” she said.
Naturally there will be a switch of times and dates for a lot of the functions that will be held to celebrate the centenary on August 21.
They haven’t yet been finalized – but don’t rule out a ball. And why not? I reckon tickets might be like hens’ teeth.
HAVE HORSE AND SADDLE WILL TRAVEL FOR KENNING AND BELL
THE well-known jockey/trainer combination of Billy Kenning and Julie Bell has covered a lot of dusty miles in their long association with country Queensland Racing.
They’d surely know every bump along the Flinders Highway and many little tracks along the way.
So it was no surprise to see them heading off in their trusty truck with a load of horses to Mt Isa last Saturday for the opening of the new season in the mining capital.
The duo wouldn’t have gone unless they thought there was a chance of recouping at least some of the hefty ‘exes’ and their confidence was in a Sequalo youngster named Little Alf.
What a shock was in store. Little Alf tried his little heart out but ended up 10 lengths in arrears of another newcomer to Buchanan Park in the shape of ex-Sydney youngster Brawled.
There was no surprise that Brawled won – his Sydney form was up to winning a maiden in at least a city provincial area.
But no-one expected him to do it so easily. Brawled ran a second faster than his stablemate Red Rae in the Class 5. Both are trained by Jay Morris and piloted by Chad Pay.
No doubt we will be seeing them all on the coast when the carnival time comes around. Unless, of course, they head west to Alice and then to Darwin, as was the case last year.
They might even take in the Katherine Cup meeting on May 22, a date that the evergreen jockey Robert Thompson has already claimed, simply because “I’ve never ridden there”, said the man who has been everywhere else from Happy Valley to Mooney Valley and almost every track in between.
