Letsgohorseracing - QLD & REST

Details: Published: 25 March 2015; Created: 25 March 2015

HARNESS trainer/driver Trevor Lambourn has been disqualified for two years and fined $10,000 after stewards found him guilty of placing bets on horses he drove and/or trained in races, as well as horses driven and trained by others in races he drove in between March 2012 and February this year.

Racing Queensland stewards inquired into Mr Lambourn’s driving tactics on Kalvin in Race 3 at Albion Park on Friday, 27 February 2015 after the gelding lead the field at a quick tempo before finishing last by 24m.

Details: Published: 19 March 2015; Created: 19 March 2015

RACING Queensland has confirmed three harness and two thoroughbred trainers will appear before Stewards’ inquiries after their horses returned cobalt samples above the legislated threshold of 200 micrograms per litre in urine.

Thoroughbred trainer Jamie McConachy’s horse Vandalised returned a sample in excess of the threshold following its win in the Rockhampton Cup on 21 June 2014.

Details: Published: 16 March 2015; Created: 16 March 2015

RACING Queensland has stood down a further 23 greyhound trainers as part of its ongoing investigations into the same training track at Churchable used by other warned-off and suspended trainers.

CEO Darren Condon said after reviewing further video footage, Stewards had cause to commence inquiries into the individuals and stand them and their greyhounds down immediately pending further investigations.

Details: Published: 05 March 2015; Created: 05 March 2015

QUEENSLANDERS will get a second helping of the Late Mail Luncheon® when it returns to celebrate the 2015 Brisbane Racing Carnival in May.

A fantastic line up of Queensland's best trainers will again join some very special guests and the usual suspects when the 2nd annual event kicks off on Friday 8 May at Sofitel Brisbane Central.

Details: Published: 02 March 2015; Created: 02 March 2015

THE Queensland All Codes Racing Industry Board has made the decision to warn off five Queensland greyhound trainers for life, while one case was adjourned and another was referred back to the stewards for further investigation.

Chairman Kevin Dixon advised the board had made the following decisions after considering three written submissions and one verbal submission.

Details: Published: 02 March 2015; Created: 02 March 2015

THE newly-elected Labor Government has ordered an independent review of Queensland’s greyhound industry to investigate how the practice of ‘live baiting’ went undetected.

The ABC reports that barrister Alan MacSporran will head the review, which is expected to take three months and cost $3 million, to be funded by the racing industry.

It comes as the Board of Racing Queensland meets this afternoon (Monday) to assess ‘show cause’ submissions from seven trainers allegedly involved in the practice.

Details: Published: 27 February 2015; Created: 27 February 2015

by JOHN LINGARD, EDITOR, LETSGOHORSEACING

IN a surprise move Racing Queensland plans to resurrect Deagon as a TAB venue with 12 race dates proposed for the new financial year – the first of those on Friday, July 17.

These would be hosted by the Brisbane Racing Club and are obviously designed to relieve the workload on Doomben whilst ensuring the new Eagle Farm track is not over utilized early days.

This is part of an overdue decision by RQ that would see TAB racing at two venues in Queensland on many Sundays during the year. These would be shown on SKY with the secondary fixture on SKY2.

A ‘secret’ list of draft dates for racing in 2015-2016 fell off the back of a track outside the letsgohorseracing headquarters. Rather than comment politically on the move to return to TAB racing at Deagon we have left that to the RQ ‘spin doctor’ at The Courier-Mail to put the slant on this that Little King Kev and his cronies would prefer.

Under the proposal Deagon would host race meetings on:

Friday, July 17 (primary venue)

Sunday, August 30 (secondary to Gold Coast)

Sunday, September 13 (secondary to Sunshine Coast – this is the annual Family Picnic Day)

Thursday, October 8 (secondary to Rockhampton)

Sunday, November 22 (primary with Mackay the secondary meeting on the day)

Sunday, Decemb er 20 (secondary to Sunshine Coast)

Sunday, January 3 (primary)

Thursday, February 25 (primary)

Sunday, March 13 (primary)

Friday, April 29 (secondary to Townsville)

Sunday, May 15 (primary)

Friday, June 17 (secondary to Townsville)

The introduction of two Sunday race meetings in Queensland – similar to what occurs in the southern states – is seen by some as a move to provide a desperately needed increase TAB turnover which letsgohorseracing understands has slumped on the local product and is secretly alarming some officials especially under the turnover requirements of the new TAB deal with Tattersall’s. Surprisingly greyhound turnover has increased since the live baiting scandal was reveled.

Dual Sunday racing will be held on July 12 (Sunshine Coast and Cairns); August 9 (Cairns and Dalby); August 23 (Sunshine Coast and Kilcoy), October 18 (Sunshine Coast and Mackay), November 29 (Sunshine Coast and Rockhampton), December 6 (Sunshine Coast and Kilcoy), December 23 (Sunshine Coast and Cairns) and then in 2016 – February 28 (Sunshine Coast and Mackay), June 12 (Sunshine Coast and Lockyer), June 26 (Sunshine Coast and Townsville).

Under the Draft Dates Proposal for 2015-16 the pioneer of Sunday racing – the Sunshine Coast – would be reduced to 39 Sundays. But it would host five metropolitan Satudays and eight Friday night meetings.

During the year there would be 11 Saturdays where the primary metropolitan meeting would be held outside of Brisbane. These include five at the Sunshine Coast, four at the Gold Coast and one each at Ipswich and on the much maligned new track at Toowoomba for their Weetwood-Cup meetings (which suggests this will be approved even before the success or failure of this year’s venture can be gauged).

The Winter Carnival in 2016 would be launched at the Gold Coast on April 30 with the Hollindale-Prime Minister’s Cup meeting following by the Toowoomba Cup and Weetwood on May 7; BTC Cujp (May 14), Doomben Cup (May 21), Doomben 10,000 (May 28), Queensland Oaks (June 4), Strandbroke (June 11) Ipswich Cujp (June 18) and Tattersall’s Tiara on June 25.

Interestingly, the first Saturday meeting actually assigned to the new Eagle Farm track is on October 3. But no track has been allocated the Saturday metropolitan meeting in Brisbane from August 15 to September 26.

That suggests that allow RQ would like to re-open Eagle Farm on August 15 that there is some doubt about when the new track will be ready to race. If Doomben has to continue to shoulder the load – and it has done a remarkable job despite the alleged bias to on-pacers on some days – the track there will require a much-needed recovery period which a third Brisbane venue at Deagon will provide.

What new infrastructure will be needed and whether field sizes will be limited at Deagon is conjecture for others to consider. There will no doubt be an extra cost despite most of the facilities being in place at Deagon already.

DEAGON was established well over a century ago but was utilized for a ‘closed’ race meeting during the Equine Influence crisis in 2007. It was the first time the training centre had been used for racing since 1941.

The first public race day in 72 years was held as a Family Picnic Day in September 2013. The local community was the driving force behind the day. It proved so popular that another was held last year.

Although now owned by Racing Queensland, Deagon meetings are hosted by the Brisbane Racing Club. The venue has turned the full circle from a racing venue to a boutique training complex and now back to a racing venue.

In the latter days of the Bob Bentley era that almost came to an end when there was a proposal for it to become the home of state of the art harness and greyhound complex. This riled local thoroughbred trainers, especially those with major real estate interests at Deagon, which then became a political hot potato and when the LNP Government returned to power the plan was scrapped.

Details: Published: 22 February 2015; Created: 22 February 2015

By JOHN LINGARD, Editor, Letsghorseracing

THE standing down of ‘sacrificial lamb’ Wade Birch, the Head of RQ Integrity, is a small step in the right direction but the real buck stops with the Board of Greyhounds Queensland and the RQ Industry All Codes Chairman Kevin Dixon.

Reports of the political games and manoeuvring that is occurring being the scenes to protect the job of the RQ Chairman only highlight the need for the Labor Government to engage an interstate non-connected Queen’s Counsel or the like to conduct an Independent Review of the greyhound scandal.

Queensland racing and politics are far too interwoven with mates doing deals with mates for there to be any confidence in a Review headed by anyone local – especially if it involves current Integrity figures or former Ministerial heavyweights who have consultancies with certain high profile businessmen linked to Government and the racing industry.

Details: Published: 22 February 2015; Created: 22 February 2015

by TERRY BUTTS of the NQ REGISTER

RECENT Doomben winner French Lesson from the North Queensland stable of Glen Baker has returned a positive to cobalt.

Chief steward Alan Reardon notified Baker by phone yesterday morning and told him the horse had returned a reading 'well over the threshold limit'.

Baker said he was stunned.

Details: Published: 20 February 2015; Created: 20 February 2015

RQ WOULD LOVE JIM O'SULLIVAN TO CONDUCT THEIR INDEPENDENT REVIEW INTO GREHOUNDS - THAT CAN'T BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN

BY JOHN LINGARD, Editor, letsgohorseracing

INDUSTRY stakeholders and the racing public are urging new Racing Minister Bill Byrne to extend his independent review into Racing Queensland’s disgusting failure to uncover live baiting which was unearthed by Animal Liberation Queensland.

They want the new Labor Government to also examine the RQ Integrity Department’s handling of the cobalt swab situation and to have RQ Chairman Kevin Dixon questioned over serious allegations doing the rounds about the new TAB deal with Tattersall’s, alleged favoritism to clubs loyal to the current hierarchy and the lack of consultation and information provided from the Deagon bunker.

Byrne has already indicated the likely appointment of senior independent figures to ensure the industry is cleaned up. The greyhound debacle – and failure of RQ to act on information received from Animal Liberation Queensland and the RSPCA – is just the tip of the iceberg with the problems confronting the industry.

Much of this has occurred under the watch of RQ Chairman Kevin Dixon who needs to be exposed to extensive questioning at an independent review and questions need to be asked as well of his association with former Treasurer Tim Nicholls, former Racing Minister Steve Dickson and the LNP Government despite claims by Dixon that he is a-political.

Anger is growing at suggestions by RQ that they will provide $1.5 million of industry funds for Integrity Commissioner Jim O’Sullivan to investigate the ‘live baiting’ controversy. Those close to the action have been quick to point out that Jim O’Sullivan was on the selection panel that put the current Greyhound Board in place and say there would be a major conflict of interest for him to determine their future. A similar Board in NSW has been stood down, the one in Victoria will soon be stood down (if media reports are correct) but in Queensland we sit on our hands. Questions should be asked of Greyhound Board members, like Steve Hawkins (a close friend of Kevin Dixon and major greyhound owner-breeder) whether they were aware of the live baiting allegations and what they did about it.

Jim O’Sullivan is not the one to investigate the greyhound debacle. There needs to be an independent person brought it. Barry Taylor is a lawyer with a racing background, who served on the Racing Queensland Board before resigning in protest over the lack of consultation on the TAB deal. He has no ties with greyhound racing and would ensure the sport was cleaned up and those responsible for this mess shown the door.

Heads need to roll – not only over the greyhound debacle but many other things that have occurred since Dixon took over three years ago. Forget about the positive slant his mates in the media put on everything he does. Those pedaling that propaganda now want to be part of bagging the crap out of greyhound racing. They were the ones who should have been doing their jobs and investigating these allegations long ago – not leaving it to an ‘angel of mercy’ – a young woman from Animal Liberation Queensland to expose what everyone knew was happening. That was Hayley Cotton - pictured above right in the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Nathan Exelby the Racing Editor of The Courier-Mail is playing catch up with his colleague Brad Davidson of the Gold Coast Bulletin. If you want to read the great inbalance in reporting – log on to News Limited and read reports from both. It was Davidson who revealed the plans by the Minister to have an independent review. Not only did Exelby miss that one – for some reason – but when he followed it up a day later it was the last paragraph of his story and he was quick to add that the Minister would not speculate on the future of RQ officials – man of whom everyone knows are his mates.

As Brad Davidson correctly reported in the Gold Coast Bulletin:

SPECULATION has been rife in recent weeks that Dixon’s position at RQ could be in jeopardy due to his alleged ties to the former government and the controversy surrounding the live baiting issue won’t help his cause.

Bill Byrne is no dill but has been handed a poison chalice. He needs to dodge the Dixon coat-tuggers and show the RQ Chairman (pictured above left by the Gold Coast Bulletin) the door sooner rather than later. Dixon supportes have already gone into over-drive to protect ‘little King Kev’ spearheaded by the club chairman who benefited most from the decision-making of his hierarchy.

Animal Liberation Australia has outlined five important things that have happened since the ABC 4 Corners expose was aired. They include:

100,000 people signing a protest petition.
Dozens of trainers being suspended.
The industry's prestigious awards nights being cancelled.
The entire board of Greyhound Racing NSW being stood down.
Sponsors backing out.

And critically, thousands of animals will now be spared from the most terrifying ordeal imaginable. Pressure is mounting on the future of greyhound racing. Regardless of what happens this is a disaster of ‘Fine Cotton’ proportions for this so-called sport.

If Queensland doesn't act quickly confidence not only in greyhound racing but the administration and integrity of the three codes will be lost forever. It's time for a change at the top Mr Minister.