OUR theme – THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY side of what has happened in racing over the past week continues in the Wednesday Whinge which feedback suggests is what our readers prefer. It gives us an opportunity to provide some of the racing news that is now harder to access or simply isn’t run in the mainstream media because of space restrictions. That doesn’t mean we are steering clear of allowing our readers their weekly whinge on racing topics. The column this week starts with a burst for the Racing Queensland Chairman over the less than level playing field that continues to occur when it comes to media releases. That was our little indulgence before we get into a host of emails from our loyal readers. Our popular new sections of the Whinge - ‘Cynics Have Their Say’ and ‘Photograph of the Week’ are also included:
THE RQ CHAIRMAN AND HIS SPIN DOCTORS IN THE MAINSTREAM RACING MEDIA 
‘IT would have been so easy this week to sit back and whinge about the farcical favoritism that continues to be displayed by Kevin ‘The Messiah’ Dixon to his spin doctor mates in the mainstream racing media in Queensland.
But as a couple of associates suggested: Does anyone really care if Hayden Haitana has been allowed back on racetracks or if Bill Schuck is moving from Eagle Farm to help out with track duties at Racing Queensland where one has to question what the hell Warren Williams is doing?
‘Exclusives’ are meant to be earned not ‘gifted’ as reward for failing to criticize an RQ Chairman, who many in the industry are beginning to regard as little different in his ‘my way or the highway approach’ as his predecessor Bob the Builder Bentley.
‘We Run As One’ – the newly adopted motto of the industry in Queensland – is supposed to be about co-operation and cohesion. We’ve read and listened to all the hot air from Chairman Dixon about collaboration, assistance, regulation and enabling.
But at the end of the day ‘We Run As One’ is starting to shape like it is all about a ‘one man band’ who burrs up at any form of criticism and only wants to support ‘one section of the media’ – the spin doctors who refuse to ask the hard questions and continue to praise the job he is doing.
And on that question one might ask just what has Kevin Dixon done since he has been in the interim and permanent role of running racing in Queensland. He has blamed Bob Bentley and his Board for everything apart from the sun rising in the morning – hold fire that will probably happen as well.
He hadn’t even warmed the seat when the club of which he was chairman (the BRC) got a massive handout from RQ. His good mate, Bob Frappell (he’s the same bloke that was at one time a buddy of Builder Bob) has fared well (if you ask rival club chairmen a bit too well) at the Toowoomba Turf Club where millions of industry funds have been injected.
It won’t matter how much positive publicity the little, big man of racing in Queensland receives or how he continues to treat those in the racing media he dislikes (like this website), until his Board delivers on prizemoney the industry in the north will continue to sink into the quicksand.
And on the subject of his fellow Board members – especially on the all-powerful group appointed by the Government and the industry – to run the three codes, the story goes that not all of them are happy to read important decisions being announced by The Courier-Mail before Board meetings are even held.
Surely this is tantamount to a breach of confidentiality. But then again – when it comes to the decision making process even at the highest level and treatment of the racing media – there is one rule for some and one for the rest of us.’ – LGHR EDITOR, John Lingard.
WAS RQ GRANDSTANDING FOR PUBLICITY IN LIFTING THE BAN ON HAYDEN HAITANA? 
DANNY J of BRISBANE writes:
‘ONE gets the impression there was an element of grandstanding behind the decision by Racing Queensland to allow one of the most notorious figures in Australian racing back to the track.
I hope I am not being too harsh but the impression my friends and I got was that Chairman Kevin Dixon jumped at the opportunity to claim some desperately needed positive publicity for racing in the Sunshine State.
You don’t win any Brownie Points for clearing the decks and allowing a one-time rogue back onto the race track even if he isn’t permitted to hold a license in future. From a general racing public perspective the decision meant nothing.
It was a non-event but not to the RQ boss – and his mates in the local media – who jumped at the opportunity to secure some national media exposure.
You won’t find too many owners or stake-holders doing anything but bagging the prizemoney situation in Queensland and the punters haven’t got too much good to say about the integrity of racing in the north either.
It shows how out of touch the ‘chosen one’ of the Government and the industry in Queensland is when it comes to reality. He would be better advised to steer clear of the spotlight until he has something positive to say about improving prizemoney and the lot of those struggling to survive in racing in Queensland.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS is one of the few issues that the RQ Chairman and I agree on. Hayden Haitana has more than served his time while collaborators in the Fine Cotton affair had their bans lifted long ago. Give the guy a chance to take his grand-kids to the races. One doubts he would ever want to return to training or if the authorities would allow him to do so.
HOW MUCH MORE FINANCIAL HELP CAN TOOWOOMBA GET FROM THE INDUSTRY? 
AS I am an official of a TAB club I would ask that my name not be used. You should know what happens to those who criticize the current RQ Chairman, so from my club’s point of view, I cannot afford to have them suffer:
‘LIKE many other officials of rival clubs – who don’t enjoy the favored treatment that the Toowoomba Turf Club has from certain people at Racing Queensland – I would like to know just how much financial assistance they are receiving for their opening night on New Year’s Eve.
Putting aside the massive millions that have been wasted converting Clifford Park to a cushion track and now reversing that to synthetic grass, what about the handouts that have enabled the club to post profits rather than losses?
It all comes down to justification of the amount of money that has been delivered by the RQ Chairman to his good mate and great supporter in the Chairman of the TTC.
It certainly pays to have mates in high places in racing in Queensland these days. Who said things have changed since Dixon replaced Bentley?
First the BRC gifted the Bernborough Handicap to Toowoomba one-out for their comeback meeting. Then it was announced the stakes on offer would be the most ever offered at a Clifford Park meeting. It’s a wonder they didn’t grant them stand-alone Saturday status.
Now we learn that one of the best country music acts in the land will be performing on the night at the TTC in the McClymont Sisters. It would be interesting to know if any racing industry funds are being allocated toward the entertainment part of the program or is it coming out of the TTC coffers?
EDITOR’S NOTE: I am reliably informed that RQ has a budget to assist clubs with major promotions like this one at Toowoomba but that the allocation of those funds is done by the administration and not the Board or the Chairman. Toowoomba will receive financial backing for their big opening night, including the entertainment. With admission at $35 through the gate there needs to be more than just the racing to attract a crowd that includes all sections of the community and the McClymont Sisters should prove a major drawcard for the club.
WILL PATRICK COOPER CONTINUE TO SUFFER FROM THE ‘RAILO’ SYNDROME? 
FROM a prominent licensee in the north who, for obvious reasons, has asked to remain nameless:
‘TERRY Butts got it part right and part wrong when he wrote about the appointment of a new Chief Steward for North Queensland in his ‘Silks & Saddles’ column this week.
His suggestion that this is the last chance for Racing Queensland to get it right and appoint a no-nonsense steward to clean up the mess that racing in Townsville has degenerated into off the track was spot on.
But if he thinks the appointment panel will consider the right man for the job – Patrick Cooper – who has been there and done it all before, then Butts is way off beam.
My mail is there is no way that the current RQ Chief Steward Wade Birch will allow his old boss Cooper to return to the fold. And he will be on that selection panel.
The majority of the stewards who worked with RQ when Cooper was the Chief in Townsville don’t want him back apparently because they feel intimidated by his approach and ability to do the job properly.
He was never ‘one of the boys’ in the days when good old Railo ran the show with an iron fist. Birch is a throw-back to that scene as well and has the total support of RQ Chairman Dixon so it won’t matter who is kicking up for Cooper in the north.
The mail is strong that the pea for the job is Gary Palmer, a former top jockey, who has his share of supporters on the current panel. He is keen to move to Townsville and if you are to believe the ‘inside word’ has the backing of Birch to get the job.
Time will tell. Whether Palmer is strong enough to end this feud that continues to brew among a couple of big stables and some prominent licensees in Townsville is debatable. Cooper certainly can bring it to an end, which RAD Board chairman, Bill Carter, suggested needs to occur.
One wrong move in the appointment process here and it could come back to haunt RQ. And I am speaking as a long-time licensee in the north who, like many others, desperately wants to see the local industry in Townsville on a more stable and cohesive footing.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: I am led to believe that although Wade Birch is on the panel – and I am confident he would want the best credentialed steward for the job – that one of those taking part in the appointment process is new RQ CEO Darren Condon who is well versed on the situation in Townsville. Condon is a breath of fresh air at the control body, who, unlike his boss, treats the media as a level playing field. Gary Palmer and Patrick Cooper are both people that I respect and believe could handle the job. With Condon’s participation in the process I have no doubts the right decision will be made.
THE CYNICS HAVE THEIR SAY
DID THE SKY STUDIO MAKE POOR HILTON LOOK LIKE ‘A PRIZE GOOSE’? 
TERRY J of ADELAIDE writes:
‘SPARE a thought for race-caller Hilton Donaldson who tried to do the right thing by those cowboys at SKY Channel on Saturday and was made look a prize goose.
When the delay continued before the start of a race at Morphettville and a clash was eminent with Perth, Donaldson suggested the Ascot race should run first (as is the norm) and threw to the caller there believing it was going to happen.
Whether he headed off for a quick drink or a slash before the Adelaide race got underway, who knows? But for some reason the pickles back in the SKY studio ignored his suggestion and the Morphettville race jumped without poor old Hilton in the broadcast box.
Puffing and panting with a mad rustling of race book pages, one could hear Donaldson scramble back into the broadcast box and grab the microphone after the field had travelled 100m.
He was so flabbergasted and confused that he forgot some of the colors and even highlighted his misery and embarrassment by asking as the field thundered to the turn: What is that one back there on the inside?
Finally, Donaldson became so frustrated that he blurted out in disgust: ‘That’s the last time I’ll try to do something to help the product.’
Gee, Hilton has it taken you this long to realize the product at SKY is beyond saving. It’s been that way for years.
FIRST THE ARABS, THEN THE ‘RED HOTS’, WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE GALLOPS – GOAT RACING? 
SAM C of GOLD COAST writes:
WHAT is racing in Queensland coming to?
This coming Saturday we have the Arabian camel herders racing at the Gold Coast.
Give this mob an inch and they will take a mile. The last thing racing in this state needs is another group – like the quarter horses – vying for a slice of the financial pie.
They claim to have support of the United Arab Emirates but those close to the action say it’s ‘all talk’ at this stage. But one thing is for sure, the Arab racers do have the backing of Racing Minister Steve Dickson and one has to wonder why.
Then on Sunday we can all head off to Kilcoy, enjoy a steak-burger as we fight the flies and watch the ‘red hots’ invade thoroughbred territory. Eight thoroughbred and three trot races on the grass and punters can bet on the lot on the TAB.
What a joke!
FINGER DOWN THE THROAT STUFF CONTINUES FROM THE SELF ANNOINTED ‘CUPS QUEEN’ 
PAUL K of MELBOURNE writes:
‘FROM what we read Gai Waterhouse is intent on doing her racing impersonation of Hyacinth Bucket from the British television comedy series Keeping Up Appearances.
Now she is trying to upstage the undisputed Cups King of Australian racing in Bart Cummings in declaring herself ‘The Cups Queen.’
Give us a break Gai. You have won ONE Melbourne Cup not a DOZEN like Bart and if you train until you are 100 one doubts you will ever go close to emulating his amazing training achievement.
Waterhouse has milked every bit of publicity she can from her Melbourne Cup win with Fiorente. Good on her, but not being a fan of the first lady, this has been finger down the throat stuff for many of us.’
NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH FOR THE NEW GOLDEN BOY OF THE RACING MEDIA 
OSCAR W of BRISBANE sent this e-mail:
‘THE crown prince of racing administration in Queensland was spotted up close and personal with the new golden boy of the racing media at a popular eatery during the week.
A day later another exclusive was hatched – more positive publicity for the high profile official who banishes to the back-blocks any media organization or individual that dares to criticize.
Stories are appearing even before they are approved by the Board which begs the question what is the need for a Board or a depleted racing media in Queensland when one little big man can control both?
Yeah, the more things change in Queensland racing, the more they stay the same.’
WILL THE GOVERNMENT ‘FITNESS FOR WORK’ POLICY BE ADOPTED BY RQ STEWARDS? 
ALBERT W of REDCLIFFE sent this e-mail:
‘I was wondering if the ‘Fitness for Work’ policy being adopted by the Queensland Police Force will be implemented at Racing Queensland.
The Government apparently wants to ensure a standard of physical fitness among some of our big fat lazy coppers that ensures, if necessary, they can do their jobs and actually run down criminals.
With RQ claiming it is ramping up security, a former Queensland Police Commissioner in Jim O’Sullivan the new Racing Integrity Commissioner and a special squad formed to mirror what is happening in tracking down crooks in Victoria, surely fitness should be a key element.
Can you imagine some of our stewards in Queensland scaling fences or running down trainers or stable-bands administering illegal substances to horses?
In fact there’s one particular steward who operates around the betting rings in south-east Queensland who wouldn’t run downhill in the back of a float without getting tired unless there was a sponge cake or a hot dog at the end of the road.’
TAX EVADER HAS BECOME QUEENSLAND’S LOSS AND VICTORIA’S GAIN 
JIM C of BRISBANE writes:
‘THERE is a surprise in store for the punters of Victoria who will soon inherit the nightmare that Tax Evader has been for their counterparts in Queensland.
Isn’t there an element of passing the buck when the stewards in Queensland, after refusing the nomination of Tax Evader because of his barrier manners, decide to lift that enabling the horse to be transferred to trainer Peter Moody in Victoria?
Whilst I accept that Tax Evader has plenty of ability and the owners must be frustrated with his barrier problems and subsequent ban in Queensland, what happens if Moody cannot correct that?
The horse has to trial – or more importantly jump cleanly – to the satisfaction of stewards in Victoria before he is allowed to start. But if I recall correctly Tax Evader has done that in Brisbane but failed to reproduce that behavior when given a start.
Surely problem horses like this cannot just be shuffled from one state to another to escape bans which should be imposed permanently to protect the punters.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: TAX Evader is a very talented galloper on his day as was displayed during the winter carnival in Queensland. What has happened has to be terribly frustrating for connections. Here is a Victorian Stewards’ Report on the change of stables for the horse:
THE Stewards today (last Saturday) conferred with Assistant Trainer Mr T Haydon, who was representing the Peter Moody stable, with regard to the training of Tax Evader which had recently been transferred to their stable. Based on the advice from Racing Queensland Stewards that Tax Evader had been a late scratching at Eagle Farm on November 15, after having reared in the barriers, its nomination had subsequently been refused under AR50 as this was the sixth occasion that the horse had been barred for barrier misdemeanors. Queensland Stewards further advised that they subsequently lifted the embargo on Tax Evader after receiving a submission from the owners that Tax Evader would be transferred to Victoria for future racing. Mr Haydon gave the Stewards the undertaking that Tax Evader would trial to the satisfaction of Stewards in Victoria before it accepted for a race.
BIG WEEK OF RUMORS – COX PLATE WINNER DID NOT RETURN A POSITIVE SWAB 
IT’S been a big week of rumors for the Australian racing industry.
The story did the rounds big-time in Victoria that Cox Plate winner, Shamus Award, had returned a positive swab.
“Not correct,” commented RV Chief Steward Terry Bailey. “I don’t know where these stories come from. I have had Andrew Bensley (SKY) and Adrian Dunn (TVN, Racing Network) querying whether it’s right already today.”
Sydney trainer John O’Shea has also been at the centre of two big rumors. One suggests he will be on the receiving end of a Hong Kong contract and the other has him joining Darley as the Peter Snowden replacement (the latter seems to be firming to favoritism).
THERE has also been a rumor that the Chief Steward of RQ is moving to Hong Kong or Macau. Not even half right. Wade Birch will be a guest stipe on the panel at the Happy Valley International Jockeys meeting in Hong Kong tonight whilst his family his holidaying there during the big week of racing.
OUR RACING PHOTO OF THE WEEK 
THERE are some things that SKY Channel should revert to the studio instead of showing.
This is one of those.
It was a shot captured for posterity at the Bathurst dogs TAB meeting.
We had it sent to us by an astute greyhound punter with the following suggestion:
There are times when a horse gets caught in the barriers that SKY producers throw back to the studio rather than show the image of the start and risk offending some viewers.
My mates and I reckon this shot was one of those times at the start of a race when SKY should have crossed back to the studio.
STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED ON RACING DURING THE PAST WEEK
RV CHIEF STEWARD DECLARES THE SPRING CARNIVAL ‘CLEAR OF DRUG ISSUES’ 
THE spring carnival has been declared clean with all horses that contested feature races cleared of drug issues.
ROD NICHOLSON reported in the HERALD SUN that Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey said the final tests on runners at the November 16 Zipping Classic meeting at Caulfield had been given the all-clear on Friday.
"It was a really successful carnival which proves that our checks and balances give us a level playing field and that things are picked up and dealt with," Bailey said.
To ensure clean racing, the integrity services department had "an unprecedented presence throughout the state", according to Bailey.
The only feature-race dramas involved trainer Paul Beshara being disqualified for race-day treatment of Happy Trails on September 14, Darren Weir being fined for stabling Puissance De Lune at Warrnambool instead of Ballarat (where a security guard was sent for the 24 hours before the Cox Plate), and trainers Gai Waterhouse and Mikel Delzangles being fined for minor race-day treatment of their Melbourne Cup runners, Tres Blue and Dunaden respectively.
From Memsie Stakes day on August 31 until Emirates Stakes day on November 9, stewards, veterinary officials and the compliance assurance team, along with race-day security teams, oversaw the welfare of gallopers.
Bailey said the resources were in place "so we can know what's going on and deal with it".
Stewards launched 339 race-day inspections of trainers' stables.
All but two Group 1 runners were subjected to out-of-competition testing.
A total of 2715 race-day samples were taken (with the Zipping Classic meeting statistics to be added) - an average of 3.2 horses tested a race.
Out-of-competition tests were up 50 per cent on last year to 511.
At the four days of the VRC Spring Carnival, more than 60 per cent of the runners were subjected to either a pre or post-race test.
Security guards were placed on runners in the Derby, Melbourne Cup, Oaks and VRC Sprint Classic for 24 hours before the races.
Bailey said an initiative was the introduction of scoping as part of post-race veterinary examinations of under-performing horses. A total of 126 horses were scoped.
Stewards also took a closer look at jockeys, with 121 samples being taken, as well as alcohol breath analysis of 87 riders.
"Racing Victoria's commitment to integrity has been bolstered over the past 12 months with a series of enhancements encompassing the areas of compliance assurance, race-day services and advanced veterinary practices,'' Bailey said.
"Such enhancements will continue to ensure best practice strategies are adopted, providing a strong grounding for the future."
STEWARDS MOVE TO CORRECT RIDING STYLES IN WAKE OF HORROR FALLS
STEWARDS hope to meet with the Jockeys' Association to discuss the introduction of grips for irons and riding boots in light of the horror week of race falls.
CHRISTIAN NICOLUSSI reported in the DAILY TELEGRAPH that Kathy O'Hara crashed to the turf at Kensington on Friday after she lost her footing while riding Natch Catch.
She escaped with nothing more than a concussion and a bad cut to the back of her head, despite being trampled on twice by her horse and a rival runner.
Remarkably, O'Hara's sister Tracy also hit the deck at Gladstone on Saturday, and sustained ligament damage to her left ankle.
Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy said jockeys were always at risk of slipping from a horse when they rode with just their toe in the iron.
And while it was impossible to ask jockeys to put their entire foot in the stirrup _ a practice adopted more than 20 years ago _ giving their boots and stirrups a grip was an avenue worth exploring.
``I spoke with Ron Quinton on Saturday, he's a great horseman, and he's of the opinion that you can't turn back the clock and get jockeys to put their entire foot in the iron, but perhaps more could be done with the adhesive nature of irons and the sole of riding shoes,'' Murrihy said.
``Riders can get better grip and are less likely to slip. Some irons are very smooth and so are the soles of the boot. In light of the incidents the past week, it only highlights how dangerous it can be if you slip when up the front of the field.''
Rod Quinn would have been one of the last jockeys to ride with his entire foot in the iron before he retired last week.
Hugh Bowman is one jockey who is known to alternate between toe in the iron and his entire foot. Other jockeys, including Jay Ford, already apply skateboard grip to their irons.
One concern about introducing grips is the risk of a jockey having their foot caught in the iron when they fall. Any additional weight to a riding boot would also be frowned upon by those riders with weight issues.
O'Hara became the fifth jockey involved in four separate race falls prior to the weekend.
Tracy O'Hara became the sixth jockey after she ploughed into the turf when her horse, Te Aroha, blundered and shattered a sesamoid.
``I'm on crutches at the moment and I'm not walking on it 100 per cent,'' O'Hara said.
``I called Kathy from the ambulance straight away. I didn't see Kathy's fall live, I got told about it afterwards, but I think I've had more falls than her, so I knew what she was going through.''
Another jockey, Robyn Freeman-Key, shattered her cheekbone at Hawkesbury on Saturday, but it was a barrier mishap, not a fall.
Apprentice Jordan Childs suffered two broken wrists on Monday at Hamilton, with Peter Mertens coming off worse for wear with a fractured skull, broken collarbone, ribs and ankle, as well as a punctured lung at the same meeting.
On Wednesday, Darren Gauci came down at Bendigo on Wednesday, but escaped with nothing more than bruising. And on Friday, Ryan Hurdle was also injured at Pakenham.
A BELATED OBTIUARY TRIBUTE TO ONE OF THE FIRST LADIES OF RACING IN QUEENSLAND 
THIS is an excerpt from an obituary written TOM McVEIGH on Queensland racing historian HELEN COUGLAN that was published in the WARWICK DAILY NEWS:
HISTORY will acknowledge that Helen Coughlan, like many women of her era, was "before her time".
Despite her love of education, her real passion was writing and journalism, particularly in the area of history and thoroughbred racing.
Early in her life she was introduced to the world of journalism through visits to the Tooowoomba Chronicle, where her aunt Helen Wood worked.
Helen flourished as a writer and a passionate advocate for the racing industry in both the sport and the organization of the breeder groups. She was a meticulous researcher. Her memory of thoroughbred pedigrees was renowned in the breeding world, and she had a deep understanding of the philosophy of racing people.
Her early writing in the 1970s in racing journals under the pseudonym "John Page" was certainly indicative if her pioneer intrusion as a woman in the industry.
Helen will be long remembered for writing the book The Queensland Turf Club - a Place in History, published in 2009 and covering 146 years of the QTC, with photography provided by Noel Pascoe.
Her knowledge of the industry as an owner, breeder and patron ensured that through her writing a vibrancy was imparted to this living history. She was also one of the prime movers in the team that developed the Eagle Farm Racing Museum and the Pictorial Library at Doomben, and was the chairwoman of the Thoroughbred Racing History Association.
Helen was awarded the Governor's Heritage Award for her efforts in driving the establishment of the TRHA.
As a tribute to her, the Brisbane Racing Club will commission a portrait of Helen, which will be displayed at Doomben on a permanent basis. The Courier Mail on Monday October 7, 2013 stated in conclusion "Coughlan leaves behind a body of work which will remain wonderful resource for years to come".
Helen was highly regarded in the racing industry by both government and private sectors.
She was a media advisor to Ministers of the Crown, and provided expert advice to racing inquires such as the Review of Queensland Racing and the inquiry on Black Type Racing in Australia.
Racing writer and historian Brian Russell, the doyen of racing writers in Australia, having written about the industry and racing people over many decades, described Helen as "a luminary of racing and breeding".
Helen was known and remembered by many as a person of great elegance who had the common touch, and who knew the industry from all angles - a good knowledge gained from visits to small bush tracks and metropolitan showpieces.
FEDERAL COURT TO DETERMINE FATE OF WINNER’S CHEQUE FROM COX PLATE 
A FEDERAL COURT justice will on Tuesday determine the fate of the winning cheque for this year's Cox Plate winner Shamus Award, after hearing submissions on Monday in a battle between owner Sean Buckley and the Australian Taxation Office.
PATRICK BARTLEY reported in THE AGE that shortly after Shamus Award scored his upset win in Australia's most revered weight-for-age race on October 26, the ATO issued a garnishee notice to Racing Victoria in a bid to stop racing's ruling body paying out the winner's cheque to the owner.
Racing Victoria then agreed to keep the winnings in a frozen bank account pending the findings of Justice Tony Pagone on Tuesday. The funds, believed to be $1.53 million, will be at the centre of the dispute between Buckley and the ATO.
Buckley, who owns Ultra Tune, has been issued with a bill for $1.5 million after losing a legal action over his investment in a failed forestry scheme.
The Tax Office is pursuing Buckley for $11.5 million over a decade of allegedly unpaid income tax.
Buckley invested in 170 hectares of pine trees, paying a deposit of $238,000. The remainder of the money came from a loan, obtained from a finance company related to Willmott Forests.
In his loan application, Buckley said he received $585,000 a year - an income of $285,000 plus $300,000 in ''dividends and proceeds from loans'' - from his business empire. He said he had ''uncommitted monthly income'' of $48,000.
The win of Shamus Award in the Cox Plate shocked many in racing as the colt was the first maiden to win one of Australia's most important races. Purists maintained that the three-year-old should not have been allowed to start in the race considering he had not won a race prior to the group 1 event.
The colt is currently spelling before an autumn campaign.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the above e-mails should not be interpreted as those of JOHN LINGARD, the owner-editor of the letsgohorseracing web-site. That is why he has added an ‘EDITOR’S NOTE’. Every endeavor is made to verify the authenticity of contributors. We welcome any reasonable and constructive responses from parties or individuals.
