THE WEDNESDAY WHINGE has a new look but won’t be dispensing with the theme and focus on the THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY side of what is happening in racing. The Whinge will continue to provide an opportunity for The Cynics to Have Their Say. Thanks again for your support for the most read column on this website and one of the most read on racing websites in the country. Our popularity continues to grow despite the bagging it cops from some high profile officials, especially in Queensland, who cannot cope with constructive criticism of any kind. We encourage supporters – and critics – to continue to contribute but plan to restrict the Whinge to less than 10 of the best items each week. Our message to those who continually bag us is simple: IF YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT YOU READ, THEN DON’T REVISIT THE WHINGE.
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PUNTERS PREFER KNOCKOUT BUSH TRAINER TO SMOOTH-TALKING KIWI 
MAL HAWKINS of MELBOURNE sent this interesting email:
‘WHO do most battling punters prefer to see succeed when the big races come around – the knockabout bushie trainer with the cheeky smile or his smooth talking Kiwi rival who cries every time he wins a big race?
You can probably gather from my introduction that I am more a fan of Darren Weir than Chris Waller. In fact, I will take it a step further than that and no doubt earn the ire of some fans of the ‘champion’ Sydney trainer.
It is not because I come from Melbourne, but whenever Waller has a starter or starters, the second string too often wins, in a race, I barrack for every other runner to beat him. His Group 1 success has meant there have been many disappointing moments for me which no doubt will continue. That’s racing but it doesn’t mean I have to like the bloke.
Give me the punch drunk, hungover ‘Weary’ any day of the week. He’s more Aussie than a teary eyed interloper from across the Ditch reaching for the Kleenex tissues every time one of his team lands a boilover in a big race.
When it comes to giving the punters a heads-up to the chances of his runners – in a big race or just an ordinary event – I’d rather listed to Weir every time as well. He’s nothing like Waller, whose record as a tipster is abysmal, not to mention how many of his second string runners knock over the favorites.
It might only be a matter of time but at present there is one thing that Weir can boast and Waller cannot – a Melbourne Cup on his mantelpiece – whether it was achieved training a one hundred to one shot ridden by a female jockey or not.
The Waller juggernaut will plough ahead and the media will continue to anoint him the new king of race training in this country and rightly so, I reluctantly admit, with his record-breaking haul of Group 1 winners this season.
But that doesn’t mean you have to like the bloke. I will continue to ‘death ride’ every runner he has – not only in the big races but the bread and butter events as well. It’s like backing horses – some days are diamonds others are crap.’
‘MOODY WENT MISSING’ ON CUP WEEK AS CARNIVAL STAKES WERE SPREAD 
ROB PALMER of MELBOURNE made this assessment of the CUP CARNIVAL:
‘HOW times can change in racing.
Peter Moody never trained one winner over the four days of the Melbourne Cup carnival and nor did Mark Kavanagh – two of the key figures in the Cobalt saga – not that I for one moment am suggesting that had anything to do with their run of outs.
It was just a statistic I felt worth mentioning but the one thing that again stood out on Cup week was the number of stables from various states that shared in the big prizemoney and there was no domination by the big stables.
Unlike The Championships in Sydney – which seem designed to largely benefit only the big names of NSW racing, or that’s how the results wound up, Victoria in the spring is much more competitive.
I had a look at the statistics and can report that on Derby Day nine different stables – four from Victoria, three from NSW and one each from South Australia and France – visited the winner’s circle.
On Cup Day there were seven individual winners – with doubles to Darren Weir and Tony McEvoy – resulting in seven from Victoria, two from South Australia and one from Queensland.
Oaks Day provided a double to Chris Waller with seven of the winners from Victoria and two from NSW. And on Stakes Day Darren Weir again landed a double and the winners came from Victoria (six), NSW (two) and South Australia (one).
The internationals didn’t fare all that well with only one winner for the four days – and apart from an Irish hurdler that ran second, little to write home about in the Cup.
The moral of the story is that despite the battle punters had to wage with a disgraceful Flemington track on three of the four days – and some rough house tactics in big races which saw many jockeys suspended – it is still arguably a more level playing field.’
FANS URGE MICHELLE TO KEEP HER FEET FIRMLY ON THE GROUND 
BEVERLY McDONALD of MELBOURNE writes:
‘MY friends and I have been Michelle Payne fans for a long time and we were delighted to see her ride the winner of the Melbourne Cup and create history as the first lady jockey to do so.
Whilst we understand that she is floating on cloud nine right now here’s hoping those close to her ensure she keeps her feet on the ground.
Her comments about chauvinism in racing were timely and – in some cases – are definitely correct , but Michelle needs to ensure that she doesn’t allow herself to be used by some of the loony left of the women’s liberation movement.
By all means make your point on equal rights and a better deal for women in the racing industry Michelle, but our message is concentrate on what you do best – riding winners – and if it is your dream, then take it to the next level, and become a trainer as well.’
PAM O’NEILL SHOULD BE INDUCTED TO THE AUSTRALIAN HALL OF FAME 
WENDY ROBBINS of SUNSHINE COAST sent this email, which we at letsgohorseracing, would certainly endorse:
‘THE success of Michelle Payne in the Melbourne Cup highlighted the need for the elevation of Pam O’Neill to Hall of Fame status not only in Queensland but Australian racing.
O’Neill was the first woman jockey – along with New Zealand’s Linda Jones – to be granted a license to ride against the men back in 1979. Her pioneering efforts deserve to be recognized.
That was six years before Michelle Payne was born and I read recently where O’Neill rode a treble at her first meeting at the Gold Coast.
Of the 840 registered jockeys in Australia these days, almost one third are women. In the apprentice ranks half of the 200 registered are females – an amazing revelation of the impact horse racing is having on the fairer sex.
How times have changed. No doubt many have heard the story of Wilhemina Smith who disguised herself and dressed as a man, lived as a recluse and arrived at the track in full silks so that she could ride at country meetings in Queensland in the 40’s and 50’s under the name of ‘Bill Smith’.
Women jockeys had made an important impact since then and well before Michelle’s magnificent Cup win but she has helped highlight the significant hurdles they still have to overcome to succeed in this ‘male dominated’ sport.
The difference these days is that when someone who has achieved as much as Michelle highlights the great divide that still exists key figures start to listen. And whether the males in the industry like it or not they are learning to keep their thoughts to themselves or wind up in the middle of an ugly spotlight a la Glen Boss on Cup week whether his comments about Michelle were misunderstood or not.’
‘OFFICIALDOM FORCED TO ACCEPT PLIGHT OF WOMEN AFTER CUP SUCCESS’ 
DALE RODRIGUEZ of BRISBANE writes:
‘IF officialdom cared so much about the plight of women in the racing industry why did it take the success of Michelle Payne in the Melbourne Cup for them to act?
Had Michelle not partnered Prince of Penzance to the most unlikeliest of Cup success stories one suspects nothing would have changed.
But she jumped at the opportunity and claimed desperately needed headlines for females battling for survival in a male-dominated industry by characterizing racing as ‘a chauvinistic sport’ and telling the detractors of woman jockeys to ‘go and get stuffed’.
Fighting words from an angelic figure but it triggered responses from the top – even the Prime Minister got in on the act. For Payne life will never be the same – all of a sudden from struggling to get one ride some days she is in demand for mounts. not to mention media and public speaking commitments and there is even talk of a telemovie.
One suspects that the ‘old boys’ network’ will continue to run racing but rather than pay lip service will realize the politically sensitive nature of how they deal with women in their workforce.
Lady jockeys have done it too tough for too long. Just to highlight the second rate treatment that some of them have been subjected to I will tell you a story.
There was this quite successful young lady rider in a state that shall remain nameless who worked hard at getting a horse ready for a plunge. In the process she might have bent a couple of rules in its lead-up races but let’s say it just wasn’t ready to win at that stage. When the big day came and the fields were declared to her surprise she had been replaced by a male jockey. She asked the owner why, considering the hard work she had done on the horse. His reply was short and sweet: “Women are meant for rootin’ not ridin’ love.’ Karma returned to haunt him. His heavily backed horse struck more trouble than the early explorers and failed to run a place.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE’S a story by SAMANTHA LANE for FAIRFAX MEDIA on the response that the Michelle Payne comments have already provoked in Melbourne:
RACING Victoria's chief executive has sought a meeting with Michelle Payne, specifically to discuss her experience and impressions of sexism in horse racing.
The first female Melbourne Cup winner who characterized racing as ‘a chauvinistic sport’ in her victory speech last Tuesday was widely applauded for tabling such candid criticism. Supporters included the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission boss, Kate Jenkins, who has called for the industry; that she suspects suffers from what she termed ‘deep-seated sexism’; to be reviewed.
Racing Victoria CEO Bernard Saundry has told Fairfax Media he is taking Payne's criticism very seriously. Saundry also said he had spoken to Jenkins since her criticism of the sport and would welcome input from the equal opportunity commission.
As head of Racing Victoria since late 2012, Saundry has a mandate to diversify horse racing and make it more inclusive, particularly at the elite end. Saundry said this was something the sport had ‘got better at’, but acknowledged ongoing blind spots. In light of Payne's comments the racing chief cited facilities unfriendly to female participants, and a scarcity of easily identified mentors, as barriers to women progressing in racing.
Payne is just the fourth woman to ride in Australia's internationally renowned horse race and, after winning it on Prince Of Penzance last week, said: "It's such a chauvinistic sport, a lot of the owners wanted to kick me off."
"They were certainly strong words, and words I have to take notice of," Saundry said. "It's very important. I've already phoned her.
"Her experiences, what she's gone through in the past, and what's she feeling now and experiencing now, I want to talk to her about."
Payne's public comments alluded to behind-the-scenes discrimination of women in racing, but her history-making triumph has also highlighted simple shop-front window messages that either separate women from the sport unnecessarily or exclude them altogether.
Since achieving the career highlight Payne has referenced a "Who will be king?" campaign to promote this year's Melbourne Cup. Ironically, banners with the slogan featured on the home stretch of Flemington racecourse when she rode Prince Of Penzance to victory wearing suffragette colours.
Saundry said that at the next meeting of national racing chiefs, in December, he will table a movement to change the traditional identification of jockeys in the official listings of race proceedings that distinguishes female jockeys – but not males – with an honorific. Saundry believes that all riders should be described with their full names in future, rather than with a first name initial and surname for men and an honorific, first name initial and surname for women.
According to Racing Victoria figures between 70 and 80 per cent of participants in Australian pony clubs and horse riding clubs are female. The number of elite women jockeys, however, is comparatively small. In Victoria, females currently constitute 25 per cent of 180 registered jockeys, highlighting a clear blockage in transition between amateur and elite riding ranks.
Elite horseracing has made a concerted effort to engage women participants only in the past four years, under Saundry's directorship.
"There was a ready-made group of people out there in pony clubs and horse riding clubs that we hadn't integrated with. Or we hadn't invited them in to participate.
"We'd always had female participation, but I suppose it was about realising that the opportunities were far greater than just waiting for the next female to come along, it was more about being proactive," Saundry said.
When Racing Victoria launched new apprenticeship and track rider programs, the vast majority of applicants were female.
"It opened my eyes when, for the track rider program, we had 18 of 20 applicants being female four years ago," Saundry said.
"At the elite end, we have invested in improving facilities on race days for female jockeys. In some cases we've reduced the size of the males' jockeys rooms to increase the size of the female facility. There's an ongoing commitment to invest in these areas, and we do that with the support of the Victorian Jockeys Association.
"I don't see racing as the sport of kings. I see racing as a sport for all people."
‘MICHELLE HIGHLIGHTED ARCHIAC THINKING THAT HOLDS BACK ALL CODES’ 
JOAN ELDRIDGE of GOLD COAST sent this email:
‘THE prestigious sport of racing in Australia has had its ups and downs, including the Melbourne Cup this year. Who would have thought the winner of the race would be a $101 shot not wanted by the punters, trained by a local Victorian trainer and ridden by the first female jockey to grace the winning post in this prestigious race.
The discussion after the race was not the fact most people lost their money on the race but a female jockey had piloted the horse to this prestigious win.
In the state of Queensland, racing in all codes is a ‘closed club’ of male-dominated persona, and should a female happen to crack this stand, a price has to be paid.
It is common knowledge as a female if you accept any top administrative position in the sport it is a career-ending decision. Should you top the sport’s prestigious yearly awards, you are subjected to slurs and innuendeos of character.
Jockey Michelle Payne was right when she returned as a winner and summed up the sport as male chauvinistic and suggested they ‘get stuffed’. In this day and age there are many successful female gallops trainers and riders and harness trainers and drivers and greyhound trainers, all evidence a female can make it in their chosen sport. All that is needed is a steely determination to succeed.
Currently the sport of racing is in turmoil in most states. This archiac thinking is holding back the progress both at Board level and race level.
An example being in Queensland greyhound racing in the ‘live baiting scandal’ only one woman is involved. Some 30 or 40 males are now before the judiciary to explain their actions. Maybe if a woman had been involved at Board/administrative level in this state this cruelty to small animals may not have occurred.
I have not had the pleasure of meeting Michelle Payne but I congratulate her for her determination to succeed and not give up when the going has been extremely tough and to enjoy the recognition and rich rewards she has now achieved.’
WHAT STARTED BADLY ENDED WELL FOR MELBOURNE CUP CARNIVAL 
BARNEY DAVIS of MELBOURNE sent this email:
‘IT was hardly the lead-up to a spring carnival that Racing Victoria would have wanted.
There was the cowardly attack on the family home of Chief Steward Terry Bailey with bullets fired through the front door, not to mention the on-going bad publicity associated with the cobalt saga involving some of the state’s top trainers.
But it didn’t keep the crowds away. The weather might have turned sour on Oaks day and from the punters perspective the Flemington track played woefully for the first three days of Cup week. It was far from a level playing field. Then there was the spate of suspensions for careless riding which claimed some big name scalps.
All these distractions were overshadowed by the historic Melbourne Cup winning ride (the first by a female jockey) of Michelle Payne. Normally an upset by a despised $101 outsider would have dampened the big week. But the Prince of Penzance success story stole the show.
The girl and the horse she never gave up on, the Down Syndrome brother who was convinced it could win from the time he draw barrier one, the one-time battling bush trainer who fulfilled his dream win in the most unlikeliest of circumstances, the surprise spray for the ‘chauvinistic pigs’ of racing from the face of an angel who captured national headlines telling the male detractors of women jockeys to ‘get stuffed’.
This was a story that seemed more fiction than fact and had even those who don’t follow horse racing paying more than passing attention. Michelle Payne managed to do the impossible – proving a major distraction from the downside of what is happening behind the scenes in racing in Victoria and putting racing back where it belongs with a positive media spin that has continued for almost a week and shows no signs of abating.
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE’S how MICHAEL LYNCH, a respected sportswriter for THE AGE summed up CUP WEEK:
Highlight: Impossible to go past Michelle Payne and her breathtaking ride into history aboard the 100-1 shot Prince Of Penzance. Whether her success will be the mould-breaker for female jockeys only time will tell, but her life will never be the same. A future on the global invitational riding circuit, as a jockey cum trainer and as a feminist icon, not to mention the face of a 1000 commemorative T-shirts, beckons.
Lowlight: Again, it's impossible to go past the episode involving beleaguered chief steward Terry Bailey and the attack on his eastern suburbs home when gunshots were fired into the front door. Bailey is not everyone's favorite in the industry, particularly those whom he is trying to nail for wrongdoing, but gun attacks at his family home sounds more like something out of Underbelly than the racing industry we are used to.
Biggest disappointment: The continued wrangling over the condition of racetracks. They are either too soft or too hard, not evenly watered or not evenly tended. The rail is either off, or it's a one-lane escalator. And the debate is excruciating as experts and punters try to explain away unpredictable results. Yes, it is annoying when the surface is unpredictable: but it has to be remembered that racing does take place outdoors, and it is a sport. Things don't always go to plan. And whatever the surface or the track condition, the smartest riders generally plot the shortest course and win if their horse is good enough.
Biggest surprise: The failure of the internationals (not counting Kiwi stalwart Murray Baker) to fly out with at least one of the biggest prizes on offer. Highland Reel, from the Coolmore empire, was strongly fancied in the Cox Plate and ran well to run third, but the other two, Gailo Chop and Arod, never really threatened. Japanese raider Fame Game ran a brilliant trial in the Caulfield Cup, but made no show in the Melbourne Cup, although Irish hurdler Max Dynamite almost struck a blow for the visitors when he ran second. Mind you, would stewards have had to disqualify him had he got up, given Frankie Dettori skittled half the field to get clear? Trip To Paris tried valiantly but couldn't quite break Ed Dunlop's Australian duck, the stayer running second to Baker's Mongolian Khan in the Caulfield Cup and fourth behind Prince Of Penzance in the Flemington highlight.
Let's all be grateful for: The fact that the veteran traveller Red Cadeaux looks as though he will pull through his operation and recover from the injury he sustained in the Melbourne Cup. Red has become a huge favorite in Australia and the pictures of his French jockey, Gerald Mosse, burying his head in his hands in tears after dismounting speak volumes as to how much racing people and those closest to their horses care about the animals they tend.
BIG THUMBS DOWN TO NEW CORPORATE BOOKMAKING AGENCY 
‘HARRY SUCK’ of MACKAY has his say on a new corporate bookmaking agency:
‘PUNTERS beware – ‘Sullo’ is back – or so the story goes.
Bluebet.com.au has only been in business for two weeks and they promised not to bar anybody.
I opened an account and had my first wager last night (Monday) - $300 on a $4.80 chance that won, followed by $200 on a $5 chance that arrived.
In the next race I wanted $100 each-way an $11 chance and was cut back to $56 x 100. It was unplaced.
This corporate bookie reportedly raised $40 million to start their business. The way they are betting I don't think they will be putting much of that to the test.
It’s just another corporate that should be pinched for impersonating a bookie!
And by the way I can supply a copy of my betting statement to back up what I have said above if it is challenged.’
MORE SUPPORT FOR JAMIE DART AS INTEGRITY BOSS OF RACING QLD 
GARY GORRIE, a great supporter of COUNTRY RACING in Queensland sent this email:
‘I love to read Terry Butts’ ‘Silks & Saddles’ column each week. Often the ‘goss’ before it happens.
But he should be careful if Michael Charge (the Townsville Turf Club CEO) decides to go into journalism as Michael’s letter supporting Terry was very well written with a little humor thrown in.
I too have known Terry for many years, probably longer than anyone in the north, and it’s not hard to disagree with him from time to time. But he gets most things right and shovels or spades the truth without fear or favor.
I too would like to see some positive things re Queensland Racing. Everyone wants to bag everyone. I call it the ‘Pauline Hansen’ syndrome – criticize, but offer no solution.
I admire Terry and Michael for coming out in support of Jamie Dart and if they recommend him then I think we have the right man for the job.
So come on Wednesday Whingers find some positives, come up with solutions, get behind Jamie Dart, let him do his job without worrying about you backstabbers.
It seems whenever we have a change of Government we go back and blame the previous administrators for everything and spend huge amounts of racing money on trying to pin the tail on the donkeys previously in charge.
I have never seen any results from spending these huge amounts of money except the legal eagles all driving expensive cars when that money could have gone into racing.
The accounting of all the administrators, past and present, leaves a lot to be desired. Their recognition of income and expenses is too often capital injections or grants from the Government called income and used to balance the books.
So let’s ‘whinge’ for ‘Acting’ to become ‘Actual’ Head of Integrity for Jamie Dart (Terry and Michael’s recommendation is good enough for me).’
STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED IN THE MAINSTREAM RACING MEDIA
DOWN SYNDROME MAJOR BENEFICIARY IF WEIR WINS CARNIVAL CROWN 
THERE is more than just prizemoney on the line for Emirates Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Darren Weir when his team of equine stars lines up at this Saturday’s Sandown Spring Racing Carnival Day meeting at William Hill Park (Sandown).
Weir will have his now high-profile strapper, Stevie Payne, at the forefront of his mind throughout the final metropolitan feature meeting of the Spring Racing Carnival with every winner he prepares going a long way to securing vital funds for a cause close to the trainer’s heart.
Weir has employed Payne, who has Down Syndrome, at his Ballarat stable for close to a decade, and can send a $25,000 donation to Down Syndrome Victoria should he secure a maiden Spring Racing Carnival Premiership when it culminates this weekend.
After finishing a close second in last year’s Spring Racing Carnival Premierships, Weir intensified his efforts in 2015 and currently sits just half-a-point behind defending champions, co-trainers David Hayes and Tom Dabernig (representing Aussie Helpers), in the Premier Spring Trainer division.
Points have been awarded to trainers and jockeys for placings across premier meetings throughout this year’s Spring Racing Carnival with the highest point scoring trainer and jockey to each collect $25,000 in prizemoney and receive a further $25,000 to donate to their nominated charity.
Both Weir and the Hayes/Dabernig partnership have nominated strong hands across the meeting’s nine races and boast multiple entries in the Zipping Classic.
Weir has nominated last-start Queens Cup (2500m) winner Dandino and the lightly-raced Tall Ship in the Classic, while Hayes/Dabernig are set to be represented by 2014 Caulfield Cup runner-up Rising Romance and recent Geelong Cup-winning import Almoonqith.
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.