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.

SURELY RUMORS THAT DOZENS OF COUNTRY CLUBS WILL BE AXED CAN’T BE RIGHT

DANNY ROBINS of NORTH QUEENSLAND weighs into the debate on the uncertain fuure facing many clubs in bush and country Queensland:

‘SPECULATION is rife that dozens of country race clubs will soon be axed under tough financial measures to be introduced by Racing Queensland.

Some of those being mentioned are iconic and successful clubs that have operated for decades and are very much a part of the fabric of the industry in this State.

But it seems country clubs will the sacrificial lambs – up to 60 of them if you are to believe the scuttlebutt – when the harsh financial implications of the financial problems allegedly confronting RQ are addressed before Christmas.

Whilst we in the country accept that for the industry to be successful the bigger clubs in metropolitan and major provincial areas have to thrive, surely some other issues need to be addressed before they take the knife to what has been a way of life in the bush and country for years.

Below is just a simple indication of the widespread concern and frustration being felt as penned by Cameron Riches, president of the Gordonvale Turf Club, which reads:

‘Yesterday I received several comments about the future of Gordonvale Turf Club and Mareeba Turf Club, which I find very disappointing and hope is untrue.

There has been meetings held between Racing Queensland and Key Stakeholders discussing the future of Country Racing and the survival of Several Clubs around North Queensland, including funding cuts to prizemoney.

RQL contributes $35,000 in Prizemoney to our meeting which is most definitely a boost. However, GTC contributes another $13,000 to $18,000 per meeting on average. 

There are talks that RQL will strip the funding however give us the option to run the Gordonvale Cup in Cairns. How can this have the same feeling and be beneficial to the racing industry or the Gordonvale Turf Club?

Gordonvale is only 20km south of Cairns and over time has become a suburb of Cairns, but its country cacing at its best. The whole community comes out in force and supports the event.

In the past there has been financial trouble, and safety issues, however with the support of the Committee, Sponsors and the Community we have cleared debts of up to $40,000, made improvements of up to $60,000 and have a healthy bank balance at the moment. There are plans for the future to keep improving our track, construction of a female jockey room and relocation of our tie ups.

Between myself, and the parents we currently have shares in 10 horses of which we own two of 100%. We would seriously reconsider our contributions to these horses if Gordonvale was to lose its great little club. There is no better feeling then winning on your home track where your passion and love for racing comes from. 

Let's hope nothing comes from these meetings and Gordonvale Turf Club keeps achieving great results. 

All focus is still set towards 19th March 2016 which will celebrate our 100 years of racing.’

The bush clubs would be lost without the support of politicians like Rob Katter who recently told Parliament that more prizemoney is being distributed on one day at the Gold Coast in January (for Magic Millions) that the entire bush racing program receives in a year in Queensland. We don’t begrudge MM their day in the sun but not at our expense.

If there is to be a big knife taken to racing in Queensland for whatever financial reason it needs to be a level playing field.

The Labor Government and Racing Minister Bill Byrne should not forget their power hangs by a thread. Cuts will affect a lot of people who live in the country and bush. They all vote. The backlash to what we are hearing (if it happens to be right) will be enormous.’  

JUST WHAT IMPACT WOULD A BAN ON WHIPS HAVE ON CROWDS AT THE RACES? 

FRANK CORLESS of the SUNSHINE COAST sent this thought-provoking email on the controversy surrounding use of the whip:

‘FIRSTLY, I’d like it to be known that I am not a fanatical ‘greenie, animal activist etc’, but I do abhor cruelty to animals and I love a punt.

I am 72 years old and have been a fan of racing since my first visit to Randwick on Epsom Day 1960.

I hope that people will read this with an open mind and fully digest it before offering any comments either for or against.

My thoughts are based on a ‘what if’ scenario.

‘What if’ there was a moratorium on any use of a whip or persuader for a trial period of say three, six or 12 months. I don’t know just what affect this would have on racing overall.

Would more people attend the races, would less people attend? Would it advantage some horses to the detriment of others?

I note that my favorite jockey Damian Browne has stated that the new whip rules from December 1, 2015, will have a detrimental effect on some horses.

If I can plagiarize with a bit of Poetic License I’ll use Newton’s Third Law that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, it would be expected that a different group of horses would benefit from that rule change. Are they being unfairly disadvantaged now? These are all hypothetical questions.

My thought is that every race will still be run with the same playing field as we have now except that a different lot of horses will benefit and a different lot will be disadvantaged.

I think Mick Dittman would have still been an out and out champion without the use of a riding crop. I have never ridden a horse in a race so I will have to be guided by others. Is the whip the only means of keeping a horse on a straight path or are the reins just as good an alternative?

Perhaps if a whip is so important to assist in steering some horses then all jockeys may be allowed to carry one for use only when it is definitely required to say straighten a horse. Any other circumstance could be taken as a serious infringement of the rules.

I am not suggesting that we should do away with the whip forever, immediately, but just throwing this in the middle as a ‘what if’. It would maybe help to keep some of the ‘ill-informed goody goodies’ at bay for a while.

I believe that some Scandinavian countries have abolished the use of a whip but I have not done any research into who they are and what change this has made to their sport.

I hope this can open up some open-minded discussion/debate without the negative hoo-ha which can be expected after a novel and controversial suggestion.’

NORMALLY THE WHINGE DODGES THESE ISSUES BUT THIS IS AN EXCEPTION 

WE don’t normally run items in the Wednesday Whinge that relate to comments made on blog sites, especially those websites that run remarks from anonymous contributors who, it is alleged, think the can just defame people without any threat of repercussions.

Ironically, some of these are the same people who accuse letsgohorseracing of running contributions from ‘faceless’ people. They are right. We do allow people to have their say and request their identity be with-held. That is to protect them from any official backlash and we all know what happens if you criticize racing in Queensland in particular. Everyone is enitled to their opinion as long as they keep it within certain bundaries. Some blog sites are open slather and simply don't which sooner or later will be tested in court.

Having said all of the above, we have decided to allow former RQ Chairman Bob Bentley to have his say on recent commentary on one of these blog sites. If any of the parties named or feel they have been identified in Mr Bentley’s email wish to have right of reply we will run it unedited provided there are no legal issues with this).

THIS was sent to us by a long-time supporter of Bob Bentley and reads:

THE particular post in the Racehorsetalk website is under the ‘father Ross’ category and is a repeat of a former post from ‘LongJohn’. It was posted November 11th at 2.31pm. Interestingly today (Thursday, November 19) if you go to the thread on Racehorsetalk Queensland in the new improved Racing Queensland header the writers are still opining that (RQ Interim CEO) Ian Hall's new plan for racing has been sub written by Bob (Bentley) and Bill (Ludwig). 

This is quite an extraordinary statement to make which I can also confirm is delusional by any of these writers who conveniently forget that racing in Queensland three years ago had plans for the greyhound code, was making efforts to stabilize the trots, was taking a 21 per cent market share as a strong third product in Australian racing and had good schemes in place to assist breeding as well as having negotiated with the Government a guaranteed minimum payment to country racing, thereby recognizing its importance socially but remembering that commercially it had little benefit to the industry on a commercial basis.  

The claptrap that Bentley broke any contract with the greyhounds was aired at the White Inquiry. There never was a contract. Kerry Watson, the Greyhound Chair at the time, needs to be brought to book on this issue. (Former RQ Chairman) Kevin Dixon did none of the above and reversed a profitable business into not just a loss but just possibly extinction.

One point that no-one seems to realize is that with the huge drop off in punting, Queensland UNiTAB (UBET) are not making the returns to support Racing Queensland to the degree they need to keep the industry viable.’

‘NEEDLESS AND MINDLESS NONSENSE BEING PEDDLED ABOUT RACING QLD

BOB BENTLEY, former RQ Chairman, wrote:

‘NORMALLY I wouldn’t worry about supposed anonymous blogs on websites bagging me but I felt there was one recently brought to me intention on the Racehorsetalk website (I don't personally read it), that was so ill-informed and incorrect that it needs to be addressed.

And as your website at least has some credibility in the racing industry, not to mention a less mischief-making audience and group of contributors with political agendas, I decided to use the Wednesday Whinge to get my reply across if you will allow me.

The posting referred to needs addressing as it again demonstrates the needless and I might add mindless nonsense being peddled by the author.

Examination sees the name behind the posting as either the infamous ‘Double D’, using a fictitious  name or a familiar retired director of a major club who continues to act behind the scenes in the usual cowardly fashion of making comments under a nom de plume.

The website owner, so the racing rumor mill suggests, is a current director of a major Race Club (**name with-held by letsgohorseracing for legal reasons**), who continually posts inaccurate and misleading ramblings, and his racing contribution in total is to count the white spots on the lamingtons at his club's lunches.

The latest posting should be of concern to the Chairman and other directors of this majjor club as they have been the beneficiaries of a face saving hand-out to commence a redevelopment project and will require future goodwill to complete their projects.

The following quote is from the post on the Racehorsetalk website and makes the following statement: ‘in a little over nine months the Labor stooge Government and their revenge agenda being run from the back-rooms by Bentley and Ludwig seems little more than carrying out their lost agenda and spiteful payback on the stakeholders that made them look like the fools they are’. In my opinion the author should be asked to explain why he should remain a Club Director for allowing this to be reproduced on the website he allegedly owns or runs.

Secondly, his reference to ‘Bentley and Ludwig advising the Government’ is typical of the nonsense this bloke peddles. I can assure you that neither Bill Ludwig nor myself has had any input into the mess that the industry now finds itself in. We are certainly not advising the Government on any matter

The web posting asks where has the money gone?

The Bentley Board left Kevin Dixon and his Board with $14 million in cash reserves and $100 Million in assets on handover in 2012, and an  organization that returned a surplus for each of the previous 10 years.

The decisions of Dixon and his avid supporter, the member for Clayfield, Tim Nicholls, of increasing prizemoney to clearly unsustainable levels, then adding the decision to donate the Magic Millions company $5 million without a cost benefit analysis, was, in my opinion, both incredible and reckless. 

The industry could not at the time afford this largess even less so in today’s declining growth in wagering on the Queensland product. There has not at any stage been an explanation to the industry of how this $5 million donation (to MM) will benefit Queensland breeders or recoup the outlay in wagering returns.

These decisions were popular at the time but if you kick the can down the road long enough eventually it catches up with compounding ramifications. 

The current RQ administration under (Interim CEO) Ian Hall will be lambasted when levels of prizemoney are substantially reduced in January 2016. Racing Queensland's budget and country racing will unjustifiably gets a severe haircut.

Additional to this, during Dixon's term was the growth in staff numbers at Racing Queensland, as well as the lack of attention and ability to race programming resulting in the deterioration of the Queensland product as an attractive and reliable betting medium.

Add in the closure and ripping up of the Eagle Farm track before funding was in place, a less than optimal product fee contract with Tattersalls with a ridiculous 30-year term, and you can easily conclude that things are not in good shape.

A fair-minded person would conclude that Ian Hall inherited a mess and to this fact I agree, but the lack of positive and corrective decisions have not been forthcoming.

Ian Hall admits he knows little about racing administration and this unfortunately is self evident. Whoever is giving advice has not been disclosed. Bentley and Ludwig are not in the frame. If they were, things would be a lot different and maybe, just maybe, the industry could have been pulled back from the brink.

The current situation seems to have lulled the industry participants into a state of complacency as everything appears normal. However, under the surface things are far from healthy. 

Inaction suits some sections in particular, for example, the harness code as they continue to receive a disproportional share of industry revenue mainly to the detriment of the greyhounds and to lesser extent the thoroughbreds.

Ian Hall must soon inform the industry of the current situation financially, not a pleasant task considering his inherited previous three years of substantial losses under Kevin Dixon and the looming compensation claims by greyhound trainers over the impounding of racing animals. This could well extend into the millions of dollars.

The Government has not at this stage indicated if they will make a contribution to the bill, or  reduce taxes on wagering.

I estimate that the Government would need to contribute $21 million annually to maintain the status quo. This contribution however will not provide an annual growth factor.

Finally the White Inquiry did not show that Ludwig and Bentley were controlling the Bligh Government – again a wild statement without any back-up evidence.

If ‘longjohn’ is prepared to come out from under his rock and open his eyes he will realize that I do not publish facts unless they can be backed up. ‘Longjohn’ and ‘Double D’ would be doing the industry a much better service if they published facts, and stopped using their forum for spite.’

AND it wouldn't be a WEDNESDAY WHINGE without a contribution from a regular on racing in Queensland in ALBERT WILLIAMS of REDCLIFFE:

‘COULD someone with the authority to make statements please confirm whether reports are correct or not that UBET lost on their Fixed Odds betting on the Melbourne Cup?

It would seem to me – and anyone who knows anything about racing – that it would have been near on impossible to operate a book and manage to lose on the biggest race the country bets on when the winner is returned at $101.

If this did occur then heads need to roll – starting with the big man who seems to prefer the policy of placing his Fixed Odds prices up the latest off all – after the early smart money has been bet with the bigger totes and corporates who have been operation for some time ahead of UBET.

If that’s bookmaking then it probably shows why he’s working for an organization that is rated the biggest joke in Australian betting.

Can someone from UBET – or whatever they now call themselves – please confirm that this is another wrong racing rumor and that they didn’t lose on Fixed Odds betting on the Cup? If they did perhaps we could hear an explanation how it happened.

What needs to be highlighted is that the huge decline in punting in Queensland on UBET will have a massive impact on the viability of the industry as a whole. They can close all the clubs they like, reduce prizemoney, appoint supposed ‘experts’ to run the show, unless this new TAB deal works, the joint is stuffed.’

BOUQUETS FOR PATRICK BARTLEY WRITINGS ON HAPPENINGS IN VICTORIA

NEVILLE SHARP of MELBOURNE sent this email:

‘AT the risk of having a shotgun blast through my front door I would like to praise the stories on racing justice in Victoria and the only turf journalist in this state with the balls to write them seems to be Patrick Bartley of The Age.

He wrote a story in the past few days that just about summed the situation up – highlighting the differences between the appeals systems in New South Wales and Victoria.

My interpretation of what was written between the lines in the Bartley story is that there are so many avenues of appeal in Victoria that if you keep trying eventually you will be successful.

More to the point the appeal system is so drawn out – compared to NSW – that cases go on forever and the industry just keeps getting more and more bad publicity.

On the track Victoria is a furlong in front of NSW but off it we could learn a lot from our neighbors north of the border.’

EDITOR’S NOTE: FOR those who missed it, here is the story that the above email refers to:

IN the racing and disciplinary appeals (RAD) board on Monday the second set of cobalt charges in Victoria begin. Trainers Danny O'Brien, Mark Kavanagh and Flemington vet Tom Brennan face multiple charges over elevated cobalt levels from their horses.

These horses returned elevated levels in the spring of 2014 and whatever the outcome there is talk that any guilty finding will result in an appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal (VCAT). This has already occurred with Lee and Shannon Hope last week and Mark Riley earlier this year.

These three trainers (the Hopes and Riley) have been allowed to continue training pending the appeal process despite being found guilty by the RAD board of the serious charge of administering a drug to affect the performance of a horse in a race.

The most serious charge – doping – rightly carries a three-year mandatory disqualification. To date, there have not been any consequences to the guilty verdicts given to these trainers by the RAD board.

Are we seeing the impact of a complicated legal framework and appeal process where long delays are commonplace? In the end this means that Racing Victoria (RV) becomes impotent in dealing with those found by RAD to have doped.

The RAD board was established by former Labor racing minister Rob Hulls with co-operation from the then chairman of Racing Victoria Michael Duffy, himself a former Labor minister and attorney-general.

There is little doubt the board is a brilliant set-up that has created an air of judicial independence when dealing with racing integrity matters. The governance has been taken from the stewards and the race club committees and given to the independent tribunal.

The RAD board is chaired by a retired county court judge, Russell Lewis, who is ably assisted by senior eminent legal figures. Importantly, the chairman and the board members understand racing, their familiarity and knowledge of the sport has enabled them to work through the labyrinth of information that accompanies jockeys not riding properly, wagering and horse drug and doping charges.

A system that would seem perfect when dealing with the nuances with horseracing – eminent legal minds entwined with a judicial background and an intimate understanding of the sport of kings.

At the RAD board hearings, RV stewards and their lawyers present the prosecution case and the trainers or jockeys with their lawyers present the defence. However, perched above the RAD board is an appeal framework that begins with VCAT and can go to higher courts.

This system means delays and "stays" are commonplace and cases drag on indefinitely with seemingly no impost for those found guilty at the RAD board.

Furthermore, the knowledge and understanding of racing is often lost, and replaced by someone experienced in planning regulations and permits. Then racing cases run the risk of falling into the legal system where decisions are made on fine legal detail or technicalities with no reference to the racing industry.

This system has cost Victorian racing significantly; one can only ponder the financial burden to RV running these cases through the courts. There is also the damage done to the image of racing where guilty trainers are allowed to continue to compete against innocent parties.

In Racing NSW the system is different – the stewards are judge, jury and executioner – but there is an appeals process to the courts above the stewards.

In the cobalt cases that have plagued Victoria and NSW racing, the chasm between RNSW and RV is as deep as the Krubera​ Cave in the Black Sea.

Last Thursday, RNSW handed down its final penalty and closed the book on the cobalt positive in the Sam Kavanagh-trained Midsummer Sun. This horse tested positive to cobalt in February this year, months after the Victorian cobalt positives.

RNSW handed out career-ending disqualifications to trainer Sam Kavanagh (nine years), Flemington vets Tom Brennan (six-and-a-half years) and Adam Matthews (five-and-a-half years), and to three other people involved.

Soon after the cobalt positive was confirmed in Kavanagh's horse, RNSW stewards revoked Sam Kavanagh's training licence, as in their words "his continued participation was seen as prejudicial to the interest and integrity of racing in NSW".

Yet in Victoria our cobalt cases continue to drag on appeals to VCAT and higher courts are flagged and the image and integrity of racing in this state suffers – leaving many to wonder where is the justice?

STORIES THAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN THE MAINSTREAM RACING MEDIA

WAGERING AND ATTENDANCE FIGURES FOR BIG SPRING CARNIVAL MEETINGS   

WAGERING and country cup attendances were up but crowds at the Spring Carnival's feature meetings were down according to figures released by Racing Victoria on Friday.

A review of the 23 feature meetings, including nine major Country Cups, from Hyland Race Colours Underwood Stakes Day at Caulfield on 26 September, 2015 to Sportsbet.com.au Ballarat Cup on 21 November, 2015 found the following in comparison to the same meetings in 2014:

Wagering

• Total wagering turnover across all operators was $1.3 billion - up 4.9%;
• Total turnover on the nine major Country Cup meetings - up 12.5%; and
• The state’s three premier racedays Emirates Melbourne Cup Day; BMW Caulfield Cup Day and William Hill Cox Plate Day all achieved wagering growth.

Attendance

• Total attendance across the 23 feature meetings - down 3.5%;
• Total attendance across the nine major Country Cup meetings - up 3.4%; and
• The Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington drew the biggest crowd of 101,015 - up 0.2%.

Participation

• A total 1477 horses competed 2392 times across the feature meetings with the average field size remaining consistent with 2014 at 11.5 starters;
• 27 horses from Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, England and Ireland travelled to Victoria for the Spring Racing Carnival and were stabled at the Werribee International Horse Centre;
• 192 horses, 84 trainers and 65 jockeys recorded individual wins at the 23 feature meetings; and
• More than 6000 individual owners shared in the $44.3 million in prizemoney across the meetings.

Engagement

• The Racing.com digital platform attracted over 1 million unique visitors for the feature period with Emirates Melbourne Cup Day recording a 578% increase in unique user, on 2014. 

Racing Victoria (RV) Chief Executive, Bernard Saundry, was pleased with the areas of growth attained across the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival noting that the collective audience for the sport was on the rise.

“With our expanded broadcast model delivering feature meetings nationally across two free-to-air channels, subscription TV and online through Racing.com and multiple wagering services providers, more people engaged with the Spring Racing Carnival than ever before,” Mr Saundry said.

“For many, the highlight was the historic Emirates Melbourne Cup victory of Prince of Penzance for Darren Weir and Michelle Payne, whilst the internationalisation of the Spring Racing Carnival was further franked with a French victory in the Longines Mackinnon Stakes (Gailo Chop) and a triumph for New Zealand in the BMW Caulfield Cup (Mongolian Khan).

“While our marquee meetings at Flemington, Caulfield and Moonee Valley remain the centrepiece of the Spring Racing Carnival and again attracted great interest, it was pleasing to see the growth across country and regional Victoria with more people enjoying their thoroughbred racing.

“The Ballarat, Benalla, Dunkeld and Kyneton Cup meetings are among the great success stories of this year’s Spring Racing Carnival with each delivering terrific growth in attendance, turnover and community engagement.

“Conversely, we recognise that there were some metropolitan feature meetings that did not achieve the same results as 2014 with unfavourable weather and associated track conditions among the influencing factors, particularly on Oaks Day and Stakes Day at Flemington.

“Work has commenced between Racing Victoria, Country Racing Victoria and the metropolitan clubs on the industry’s annual review of the Spring Racing Carnival and we’ll collectively be taking a comprehensive look at race programming, track performance, marketing and promotion, event offerings and media outcomes.

“There are many positives to take from this year’s Spring Racing Carnival and I want to thank the fans, punters, participants and owners for their support of the event and the host clubs for their efforts in ensuring that the Spring Racing Carnival is a showpiece for the state of Victoria.” 

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.