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.
‘NIGHTMARE YEAR FOR VICTORIAN TRAINERS – WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?’ 
LES BAGLEY of MELBOURNE writes:
‘I read with interest a story of how it has been a nightmare year for the training fraternity in Victoria which poses the immediate question: Whose fault is that?
On a more positive note the new administration of the Australian Trainers’ Association – rather than continue to whine about the problems confronting its members with illegal drugs like Cobalt and Idaprophine – wants to be more proactive.
The new boss of the powerful Victorian-based body, Andrew Nicholl, says the ATA is determined to start the New Year with a clean slate and work with the industry and ‘put racing on the front page for all the right reasons’. That’s refreshing news after months of moaning from this mob.
The bottom line as far as many followers of racing are concerned is this. Whether a trainer believes he or she was not responsible for the positive swab their horse returned, they were the ones who took the horse to the track and started it with an illegal drug in its system and the buck stops with them.
We’ve heard all the stories about vitamin additives, feed supplements, of horses being tested independently and one week returning a negative then the next a positive. At the end of the day if a trainer or his veterinary advisor has some doubt, then don’t give the horse the treatment.
Rather than call for moratoriums or blame stewards and swabbing officials for not doing their jobs properly – trying to find a loophole in the law to escape hefty penalties – the ATA should declare a zero tolerance to some of these drugs that are not only affecting the performance of horses but threatening the welfare of the animal.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE’S a story from THE AGE, written by MICHAEL LYNCH that the above email obviously refers to:
COBALT cases, drug infractions and the subsequent banning of a handful of trainers, pending appeal, have ensured that it has been a nightmare 12 months for the Victorian training fraternity.
Inevitably the publicity that has accompanied the slew of high-profile cases, none more so than the headlines this week involving multiple group 1-winning handlers Mark Kavanagh and Danny O'Brien, has been a bad look for racing.
The new administration of the Melbourne-based Australian Trainers' Association is determined to make 2016 a clean slate, a year in which it reinvigorates the organisation and works with other arms of the racing industry to not just improve the lot of racehorse trainers but also to help them promote the sport positively.
Andrew Nicholl, a man who has spent his life in the risk assessment insurance sector before switching to racing last October - perfect preparation, it might be said, for such a volatile sport as racing - is now at the helm of the ATA and he is "anxious to put racing on the front page for the right reasons".
"Drugs are a major issue for us to confront, of course they are. A lot of that is about education and liaison with the racing authorities, proper counselling and knowledge for trainers who do often rely on vets and others for all their advice," Nicholl said.
"Many trainers are small businessmen, often financially stretched and under-resourced and they simply aren't always across the situation with certain therapeutics.
"For example, in the last 18 months racing authorities nationally have introduced or amended 35 rules of racing. That's a lot of detail for people who are hands on and working flat out to get across. It's more than were added in the previous five years."
Nicholl, who succeeded former ATA chief executive John Alducci (who is still with the organisation), is trying to hit the ground running in the first quarter of this year with a series of multi-subject forums in which trainers can seek advice and information on how they can improve their business - and avoid the pitfalls which have seen some of their contemporaries put in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
"We want more collaboration and engagement at a broader level," says Nicholl.
"We are running forums in Ballarat, Bendigo, Benalla and Mornington: we have up to 100 trainers attending in each location along with senior figures from Racing Victoria.
"Therapeutic [drug and treatment] administration is an obvious hot topic now. Education is the key and there is a definite lack of awareness. But we also want to discuss track and training infrastructure with Racing Victoria, race programming, prizemoney, training fees and a range of other issues."
HYPOCRISY FROM SECTIONS OF INDUSTRY OVER CORPORATE BOOKIES 
BILL LONERGAN of BRISBANE writes:
‘RACING can’t have its cake and eat it too. Much hypocrisy is flowing from the industry when it comes to corporate bookmakers.
The damage that these scavengers are having on the industry and the return to stakeholders and the Government continues to grow.
There have been calls for action to be taken but when it comes to the bottom line most of the major racing organizations and politicians (ie Governments) have show little balls on the issue.
Rather than allow more overseas-owned corporate bookmaking organizations to operate in this country – via the Northern Territory where anything goes – it’s time for legislation to be introduced to bar them. Forget about restriction of trade, their involvement has made it near on impossible for the bookmaker at the track to survive not to mention how anti-competitive it is for the TABs.
But racing can’t have it both ways. If they don’t want the corporate then they have to stop encouraging them. Accepting sponsorships from these organizations, like some major race clubs have (I understand there was even a link between Betfair and Magic Millions at Australia’s richest race day) is simply not good enough.
It’s either open slather or it isn’t. Perhaps the answer is an amalgamation of the three TABS into a National Tote. At least that would provide major competition and it’s certainly needed in Queensland where UBET has – in the minds of most punters and racing observers – been a colossal flop.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE’S an interesting story on this issue by PATRICK BARTLEY for FAIRFAX MEDIA:
THERE are renewed fears for the future of Australian racing with new figures showing punters are flocking to a controversial betting service that will cost the industry millions of dollars a year.
Senior racing executives have been concerned about online in-play sports betting, which allows punters to bet on a sports match after it has started, something gambling companies started offering it last year in a potential breach of federal law.
But these concerns have deepened after betting agency William Hill revealed this week its turnover on the Australian Open has surged 80 per cent in a year driven largely by a 300 per cent increase in in-play bets while its in-play bets on Big Bash League cricket have surged more than 1000 per cent.
In a recent submission to a federal government gambling revue, Greyhound Racing Victoria said in-play betting would severely affect revenue and cost the racing industry up to $10 million a year.
Racing Victoria also expressed its concern and its dismay in its submission and said the service would grow by luring punters away from traditional products.
Online in-play betting has been widely condemned by anti-gambling advocates and in July the Australian Communications and Media Authority said it was concerned the service was illegal.
It referred complaints to the Australian Federal Police, which later said it would not investigate further due to "case prioritisation issues".
It is understood the federal government is currently considering whether to legalise the service or ban it completely as part of its wide-ranging review into gambling that is expected to be finalised later this year.
William Hill is currently embroiled in another controversy, with its sponsorship of the Australian Open this year marking the first time a grand slam tournament has ever partnered with a gambling company.
The arrangement has been widely condemned since match-fixing allegations in tennis surfaced earlier this week.
Racing betting funds the industry but has seen its dominance eroded in recent years as sports betting has grown increasingly popular.
Twenty years ago racing wagering turnover was almost over 50 times that of sports betting.
It is now less than five times as large with around $22 billion gambled on racing annually compared to $4.5 billion in 2013-14.
TWO SIDES TO COBALT STORY – DEPENDING WHICH NEWSPAPER YOU READ 
MAL GOLSCHEWSKY of MELBOURNE writes:
‘IS it my imagination or are their two sides to reporting of the Cobalt saga. News Limited stories seem very slanted toward the top trainers while Fairfax seems to be providing a more unbiased approach to the situation?
Those who have followed these cases closely would be aware of reports that leading trainer Peter Moody was so incensed by the coverage in The Age that he allegedly called racing writer Patrick Bartley and told him: ‘You’ve got life’.
One suspects he wouldn’t be doing that with Matthew Stewart of the Herald-Sun who seems to have been very sympathetic of the predicament confronting trainers like Moody, Danny O’Brien and Mark Kavanagh – or that is my reading between the lines in his reporting of this issue.
I am a big Bartley fan – and I don’t even know the man. My mail is he has been ostracized by some colleagues and sections of the industry because he dared to tell the cobalt story as it is. I thought that was the function of the media. Then again if you are being paid to publish form guides – as is the case with News Limited publications – that might just tend to blur your perspective on some controversial issues.
Bartley got it so right when he wrote: ‘Racing's cobalt investigation has been the subject of an enormous amount of misreporting and rumor-mongering. The latest suggests that cobalt does not improve a horse's performance and that trainers Danny O'Brien and Mark Kavanagh cannot wait to have their day in an "adult court".
After Wednesday's RAD board disqualification - O'Brien was banned for four years and Kavanagh for three - both took their appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal where they plan to interrogate members of Racing Victoria's stewards' panel.
Barrister Damian Sheales made an application to call new witnesses at the end of day one of the RAD board inquiry into the O'Brien-Kavanagh cobalt positives. This was an unusual move and his application was rejected by RAD board chairman Russell Lewis.
The application was unusual because the new witnesses were RV stewards and employees of drug-testing laboratory Racing Analytical Services Laboratories.
Sheales, representing the trainers, and Jeff Gleeson QC, representing Racing Victoria, had discussed the evidence and accepted it would not be challenged.
When Kavanagh and O'Brien were told of their cobalt positives in January they said, and their barrister said, that the science around cobalt was new, evolving, inexact, conflicting and would be challenged. However, in the end, this did not play out. There was no challenge and there was no need to call any of RV's array of international experts as the evidence was agreed on and accepted as fact.
Indeed, Gleeson pointed out that it was far too late to be changing the witness list and that at least one of the new witnesses requested was unavailable through illness.
There have been rumors that RV stewards were avoiding cross-examination and that chief steward Terry Bailey has been stood down and will not return.
Bailey is on annual leave and "itching" to return to oversee his integrity department. He is due to return on February 1.
RV chairman David Moodie again moved to quash these rumors, saying Bailey has his full support and that of the entire board of Racing Victoria.
Bailey will not dwell on these cases but states that he is acting on behalf of all of Victoria's 900-odd horse trainers and that the cobalt positives involve very few.
One school of thought would have us believe that cobalt does not have any effect, that it is not bad and that these penalties are too severe.
The research is littered with articles on the toxic effects of high levels of cobalt. It has caused numerous deaths in humans and is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Surely we do not need a horse to collapse and die for people to accept that cobalt is toxic and dangerous.’
As Bartley went on to report and this is the most important issue of all: COBALT IS OUTLAWED BECAUSE IT IS TOXIC.
Racing authorities around the world are united in banning cobalt and since 2013 racing jurisdictions have been setting cobalt threshold levels.
Perhaps the trainers found guilty of the administration of cobalt need to understand this welfare aspect of cobalt abuse rather than voicing anticipation of a VCAT appeal.’
Keep up the good work Patrick – you have a mountain of support from followers of racing, punters and ‘the silent majority’ of trainers around this country.’
EVEN THOSE WHO DON’T LIKE SKY ARE FANS OF PRISCILLA SCHMIDT 
PERCY JOHNSON of SYDNEY sent this email:
‘I am not a great fan of SKY Racing but must admit they play their part with the involvement of women in racing.
Priscilla Schmidt, who recently handed in her riding license to take on a presenter’s role with SKY, is a valuable addition to the team.
In a short time she has won a legion of followers. Her mounting yard tips have proved spot-on, some at good odds, and she is just not another ‘talking head’ but obviously knows her business when it comes to horse-flesh.
Schmidt joins another former jockey Bernadette Cooper, who has become a permanent fixture at SKY and Carolyn Searcy, whose passion for thoroughbreds (especially the breeding side of the business) is unrivalled.
This certainly isn’t a whinge but I would like you to run my comments as the role of women in racing has certainly been a major talking point since Michelle Payne won the Melbourne Cup – although I might add that I think her chances of being Australian of the Year are even longer odds than the $101 offered about Prince of Penzance.’
RQ CONSPICUOUS BY SILENCE OVER CLAIMS NO POSITIVES POSSIBLE 
STEVE DAWSON of GOLD COAST sent this email:
‘MY mates and I are keen followers of racing in Queensland. It’s not often we agree on too many things but are unanimous that there would be no response from the power-that-be on the claim that it is impossible for a trainer to return a positive swab in this state at present.
The reason you won’t get a reply is because, as unbelievable as it sounds, your informant was spot-on and so was the website comment that the issue is being addressed behind the scenes.
From a punters’ perspective we understand the bad publicity aspect that a revelation of this kind would create. But aren’t those punters who were told that so many runners were swabbed on Magic Millions Day entitled to feel they are being treated like fools?
The sooner this new Integrity Commission is established in Queensland the better. But some of the other rumors doing the rounds about likely appointments have quite a few of us gob-smacked.
The latest story is that the Jamie Dart star is no longer on the rise and that the acting Head of Integrity and Stewarding is little hope for retaining that role. New favorite for the job is Martin Knibbs, who would make ‘the greatest comeback since Lazarus’ considering the hurdle he hit when Chief Stipe at the trots some years back.
The time has come for new Racing Minister Grace Grace to step in and ensure that those responsible at RQ look outside the square for a new boss of Integrity for Queensland – the appointment should not come from within the current ranks – new blood is desperately needed to give punters some confidence to again bet on the local product.’
‘BUTTSY’ TAKEN TO TASK FOR ‘PARROTING CON SEARLE & NP MOB’ 
PAUL TURNER, obviously a passionate supporter of the non-TAB clubs in Queensland, sent this email to TERRY BUTTS in relation to his SILKS & SADDLES column item this week which we have included in the WHINGE:
‘I am disappointed in the last item in this week’s Silks and Saddles.
I would have expected you to have been aware of the structure of funding recently put in place by the Government or are you just parroting Con Searle’s and the National Party mob that got us in this latest mess? (If so, I am more disappointed).
I understand the new Development Committee is funded by $8 million provided by the Government over the next four years. These are not industry funds. Correct me if I am wrong.
The purpose of the Development Committee, I understand, is to assist the non-TAB Clubs improve existing, and develop new, revenue streams to get them off the Racing Queensland teat.
We operate at non-TAB Clubs and support them to the hilt. However, we can see that they are an expense on the industry and realize they will not survive much longer if they continue to rely on handouts from Racing Queensland and the Government. If we lose the non-TAB Clubs, we lose our business that has operated continuously since 1927.
I have advocated for four or five years, through Leon Roberts (Country Racing Committee), to have Racing Queensland fund experienced Events Management people to assist the Clubs develop their businesses. (If the Clubs don't develop their business we can't develop ours. It cannot work the other way around).
I do not know if the current appointees are the right people but I think it is a great first step in the right direction. (I would have put experienced people in each of Toowoomba, Rockhampton and Townsville but independent of the TAB Clubs, and given those people 30-odd non-TAB Clubs to look after).
Our non-TAB Clubs do a great job but are all volunteers who have, in most cases, their own business's to run. The Committee's do not necessarily have the expertise, or the time, to meet the competition coming at them from all angles, nor do they have the time to visit other Club's Race Days to see what is working and pick up new ideas to improve their own Club.
The problem I see at some Club's (we operate at 23) is they have people on the Committees that "know it all" or "know Racing". These Clubs are the ones going backwards and are in a death spiral.
Racing in Queensland has a great network of Clubs with good local support and good people who need a hand. With the right structure, the "product" can be developed on a statewide basis instead of everyone sitting in their own little fiefdoms.
If you look at other sports, (Football (League, Union, AFL and Soccer), Cricket, Netball, Basketball etc) you will see they have Development Managers operating on a Statewide basis working with local Clubs and across regions developing the Businesses. If you look at franchise businesses, (Real Estate, Retail, Fast Food), you will see Development Managers and trainers doing the same thing.
Racing is a fragmented mess and we wonder why we are on the ropes getting belted left, right and centre. It used to be nobody else would put another event on locally to compete with a local Race Meeting. Now you have two or three events on at the same time in a town of 2000 people or less. The Races are no longer seen as "the place to be" and the local Clubs do not know how to turn things around.
I am happy to discuss the above with you.’
GEN Y STILL KEEN TO BET ON GREYHOUNDS DESPITE LIVE BAITING SCANDAL 
A couple of passionate greyhound followers have asked that we reproduce this story by KELLIE SCOTT for ABC NEWS which puts an interesting perspective on fallout from the ‘live baiting’ saga:
THE live-baiting scandal in greyhound racing has done little to deter gamblers, particularly Gen Y Australians, who are the most likely to get a "rush" from betting on the dogs, new data shows.
In February last year, Four Corners Exposed widespread and extreme animal cruelty and cheating through the illegal use of live animals to train greyhounds.
The program showed graphic footage of live piglets, possums and rabbits being fixed to mechanical lures and catapulted around tracks while being chased, and eventually killed, by dogs.
Despite the revelation — which resulted in numerous arrests, suspensions, resignations, inquiries and jail terms for convicted offenders — gambling numbers have not waned.
Research from Roy Morgan released yesterday suggested the sport remained "on trend", with Millennials making up the largest bloc of bettors (34.2 per cent) — despite being less than a fifth of the population.
The data also reveals 25- to 34-year-olds are 80 per cent more likely than the average person to bet on dog races during the year.
"Betting on horse racing has declined in popularity over the past decade," Roy Morgan Research's Angela Smith said.
"Greyhound racing, meanwhile, seems to be on-trend. And last year's live-baiting scandal had only a marginal effect on betting incidence.
"Not only has its popularity been consistent over the past decade, but Aussies aged 18 to 34 now make up nearly half of greyhound bettors."
Researcher Shaun Ellis said while there was slightly reduced greyhound betting from around March to August last year, the lower result over that period was consistent with what he had seen previous years.
Racing Queensland told the ABC: "Racing Queensland's turnover on greyhound racing is currently up 16 per cent on forecasted revenue for the current financial year."
STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA
HONG KONG CEO WARNS OF CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR WAGERING 
THE business sessions of the 36th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) began in Mumbai on Tuesday as Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges positioned the next three days of sessions in light of the lifeblood of the industry – wagering.
“The global economy is facing very strong headwinds and the general prevailing conditions will make it very challenging for the wagering business in the future,” said Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges.
“Adding to the current macroeconomic hazards a series of ever-present challenges exist for the industry.
“Illegal gambling has always existed but what we are facing now is a fundamentally new threat. The illegal markets have gone from local markets to international markets. While it has always existed and will always be a threat, the major change is now the global consolidation of illegal betting on internet platforms. The illegal operators are exploiting technology to grow their business. The astronomic scale and multi-jurisdictional character of illegal gambling is now such that it is one of the greatest challenges facing racing and other sports,” Mr. Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
“In many countries the wagering market is in an almost constant state of flux, with changes being driven by both technology and regulation. The notion that wagering on racing is a fully mature product is a trap which must be avoided. Innovation and internationalization are key opportunities for growth.
“As an industry, we must do the following things. Embrace technology to connect directly with customers and create relevant offerings. Develop new tote technology which supports a better customer experience. Advance the development of a new tote protocol for commingling, leveraging our strength in exotic bet types. Make concerted efforts to create and protect our intellectual property rights nationally and internationally, and do the same within the Asian Racing Federation and International Federation of Horseracing Authorities to fight illegal and unregulated betting.”
Joining Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges in addressing the conference’s opening session were Bernard Saundry, Chief Executive Officer of Racing Victoria, who identified the changing content distribution marketplace especially as it relates to Australian racing, Patrick Jay, a global sports consultant, and Tom Ascher, Chief Executive Officer of Longitude. Mr. Ascher cited Longitude’s pioneering work with the Hong Kong Jockey Club as a beacon for future growth in developing a next generation wagering proposition.
“The historic norm of one bet type per pool has held us all hostage to the limits of split liquidity. The ability to extract new bets from existing liquidity and the ability to deliver greater liquidity by combining existing bet types into merged pools has broken the liquidity barrier,” said Mr Ascher. “The Club’s relaunch of the quartet wager, merging it with the first four pool, a global first, alongside the addition of the Composite Win enhancement to the existing win pool were defined as leading edge innovations which will pave the path for future development.”
The ARC continues through Thursday with a series of business and specialist sessions.
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.