SUCH is the growing dissatisfaction with the job being done by new chairman Matt McGrath and the Lachlan Murray team at Racing Queensland, that emails like these are being received by LGHR on a regular basis. These are stakeholders who have given up taking their grievances to the Government or the control body because the response they receive is unacceptable.
IT is time Mr McGrath came out from under the rock he is living in Sydney and started listening to what owners like this are having to say. From a Ministerial viewpoint, Racing is a rudderless portfolio since Tim Mander stood down.
The feelings expressed below should be sounding the alarm bells at RQ where, one wonders, if there is anyone coping the big bucks who isn’t asleep at the wheel.
‘AS an owner in Queensland I am glad to be getting to the end of our stock.
The industry is just treading water and people running the show have no idea and don’t seem to really care about modernising and fixing the industry for the future to be better.
Government hand-outs will stop and the punters will find a different past-time if not looked after somewhat.
RQ remains a joke led by corporate bookmakers (or their mates) that do not understand the sport.
Change is needed and I am over waiting for it to come.’
AND this one from another prominent owner:
‘IF QRIC wants to investigate incompetence it could start with fixing the programming.
That requires looking at the regions if you want to achieve real change.
Outside of south-east Queensland they need to map a program that first takes in public holidays (which could be two x half days) show day, B&S balls, rodeos etc.
Then Fridays and Sundays have to be talked about as not everyone can race all Saturdays these days the way racing has changed.
Dropping 14 thoroughbred meetings aimed at boosting field sizes shows that RQ has no idea.
They should introduce the Perth model regarding scratchings ASAP and see what affect that has on field sizes first.
The bottom line is that this is really about saving money, because RQ is broke.
Real change is required in many areas of the codes and has been needed for some time now but RQ either does not have the ability or is told from above not to.
Programming is part of the mix of change for sure. But these things have been documented through different forums but have fallen on deaf ears.
We as owners have not been offered an opportunity to hear or see outcomes of the Mary Collyer recommendations following the McGrath Review.
It’s a joke!’
