WEEKLY column by MATT NICHOLLS
ARE there key performance indicators (KPIs) at Racing Queensland?
If so, exactly what are they?
When I wrote last week’s column, the 2026-27 calendar had only just been released and I actually stumbled across it by accident.
So this week, I sat down with it and took a closer look. Let me tell you, the closer you look, the worse it gets.
The reason I ask about KPIs is that there’s no way Peter V’landys at the NRL or Andrew Dillon at the AFL would allow such a diabolical calendar to be released.
There are 56 days without thoroughbred racing scheduled in the next financial year – 55 if you exclude Christmas Day.
The new-look Racing Queensland Board, led by the Sydney-based Matt McGrath, should be hauling in acting CEO Lachlan Murray for a ‘please explain’.
Surely the KPIs at Deagon should revolve around maximising revenue and reducing the number of meetings that generate no return to the industry?
I understand that Queensland is unique as a racing jurisdiction, but I find it hard to fathom that RQ Racing Manager Ross Gove and RQ Country Racing Manager David Horne could come up with such a poor racing program, especially on the back of a fairly detailed Review into racing.
Horne, in particular, should be better than this.
After all, he was given the job to replace the long-serving Col Truscott despite having no experience whatsoever in country racing. Horne’s background? Wagering.
Remember, the position wasn’t advertised. Horne was cherry-picked by his mate, former RQ CEO Jason Scott, for the position.
Yet, there is no Good Friday racing on the calendar next year – one of those 55 thoroughbred-free days – while we have hundreds of meetings on Saturdays that will generate almost no money for the industry.
It doesn’t make sense.
With most of the gaps in the wagering calendar falling on Mondays and Tuesdays, it’s time for RQ to take a tougher stance when it comes to scheduling.
By my calculations, there are 53 venues in Queensland that are only used for racing one weekend a year.
Most race exclusively on Saturdays, Augathella races on Easter Monday, while the likes of Mount Garnet, Birdsville, Ewan, Twin Hills, and Oak Park have Friday-Saturday programs.
Speaking of Ewan (photo finish above) and Twin Hills, why do these two clubs continue to race on the same weekend?
Both are marvellous two-day carnivals, and it’s a bloody shame that they can’t sort it out to race on different dates.
They are only about 360km apart, and I know plenty of trainers, jockeys and punters who would like to attend both.
The calendar on the weekend of September 26 is a farce. Not only do Twin Hills and Ewan go head-to-head, but Mount Isa will hold its Spring Cup on the same day as the Longreach Cup.
It’s also Weetwood Day at Toowoomba, and there are meetings booked at the Gold Coast, St George, and Taroom.
Good luck getting a third-place dividend at some of these venues.
Issues like this are just the tip of the iceberg, and the scheduling is clearly not being done by anyone with experience or a genuine feel for the current state of the industry.
For what it’s worth, I think we need to protect the once-a-year clubs and keep most of them racing on Saturdays.
But there are a large number of country clubs that race between four and 10 times that appear to be tied to Saturdays, and they are the problem.
This is where RQ needs to show a bit of tough love.
I’m going to single out Roma here because it’s a strong racing club that can withstand the pressure.
Put simply, Roma refuses to race on any day other than Saturday.
There are nine meetings programmed at Roma in the next calendar. I’d be telling the club that it can have six Saturdays but must take one Sunday and two Monday/Tuesdays.
There are a few other clubs that need this exact treatment.
On the other hand, there are progressive clubs willing to put their hands up to race outside of Saturdays.
I’ve spoken about Mount Isa and Longreach enough, so here’s a pump-up for Thangool, which is moving three of its eight meetings to Mondays and Tuesdays.
Emerald is in the same boat, with three of its nine meetings scheduled on a Monday or Tuesday.
TAKING A LITTLE BREAK
HIS will be my last column for a month, as I’m on a plane heading to Europe with the wife on Saturday. It’s a well-earned break for her.
Unfortunately, I’ll miss the Battle of the Bush Final at Eagle Farm on June 27, but I’ll be sure to tune in from abroad.
An early scoop for you: There’ll be a big announcement about the future of the Battle of the Bush that day.
I don’t have the exact details, but my mail suggests that the series will be expanded and that there’ll be significant prizemoney boosts for the qualifiers.
Here’s hoping.
COUNTRY ADVISORY PANEL MUST TAKE A STANCE
ONE of the most important things about the Battle of the Bush weekend is that representatives from the regions gather in Brisbane for the Country Racing Advisory Panel to discuss issues in the industry.
Now, I’ve been vocal about this panel for a long time, and for good reason, so this year is their chance to show that it isn’t a toothless tiger.
At the top of the list should be a demand that all panel meetings have documented minutes, along with motions that are formally voted on.
This will create two levels of accountability.
Firstly, the passing of motions, backed up by minutes, will send a clear message to Racing Queensland about the priorities of country racing.
Secondly, participants in the bush will be able to see exactly what is being discussed and who is voting for which issues.
Accountability matters, and there are too many delegates on the panel who put in the bare minimum of effort for their region.
If racing is to progress into the future, stakeholders must have a greater say at the grassroots and advisory panel members must be able to justify their engagement.
SAD STATE OF RACING MEDIA
THE owner of this website, John Lingard, regularly shines a light on this issue, so I won’t labour the point, but the state of racing media in Queensland is appalling.
Case in point: It is staggering that last week’s QRIC raids went completely unreported by the ‘mainstream’ racing journalists.
Following robust reporting by Archie Butterfly and John Lingard, it should have been an easy, public-interest story for News Corp’s Ben Dorries or Daniel Pace to chase.
Instead, silence.
When too few people are willing to hold the industry accountable on a regular basis, complacency inevitably breeds at both Racing Queensland and QRIC.
THOMSON FIRES AT TOLGA, WILCOCK FINDS FORM
AMANDA Thomson hasn’t had the easiest journey in the saddle, which made her three-winner haul at Tolga (Atherton) on Saturday all the more rewarding to see.
A seriously talented rider on her day, here’s hoping her past hurdles are firmly in the rear-view mirror and she continues to secure the quality mounts her talent warrants.
Meanwhile, another hoop recently in the headlines for the wrong reasons enjoyed a standout day at Gladstone. Apprentice Sophie Wilcock had managed just three winners this year after a suspension sidelined her for the best part of four months.
However, everything clicked on Saturday.
Wilcock booted home three winners and a second from just four rides – with all three victories coming for different trainers and none starting as the favourite.
Hopefully, this is the catalyst for a major momentum shift.
