IN his popular column, ‘SILKS & SADDLES,’ published in the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, respected racing writer TERRY BUTTS runs an unedited open letter written by a concerned northern racehorse owner who doesn’t have too many kind words for Racing Minister Steve Dickson or Racing Queensland.
Butts also levels both barrels at the Minister and RQ over their policy of ensuring ‘exclusives’ on all things racing to The Courier-Mail and other News Limited publications while he was asked not to run a story until it was released.
Here is the Butts’ column:
AN (UNEDITED) OPEN LETTER TO RACING MINISTER STEVE DICKSON
SIR
I am writing to you as a very concerned racehorse owner.
Over the last 20 or so years, Queensland Country Racing has been on a downhill slide. Right now it has reached its lowest dimension. I realize you have inherited this problem from the previous Minister, but you also inherited his Pay packet.
As an owner, I am left wondering, how and when you are going to address the problems we face in the North Queensland Country Racing. When we look across the border, NSW and Victoria Country Racing are a thriving metropolis. Surely we must ask why?
The three immediate problems we face in Country Racing are as follows.
1] Insufficient prizemoney
I realize you have slightly increased this in the last month, but unfortunately it is a long way short of where we need to be considering the escalating costs of feed, travel, and training fees. In Queensland, we pay to nominate our horses to race, in NSW and Victoria the owner is paid to do so.
2] Shortage of jockeys
In country Queensland we have a serious shortage of Jockeys, especially apprentice Jockeys. In years to come, as our seniors retire, we have no backup program to replace them.
I believe there needs to be a Government sponsored incentive scheme to greatly assist trainers to sign on young men and women as apprenticeships to ensure strong future racing.
3] Clash of Non-TAB meetings
Because of our current shortage of Jockeys, Queensland Racing do not seem to be able to take the commonsense approach to designate only one meeting for Saturday. For example, Saturday (Innisfail) and Sunday (Charters Towers), instead they pencil in both meetings on the same day. Then the next weekend there is no meeting anywhere in North Queensland.
The Crux of our problem by having two meetings on the same day is the shortage of Jockeys at both meetings. This then limits the number of horses that can be nominated at each venue. If one meeting was held on either day, then all the Jockeys could attend both meetings and trainers could easily place their horses and owners know their horse is guaranteed a start. The infrastructure is all in place to return Country Racing to its Greatness of Yesteryear if the right steps are taken.
The grass roots people of QLD Racing in Far North Queensland have completely lost faith in Racing Queensland. They believe if we continue on this path, we are heading, the newspaper headlines will read something like this,
“North Queensland Icon Bites The Dust”.
The demise of The North Queensland Country Racing Industry was brought about by the arrogant ‘we don't need you’ attitude of Big Brother Racing Queensland.
In the Minister’s statement, he said if he had been informed that the situation was that serious, he would have intervened. Well SIR, now you have been informed, yes the situation is that serious and we would love for you to intervene.
We ‘Urgently’ need you to address the situation, show your leadership qualities and help this depleted industry regain some composure. If you do not act immediately, then in the very near future, there will be many more hard working, compassionate and loyal country racing personal joining the Dole-Queue.
With Kind Regards
Ken Tobler (Ravenshoe)
MINISTER & HIS SIDEKICK ‘DON’T KNOW’ FLEW IN TO TELL US WHAT WE ALL KNEW
YES, this is the same Minister who flew into town last Friday with Darren (Don’t Know) Condon of Racing Queensland to announce what everyone knew anyway – that Townsville was to get the $7 million promised months ago for the track upgrade.
Dickson was a last minute substitute for ‘Can Do’ Campbell Newman who was actually the cause for the delay as he had insisted he would make the announcement himself. Anyway the Racing Minister deputised and apparently insisted that the story be ‘leaked’ to News Limited which resulted in the Townsville Bulletin having the temerity to run it as a front page ‘exclusive’.
This, mind you, was a day after the RQ CEO phoned your scribe to say it was ‘on’ and to extract a promise not to mention it until after the Minister made his announcement.
I played ball but the Minister didn’t.
Really, I am too old to worry about being scooped by a would-be newspaper such as the ‘Bully’ - but thankfully age has not affected my sense of loyalty, ethics or values.
And you Minister?
Well, enjoy the trappings of your portfolio while it lasts – because I doubt if you will be here to cut the ribbon to open the new Cluden track in June – or whenever.
NO-ONE KNOWS WHEN THE CLUDEN TRACK WILL CLOSE FOR UPGRADE
STILL no-one knows when the Cluden track will close.
There is now talk of Townsville retaining all its scheduled dates through to December.
That might be all decided this week.
Currently it is the plan to keep racing until everything is ready for the contractors to move in.
So it looks like another Christmas at Cluden.
TALKING of that…is the rumour right that the TTC will stage a trainers’ Christmas hamper meeting whereby all winning trainers receive as hamper full of goodies?
What a great idea – and promotion – and it only needs a $10 donation from the 100 Club.
CAIRNS TRAINERS FAR FROM HAPPY WITH THEIR DEAL FROM RQ OR GOVERNMENT
WHILE the news was great for most licensees around Townsville there was a different reaction further north where Cairns trainers are complaining they got ‘the rough of the stick’.
RQ CEO Darren Condon confirmed Cairns and Mackay would split the relocated dates, ruling out the smaller NQ clubs getting some TAB action and national Sky coverage.
Cairns expects seven of the 20 race days that have to be redistributed. Cairns trainer Fred Wieland wants more.
“Cairns has been asking for more TAB and race days so I know they are pretty keen,” Condon told Cairns Post.
“But I expect about a third will be to Cairns and two-thirds to Mackay.
According to the report there will be no travelling rebate offered during Cluden Park’s closure, which is another blight for Cairns and Tableland owners, trainers and jockeys.
“Townsville’s CEO Michael Charge also sympathised: “I feel for the Cairns trainers – it’s a fair old hike to Mackay.”
Rockhampton gained additional subsidies when it hosted meetings during construction on Mackay’s Ooralea Racecourse in 2012, but those subsidies won’t apply to the Townsville closure, according to the report.
“If Mackay gets two-thirds of the dates then obviously we are getting the rough end of the stick again,” said Fred Wieland.
“I doubt I’d be getting down to Mackay and I bet most of the other trainers won’t be either,” he said.
COREY GILBY MEMORIAL RACE WON BY TAMARA TICKNELL
AUSTRALIAN Jockeys’ Association was represented by its Sydney-based Health and Safety advisor Kevin Ring at a moving ceremony at Julia Creek races on Saturday.
It was the anniversary of the tragic death of popular jockey Corey Gilby during a track gallop after a race meeting on the course three years ago.
Mr Ring, himself a former jockey, presented a trophy to Tamara Ticknell, the winning rider of the Gilby Memorial. She rode the odds-on favourite and rather inappropriately named Bowled Over to win in the inaugural race that will be a yearly event on the Julia Creek calendar.
TRAINERS SEETHING OVER ‘ILL-INFORMED’ EMAIL CONCERNING HENDRA VACCINATION
TRAINERS all the way down the coast are still seething over an email signed by the Cairns CEO Graham Thornton last week that advised that no horses would be allowed to race at Cannon Park from December 1 unless they had been vaccinated against Hendra Virus.
The email stated that it applied to all horses racing in FNQ including Gordonvale, Innisfail, Atherton, Mareeba, Cairns, Cooktown and Laura.
Firstly, it was not his function to dictate to trainers.
Secondly, the information was totally wrong and was followed next day by an email from Racing Queensland stating that the ban did NOT apply to horses other than those stabled on the racecourse where a bat colony had been uncovered.
What the RQ email failed to state was that it is NOT mandatory to have horses in Queensland vaccinated.
After further probing we find it was the Racing Queensland vets who believe all horses should be vaccinated – and while it is still not mandatory in Queensland a leading Brisbane vet has told trainers he believes it will be by January.
Wonder why?
A horse requires an initial injection plus a booster after three weeks and another after six months – then one every 12 months – at $110 for each injection.
Little wonder the vets promote it – and little wonder the owners and trainers are somewhat reluctant.
Not all vets agree the vaccination is necessary either, especially when the cost is factored in.
WORLD’S BEST BOOKIE REDUCER PENSION QUINELLA FROM $10 TO 75 CENTS
THE self-proclaimed betting monolith, BET 365, claims to all and sundry it is the biggest and the best and on its own website says it offers the ‘Best Value On Greyhound Racing’.
Well, it doesn’t.
I know a pensioner punter who spent all day losing a couple of hundred on Saturday with Bet 365 and decided to back his mate’s dog in the final of the Ipswich Cup on Saturday night.
The mate had told him he thought his dog (1) was a good chance but doubted it could beat the favourite (4). So the pensioner, in his last fling of the day, decided to have $10 on the quinella.
The giant hearted, fearless bookie came back with a message that the maximum bet allowed would be .75 cents (correct) and that the remaining $9.25 was ‘being referred to a trader for approval’.
The punter was totally poleaxed when he was then informed that the request was rejected. So he ended up with .75 on the quinella.
Yes, of course it won and paid $9.60.
This might sound unbelievable – but I know this story is 100 per cent true – because I am that punter.
COLUMN COURTESY OF TERRY BUTTS AND THE NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, one of Australia's leading rural newspapers.
TERRY BUTTS can be contacted by e-mailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
