THE WEDNESDAY WHINGE has a new look but won’t be dispensing with some of our old favorites and will continue to focus on THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY side of what has happened in racing over the past week. Our old mate ‘Godfrey Smith’ is back by popular demand and again pens his ‘Gripe of the Racing Week’. The Whinge will also include an opportunity for The Cynics to Have Their Say. Thanks again for your support for the most read column on this website. Our popularity continues to grow despite the bagging it is copping from one over-rated official and his cronies.
WE URGE RACING FOLLOWERS AND PARTICIPANTS TO PRAY FOR NATHAN BERRY 
BEFORE we get on with the ritual of having our weekly bleat in the Wednesday Whinge because something has happened in racing that doesn’t suit us or we want to pay out on someone we don’t like, letsgohorseracing urges racing participants and followers to take a step back and spare a thought and prayer for young jockey Nathan Berry and his family.
The situation has taken a turn for the worst in Singapore and we ask that you start the day by keeping Nathan in your thoughts and prayers.
Below is a Media Release that was issued late yesterday:
THE Australian Jockeys’ Association wishes to advise that due to the number of inquiries, the Berry and Schofield families would like to issue the following comment:
“Nathan has been diagnosed with Norse Syndrome and has now been placed into an induced coma. Doctors do not expect much change over the next few days as they run further tests.”
The families have expressed their gratitude for all the well wishes and would appreciate your continued prayers. They have also requested privacy at this difficult time.
However, further information will be released if there is a change in Nathan’s condition.
E-MAIL OF THE WEEK – from a long-standing and loyal participant in the racing industry in Queensland 
‘CAN ANYONE RECALL RACING IN QUEENSLAND BEING IN A BIGGER MESS THAN IT IS?’ 
‘DURING a half century of involvement in the racing industry in Queensland never before have I felt the need to sit down and pen a letter to a website, let alone a newspaper – the daily was once my Bible but not anymore.
I told my friends in racing that the time had arrived for me to express my views – shared by many I might add – but will pose it as a question: Can anyone recall racing in this state being in a bigger mess than it now is?
We had the forgettable Fine Cotton era, the closure of the famous sand track at the Creek to make way for the trots, the removal of the Queensland Turf Club as the control body during the Bob Gibbs era, the merger of Eagle Farm and Doomben to try and halt the in-fighting between the biggest clubs in the state and eventually the end of the ‘my way or the highway’ mentality of Bob Bentley and his Board.
But nothing compares with the ‘promise so much, deliver so little’ cloud of despair that hangs over an industry that has so quickly lost confidence in the prodigal racing son of the LNP Government in Kevin Dixon and yet another failed Racing Minister in Steve Dickson who simply is out of his depth.
Racing has long been a poison chalice for any Government since the days when Russ Hinze pumped too many millions into too many wasted projects some of which still stand as a lasting monument (if they haven’t fallen over) to the debt massive that he created and the waste that will remain his legacy in the eyes of many inside and outside the industry.
Ironically it was Labor – or its then Minister for Racing in Rob Schwarten – who plucked Kevin Dixon out of obscurity so probably he should wear responsibility for the ‘Mr Fix It’ administrator that the LNP then agreed to inherit, endorse and promote so heavily.
The question has been posed many times in recent months: Just what has Dixon done for racing? Some would suggest very little, apart from help those clubs who continue to support him, like the BRC of which he was formerly chairman and of course Toowoomba where the less said about his much disliked and criticized mate there, the better for all concerned.
Political friends of the LNP Government have been well looked after too – a prime example being Kilcoy where the boss Con Searle seems to have a hot line to plenty of politicians.
What can we expect if Eagle Farm gets its long overdue redevelopment – some Saturday TAB action at the Moonee Valley of the North? One would hope they aren’t that stupid.
Bentley might have been somewhat dictatorial in his approach – and he wasn’t one of my favorite RQ Chairmen – but he got things done despite continuing criticism from high profile sections of the racing media, headed by the then Racing Editor of The Courier-Mail who had political agendas and were hell-bent on destroying his credibility.
In a short time the new Double Dees of racing in Queensland – Dickson and Dixon – have managed to make the most outrageous statements about how well the industry is travelling, alienate the breeders, divide the trainers statewide, disappoint the owners with continual false promises about stakes increases; disillusion many club officials amid claims of favoritism for those who support them; and disenfranchise the majority of punters who have no confidence whatsoever in the local product or the stewards running the show.
Did I forget anything – probably – considering the way racing in Queensland is gradually sinking into the quick-sand.
All their eggs are now in one basket – the finalization of a TAB agreement and the outcome of a court battle with TattsBet – that will simply determine whether racing in Queensland stays in touch with the southern states or drops further behind.
What a lot of us can’t understand is the selfish, apparently egotistical approach of the Racing Minister and the RQ Chairman in refusing to allow legal brains on the All Codes Board to participate in the process of negotiating a better TAB deal, not to mention many other important industry issues that they were appointed to oversee.
If it means so much to these two gentlemen to emerge from this precarious situation for the industry as the unsung heroes that they want to be very careful this does not blow up in their faces and they are remembered forever as villains by a racing industry that history shows can be very unforgiving.’
DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND GODREY RETURNS WITH HIS GRIPE OF THE RACING WEEK 
AFTER listening to your feedback we are continuing to change the style and format of the most read feature on this website – the Wednesday Whinge.
We have enticed our old mate ‘Godfrey Smith’ out of retirement and each Wednesday the Whinge will be spearheaded by ‘Godfrey’s Gripe of the Week’. Many will not agree with his ‘tongue in cheek’ views on everything racing but love him or hate him – you’ll want to read what he has to say.
Here is his latest ‘Gripe’:
RQ RESEMBLES A CROSS BETWEEN FAWLTY TOWERS AND FANTASY ISLAND 
I could not miss the opportunity to pen a piece on the charade emerging in the mainstream racing media which many believe is being directed from deep within the bowels of the Deagon Bunker.
This rates as a bigger political back-flip than any performed by former Premier Peter Bettie during his Parliamentary career. It smacks of hypocrisy from those running the show at Racing Queensland, especially the Chairman who jumps at every opportunity to bag the websites who dare to criticize or question him.
What we have seen happen in The Courier-Mail over the past week has been a complete about face and an alignment with the views expressed by those websites like justracing and letsgohorseracing that continually get up the nose of ‘little glass-jaw’ himself.
For months our website – and the pen of the astute Phil Purser at justracing – has gone into bat for the industry. But we were painted by little King Kev as the ‘bad guys’ and the order went out to stakeholders to ignore these ‘terrible websites’ and not to read what we – or our contributors – had to say.
All of a sudden it seems we are in the one boat – unfortunately the one with Captain Kev at the helm – which is more akin to the Titanic these days and it isn’t heading toward one giant iceberg but dozens of them.
Industry confidence is at an all-time low, tensions are at boiling point as The Courier-Mail so rightly suggested, but they have been for some months, club officials and stake-holders are more divided than ever with RQ accused of favoring some at the expense of others, and racing in Queensland continues to degenerate into a cross between Fantasy Island and Fawlty Towers with one Dickson continuing to make outrageous predictions and the other Dixon struggling to cope as the organization he heads staggers from one embarrassment to another.
Desperate times call for desperate measures and it seems the troops have been marshaled to rebuild confidence and ensure Little King Kev remains on his throne, even, some are suggesting, if it means the Racing Minister is used as a ‘scapegoat’.
Fawning officials from stakeholder groups – normally renowned for their lack of intestinal fortitude – are jumping out of trees to criticize lack of Government and Ministerial support.
The one-time de facto communications director for RQ is issuing instructions to the ‘loyal ones’ within the mainstream media and has been a regular visitor to the building we all thought he had left for good.
Fortunately he is only being listened to in one specific part of that building. There are still some ethics within the turf media ranks and one high profile Editor is proving a real thorn in the side of those again playing politics with racing. He has marshaled troops of his own, bringing in an old warhorse as battle-lines are drawn.
It’s a far different racing media ball-park these days and the little King wants to be careful he doesn’t get caught in the cross-fire if he isn’t already. Even some of his big supporters in Government and the industry are trying to mend fences with The Sunday Mail but the chances of that happening are long gone.
The breeders – who many in the industry believe have been looked after for too long – are bleating and trying to pressure the Government into another handout to racing spearheaded by an improved QTIS scheme that will deliver them more millions.
The trainers – many of whom in the bush believe are being ignored by RQ at the expense of their city colleagues – are ready to take court action to challenge plans for a starters’ levy to finance Workcover increases.
The owners – deserting the state in droves to race horses interstate where there is an embarrassment of prizemoney riches – are sick of waiting for the promised increases and feel insulted by claims from the Racing Minister that Queensland will soon lead the way in racing in this country in the wake of a new Product Agreement.
The punters – thin on the ground in Queensland because they have no confidence in the intergrity or appeals system – prefer to bet interstate where they are of the belief they get a better run for their investment – and they do.
And the racing public – well they just regard the industry in Queensland as a soap opera and a standing joke regardless of who’s running the show or what Government is in power.
Most who agreed there was a need for change – the Labor Government and the Bentley Board had overstayed their welcome – are now questioning how long it will be before the ‘news boys in town’ are removed.
The new Racing Minister will be remembered for all the wrong reasons and the RQ Chairman has failed to deliver and many believe has botched the job.
Steve Dickson lost what few fans he had and so did the LNP when they chose to ignore – for political reasons – an important recommendation of the recent Racing Commission of Inquiry, which called for an Independent Chairman to replace Kevin Dixon on the All Codes Board.
No doubt the new TAB deal will deliver what the propaganda will suggest is a windfall for the industry – time will tell.
But in the long run Queensland will never rival the major southern states, no matter how skilful the negotiating talents of the two Dickos are, and racing in the Sunshine State will continue to degenerate from bad one day to terrible the next.
THE EAST COAST SCENE
NEW SOUTH WALES
IS THE HONG KONG CHIEF STEWARD SET TO TAKE OVER FROM RAY MURRIHY? 
WE continue to receive emails suggesting that Ray Murrihy will retire as Racing NSW Chairman of Stewards after The Championships are run. In the past week contributors have asked if we are aware of reports emanating from Hong Kong that Australian Kim Kelly, the Chief Stipe there, has been offered Murrihy’s job.
All we can do is reproduce this snippet from the Racing Bitch, a widely read but controversial racing column, emanating from Hong Kong.
‘TALK at trackwork during the week reached a crescendo about Chief Steward Kim Kelly’s family having, apparently, left for OZ and predictions that the Elliot Ness of Hong Kong racing is set to leave for a new gig with Racing NSW.
The Racing Bitch column out of Honkers says it can’t see Kelly leaving to work alongside Peter V’Lundys (V’Landys) in Sydney.
“Agree with his decisions or not, Kelly is respected and tough, so let’s hope this talk of him leaving is just that – talk – as it will be a loss to Hong Kong race – and just more talk emanating from that notorious – and often vicious – Hong Kong racevine where one never knows who wears the white hat,” the Bitch reports.’
We’re not so sure but where there’s smoke there could be fire with reports continuing to flow from the industry in NSW that Ray Murrihy is preparing to hang up his holster. If Kelly leaves does this mean that Steve Railton will take on the Chief Steward’s job in Hong Kong?
QUEENSLAND
‘BIG STICK’ MENTALITY OVER WORKCOVER A MAJOR HEADACHE IN ‘DIXIELAND’ 
FEELINGS are running very high in the country concerning the implementation of a starter’s levy to pay for Workcover. RQ is under fire for adopting a ‘big stick’ mentality and being accused of favoring the city trainers.
Here’s what a leading owner with a prominent country stable had to say about the situation following a whistle-stop tour of the bush by RQ CEO Darren Condon:
‘TERRY BUTTS, in his column ‘Silks & Saddles’ this week, labelled racing in Queensland ‘Dixieland,’ but ‘Dreamland’ would be a more appropriate description.
This Workcover stunt being adopted by RQ to help out their mates, the high profile trainers in the big smoke, will blow country racing out of the water. There will be no owners left out here when the costs are passed on.
Butts got it right when he reported: ‘Most country trainers (and some Brisbane trainers as well) simply don’t want a bar of it. They wish to continue under the present arrangement whereby they pay a percentage of their wages.’
If RQ think that the country trainers, with Jim Rundle from Rockhampton leading the fight, are an easy push-over they are in for a big surprise. This could well end up in court with legal advice that Workcover arrangements are not the domain of RQ unless it is their intention to actually employ everyone involved in the industry.
RQ CEO Darren Condon has been spending too much time with his boss Kevin Dixon. His suggestion of ‘a good hearing’ from the country might well be correct but what he forgot to mention is the audience was light on the ground. In fact only two trainers turned up to meet him in Cairns – hardly a cross-section of the training ranks.
Condon’s reaction in warning that if the starter’s levy (Workcover) proposal isn’t accepted then trainers could be forced to pay up to $500 for a strapper’s license is nothing short of threatening and intimidatory.
If Bob Bentley had tried this approach the industry would have been up in arms. He would have been verbally bashed in the racing media and in the Parliament. Why the sudden silence now that Kevin Dixon is in charge?
Not everyone is happy about this on the LNP political stage with Vaughan Johnson spitting chips about the possible ramifications for country racing. Don’t expect him to sit idly by while the Dixieland duo proceeds all steam ahead with its implementation.’
VICTORIA
SYNDICATION COMPANIES DOING IT TOUGH AFTER SERIES OF RECENT SCANDALS 
THE scandal involving BC Thoroughbreds has sapped the confidence of owners considering an investment with syndication companies and prompted this e-mail from one reader:
‘MY mates and I made our first venture into syndication through the failed Go Racing enterprise many years ago which burnt us badly and just when we had recovered from that setback were tempted to try again until this saga involving BC Thoroughbreds erupted.
Some of the syndications offered are out of our price range but others are tempting. That doesn’t make things any easier when you start reading what has happened in recent times and the lack of confidence in syndication groups.
We cannot afford to race horses outright but want to enjoy the fun of ownership. There are always risks involved in this sort of venture but we don’t want to get burnt again. Surely it is time the authorities stepped up to the mark to put some protection in place for people like us.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE is a recent NEWS LTD report on the above topic which isn’t exactly confidence building for those planning to venture into syndication:
TWO successful Melbourne syndicators said business had slowed or stagnated since the twin scandals of BC3 Thoroughbreds and Bill Vlahos ‘The Edge’ punting club and to a lesser extent the collapse of Gai’s Living The Dream racing club.
And a leasing syndicate is under scrutiny in Sydney.
Sydney stewards gave leading NSW syndicator Dean Watt until (last week) to explain a marketing strategy that is believed to be legal yet described as highly unethical by his fellow syndicators.
Watt, head of Dynamic Syndications, had engaged in ‘cybersquatting’, where he registered several websites in the name of his rivals.
Google searches on a number of syndicates, racing stables and even jockey websites linked directly to Dynamic Syndications.
A number of syndicators requested unsuccessfully that sales company Inglis ban Watt from an open day in Sydney (recently).
Watt has defended his action in registering more than 30 domain names, saying he was protecting his intellectual property.
Australian Racing Board chief executive Peter McGauran said the ‘cumulative’ effect of recent failures and scandals in racing ownership had put racing in a bad light.
McGauran said the ARB was awaiting advice from Racing Victoria, which is investigating a range of issues with ownership, syndicates and the auction process.
McGauran stressed there was no suggestion of impropriety with Living The Dream, which attracted just 87 club members after at one stage forecasting for 5000.
Living The Dream in part blamed the Vlahos scandal for its own failure.
Prime Thoroughbreds’ Joe O’Neill said business had “slowed up’’ since the Vlahos scandal broke last December and Brad Spicer, from Spicer Thoroughbreds, said racing, not just horse ownership, had been cast in a negative light.
“You think of the mums and dads who might get into racing and they look at the tale and all they see is Vlahos and these other things,’’ Spicer said.
Spicer said his business had slowed down “a bit’’ but said he wasn’t sure why.
“It’s hard to measure, whether It’s negative publicity, the economy, whatever. But all the talk of late has been negative. We’re going OK but a lot of our business is return business from people who trust our brand,’’ he said.
Both Spicer and O’Neill said the inaccurate description of BC3 as a syndicate — it had no syndication license — had the potential to impact negatively on legitimate syndicates.
THE NARCS HAVE THEIR SAY ON CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES
RQ RESPONSE THAT HOPEFULLY CLEARS UP A COUPLE OF CONTENTIOUS ISSUES 
WE have received several e-mails concerning some contentious issues in racing in Queensland and have done our best to clarify the situation courtesy of the RQ CEO Darren Condon.
In relation to questions involving administrative appointments at the Toowoomba Turf Club and who staff will be employed by, this is the situation:
Blair Odgers ceases duties as Commercial Development Manager of RQ this Friday and will become the CEO of the TTC, paid by the club.
Paul Richards is undertaking a transitional period where he will continue to work partly as RQ technical manager and partly as Operations Manager for the TTC over the next eight weeks with his wages shared by both before he takes up permanent employment with the TTC.
IN relation to redevelopment plans for Eagle Farm, this will not impact on projects planned for other clubs. The greyhound facility at Logan has already been announced; business plans are being developed for the Albion Park harness racing project and the Townsville Turf Club stabling and track redevelopment work.
Once Government approval is received for the Eagle Farm track upgrade a development plan will be fast-tracked and providing it fits in with the time-line provided RQ would aim at having the work begin straight after the winter carnival requiring the closure of the track for six months.
All the above projects would be financed from the Racing Infrastructure Fund of $100 million – and you can be the judge whether that originated from the Labor Government or the LNP.
‘THE STING’ GIVEN A ROUSING WELCOME BACK TO THE RACE WRITING RANKS 
WASN’T it great to see the return of Peter Cameron to the race writing ranks at The Sunday Mail?
We’ve been waiting a long time to see News Limited employ a columnist who will adopt an objective approach to racing in Queensland.
All we seem to have got since Cameron left for the Gold Coast many years ago has been more of the political manure produced by Bart Sinclair and his ‘Boys Club’.
With all due respects to the websites he likes to belt at every opportunity, RQ boss Kevin Dixon will find The Sunday Mail and its refreshing approach to racing courtesy of Editor Peter Gleeson a far tougher adversary to walk all over.
His supporters won’t be able to encourage racing stakeholders not to read or advertise with The Sunday Mail like they allegedly are doing with websites like letsgohorseracing and justracing.
That probably explains why the Dixieland band are keen to mend fences with Gleeson and will be keen to wine and dine Cameron even if that is against the advice of their No 1 consultant on all things media in the racing industry.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: PETER Gleeson and I go back to our days at the DAILY SUN when he was covering the Fitzgerald Inquiry and I was trying to write the trots objectively but with plenty of interference inside and outside the office. Gleeso went on to much bigger and better things than I did but never forgot his roots deeply embedded in the greyhound industry where he started out writing the form for the Daily Examiner as a schoolboy. Some might say ‘Gleeso’ made a mistake in his new role as Editor of The Sunday Mail when he penned an editorial calling for a key recommendation of the recent Racing Inquiry to be implemented and for Kevin Dixon to be stood aside as Chairman of the All Codes Board allowing an independent to take over. It’s a well known fact in racing that Mr Dixon cannot cope with perceived criticism of any kind and the story goes took an immediate dislike to Gleeson. More the pity for him because fortunately we now have an Editor at News Limited in Queensland, who has the courage of his convictions where racing is concerned and can’t be bought by a free lunch or a political pat on the back. Good luck trying to get this bloke on side little ‘glass jaw.’
HOW GOLF PUNTERS WITH SPORTS BETTING AGENCY BACKED A LOSER – AND STILL WON 
CAN you imagine this happening with any of the TABs around the country?
The Media Release from corporate bookmaker SPORTSBET is self explanatory:
‘Whoops, looks like we got that one wrong.
A picture of Adam Scott has been placed on the dart board in the sportsbet.com.au office after the online bookmaker paid out early on the Aussie to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational, only to see him crumble.
The payout was done after two rounds when Scott was priced at $1.12 after leading by seven shots.
“We have a history of paying out early, but this is one of the rare occasions we got it wrong! Oh well, at least our punters who backed Scott are smiling,” said sportsbet.com.au’s Shaun Anderson.
Unfortunately for Scott, his lapse in concentration has seen him lose favouritism for the US Masters, drifting from $8 to $10.50. Rory Mcilroy is now the outright favourite at $9.
Despite this, Scott will be the shortest priced Aussie to contest a Masters since Greg Norman, while Jason Day has been the third best backed player behind Scott and Zach Johnson ($29).
VERBAL VOLLEY HOTS UP BETWEEN ‘HANS THE GIBBERER’ AND ‘NICKELS & DIMES’ 
THE recent verbal volley between Christian Nicolussi who writes his popular At the Track column for The Sydney Telegraph and ‘Hans from Hong Kong’, editor of the widely read Racing Bitch, is starting to really hot up.
Nicolussi returned fire on Sunday with this column item:
‘STILL on Berry, that gibberer ‘Hans from Hong Kong’ — who runs what he says is ‘the most read racing website in the world’ — had everybody on edge when he reported via Twitter that Nathan was on life support.
It was quickly denied by Berry’s manager. But the tweet, posted on Friday morning, had already circulated and caused his family and friends to panic.
It’s that sort of garbage that gives the rest of the press a bad name. He should stick to bagging racing in NSW. Yes, that’s right, the powerhouse state that has provided Honkers with an endless supply of jockeys, horses as well as officials.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: ON this specific issue I felt Christian made a good point but not everyone agrees. It seems Hans has his fans as well and here is what one narc had to say on the joust:
‘SUNDAY just past, I read an article in a Sydney newspaper on young jockey Nathan Berry who is seriously ill in a Singapore Hospital.
As a supplement to the main story there was one of the best ‘dummy spits’ I have seen from, well for the want of a better description, a reporter who believes he has a ‘good name’ as a journalist.
‘Nickels and Dimes’, our gun ‘racing sleuth’ in Sydney, took to ‘The Gibberer Hans’ from Hong Kong to task, with a great deal of venom.
Talk about the ‘pot calling the kettle black’.
I would like to recommend to Mr ‘Nickels and Dimes’ that he practice what he preaches and works harder on achieving a ‘good name’ for himself.
STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN THE MAINSTREAM RACING MEDIA 
THE Sydney autumn started with plenty of stars looking to climb to the next level. It still has the stars of the turf, but they have failed to sparkle.
CHRIS ROOTS reports in the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD that the carnival has The Championships in a couple of weeks, but it seems unlikely it will anoint a champion.
However, the efforts of the men in the saddle have rarely been better. Among the jockey ranks in Sydney there are several riders who have earned the tag champion, and those quickly rising towards it. One of the joys of going to the track during the next month will be to watch them ply their craft.
Zoustar, Geulph, It's A Dundeel and Fiorente have found the glass ceiling impossible to break in the past couple of weeks for varying reasons. This week, underrated pair Boban and Appearance will have the opportunity to take another step up the ladder. However, it would seem racing at the moment has an even bunch of horses without a standout, so don't count out another surprise.
A horse that captures the public imagination and gives the sport its next Black Caviar or Atlantic Jewel might be away off.
But that's not to say the racing has not been exciting.
Take the surprise of the Ranvet. It was a race made by some brilliant rides.
While the jockeys of Fiorente and It's A Dundeel, Damien Oliver and James McDonald, staged their own battle in the opening 400 metres, Kerrin McEvoy and Nash Rawiller turned in rides that could be used at apprentice school for years to come.
Their mounts, Carlton House and Silent Achiever, fought out a stirring finish that didn't get the credit it should have because of the attention focused on the favourites.
McEvoy counted off the furlongs on Carlton House, then conserved energy and went again in the straight. He was a head off being a genius. Rawiller tracked his rival all the way and made his move on the turn but still had to be at his best to lift Silent Achiever to victory.
However, those rides weren't in the same postcode as Jim Cassidy on Steps In Time in the Coolmore Classic.
The hall of fame hoop was on a mare that hasn't been able to get the job done at the top level. She was suspect at the 1500 metres and had twice before found the Coolmore beyond her and her free-running style.
Cassidy harnessed that style, her greatest asset, for the first 300 metres and then unleashed it to spectacular effect to win by a head.
It left his rivals in awe. Gai Waterhouse said it was 20 years of experience that won the race. In all honesty, it was more than that.
It was hard to fault McDonald's ride on Sweet Idea, which was left flat-footed when Cassidy turned up the pressure, but came hard in the final 100 metres. "There was nothing wrong with his ride, Jimmy was just better," Waterhouse enthused.
With racing so competitive, the ride, the run and the luck will play a large role in determining the winner of the group 1s in coming weeks.
It would appear that in the two-year-old ranks the fillies have a big lead over the boys. Earthquake proved the best of the fillies on Saturday, beating Golden Slipper second pick Mossfun.
However, Earthquake had the advantage of an inside draw on Saturday. Whether she has that on Slipper day remains to be seen. There is not that much between her and Mossfun.
It will be the experience of McEvoy against the youth and incredible talent of McDonald on Slipper day, which could turn out to be one of the great battles of the carnival.
ELECTION RESULT DENIES ADELAIDE CUP DAY RETURN TO MAY HOLIDAY 
INDEPENDENT MP Geoff Brock’s decision to support a Labor minority government has dashed South Australian racing’s hopes of returning the Adelaide Cup Day public holiday to May.
LINCOLN MOORE reports in THE ADVERTISER that while the Liberal Government had promised numerous incentives to the industry, in the lead-up to last weekend’s election, it was also hoped a new government would help the racing industry’s desire to return the Adelaide Cup and public holiday to May.
Thoroughbred Racing SA wanted the Adelaide Cup returned to May, a move that would help reshape the Adelaide Carnival which is currently disjointed.
The Adelaide Cup is run in March while SA thoroughbred racing’s showpiece — the Group 1 Goodwood — is held two months later on May 10 at the end of a three-week carnival.
It’s not only the potential of an Adelaide Cup move that will be lost following the news Labor will have another four years in power.
Liberal leader Steven Marshall had promised a $15 million commitment to the stagnant Murray Bridge Racing Club Gifford Hill development, $5 million to match the Federal Government’s previous contribution, while promising a $10 million low-interest loan.
Marshall followed that with a promise of an annual injection of $300,000 to the industry which is now also lost.
Racing appears again to be left without a much-needed stand-alone Racing Minister, while the next generation of racing identities took to social media to express their disappointment at a decision that could see some of the sport’s future following the likes of Cummings, Kavanagh and Hayes and seek greener pastures and better opportunities interstate.
“That’s just made me very sad for SA racing. Victoria, here I come now,’’ young trainer Michael Hickmott said on Twitter.
The daunting question facing racing powerbrokers now will be whether the Adelaide Cup can return to May without the backing of a public holiday.
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.
