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.
NEW SHOW IN TOWN FOR BRISBANE CARNIVAL UPSTAGES BORING BERNBOROUGH CLUB LUNCHEON 
WE want to start the Wednesday Whinge this week by endorsing an event which will highlight the social calendar during the Brisbane winter carnival and no racing follower should miss.
Forget about your boring old Bernborough Club luncheons or the worn out Calcuttas, this is something new and different and provides Queenslanders with their first taste of what has proved an enormous success story in the southern states.
Queensland thoroughbred racing fans will finally get the opportunity to mix and mingle with the ‘who's who’ of trainers on Friday May 9 when one of Melbourne's iconic racing events comes to town.
The inaugural 2014 Late Mail Luncheon has invited an incredible line-up of thoroughbred trainers, celebrities and guests for a four-hour lunch in the Ballroom of the Sofitel Brisbane Central to celebrate this years' racing carnival in Queensland.
A maximum of just 400 guests will get up close and personal with champion Group 1 trainers like Rob Heathcote, Tony Gollan or any one of a growing list of trainers joining what is shaping up as the party of the year.
A handful of racing's most popular former winners will also be joining in the celebrations including the legendary Joe Janiak (master trainer of international sprint legend Takeover Target) and Con Karakatsanis (trainer of dual Stradbroke winner Black Piranha).
Greg Eurell (trainer of the baldy faced cult hero and carnival champion Apache Cat) originally planned to attend but with live chances in Adelaide at the same time, is a last minute withdrawal. His seat has already been taken by Sydney's Gerald Ryan who is looking to bring Group 1 winning mare Snitzerland to Brisbane for the 2014 BTC Cup.
Entertainment on the day doesn't get much better than a live performance from Aussie rock star Shannon Noll performing a number of his hits live plus one of Australia's funniest men in stand up comedy Paul Martell.
Strictly limited tickets are available for general sale starting from $190 including GST for trainers and owners. Single tickets or Tables of 10 are available. Bookings can be made via Telephone 0409 473 541 or Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
‘TOUGH STANCE AGAINST SOME POOR MINNOW BUT LET’S NOT SACRIFICE THE BIG FISH’ 
OUR E-MAIL OF THE WEEK – concerns the suspension of apprentice Brooke Richardson for four months by RQ stewards
CONCERNS expressed by ALAN WALDRON in the email below have been echoed by several others but we chose to run this version because some of the others bordered on defamation of some of those involved in the inquiry.
‘THE suspension of the apprentice jockey Brooke Richardson is typical ‘window dressing’ of the integrity of Queensland racing.
Let's show how we are getting tough on racing participants, by sacrificing some poor minnow, but let's not sacrifice the big fish, who appear to always get the inside run in racing in Queensland.
Perhaps, if Queensland Racing and the State government brought racing into the present by rewriting their outdated rules, which are easily brushed aside by today's lawyers and appointed officials, with a genuine interest in saving racing rather than just enjoying the power and opportunity their position affords them and their colleagues, racing may have some hope.
A fresh approach is needed. There are too many recycled old hacks carrying too much baggage to really pull Queensland racing out of the ever-deepening hole in which it finds itself. Having a small group with such controlling power is most detrimental to good governance.
I am very disappointed that our Premier has allowed himself to be ‘blindsided’ by the obvious grandstanding and misinformation he is being fed by those appointed to run Queensland racing. I thought he was much better than that.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: WE have run another email on the subject in the Cynics Have Their Say section but it is obvious many in racing are not too happy about how apprentice Brooke Richardson has, in their opinions, been hung out to dry.
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’:
WHY LETSGOHORSERACING INTRODUCED A LATE MAIL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE 
THIS week rather than write another deservedly scathing piece that might upset those officials that can’t cop criticism I decided to answer a few gripes that we have received concerning changes to the letsgohorseracing website.
Feedback suggests that some of our valued readers are disappointed that they no longer receive ‘free tips’ for Saturday racing since we decided to pursue a subscription service like many other websites chose to.
We will reintroduce ‘free selections’ for major races courtesy of our new columnist, the Armchair Critic, most Fridays from this week, but we make no apologies for implementing a paid subscription service.
The LETSGOHORSERACING LATE MAIL and SATURDAY SIX PACK SPECIALS has been tailored to meet the needs of leisure punters and we believe are very affordable. These will be launched this Saturday to coincide with the Golden Slipper but our dress-rehearsal last Saturday provided some nice priced winners, including CRITERION and GORDON LORD BYRON in the features at Rosehill Gardens.
In a perfect world letsgohorseracing would remain a not-for-profit site. That was the aim when we started out some years back. We also thought that the ‘Get Away & Go Racing’ theme would be a surefire winner but it wasn’t as popular as we expected.
‘Hits’ soon showed us what the readers wanted and the introduction of the Wednesday Whinge provided an overwhelming and unbelievable response which boosted the popularity of our site beyond our wildest expectations.
Despite its critics the Wednesday Whinge provides stakeholders and racing followers with an opportunity (albeit on many occasions anonymously for fear of industry reprisals) to Have Their Say in a constructive manner and to provide criticism that sections of the mainstream racing media find difficult to provide when they have to work with racing officials and stakeholders on a day-to-day basis which we don’t and wouldn’t want to.
The cost of running a website the size of letsgohorseracing continues to escalate and to off-set that we decided to accept some advertising but have restricted the number of corporate betting agencies that we are available to rather than our Home Page resembling a betting shop that so many sites do these days.
With our ‘free’ selections proving so popular – other than the Wednesday Whinge this was the section that attracted the most ‘hits’ each week (in its thousands) – we decided to introduce a paid subscription service. (Details of this can be viewed by clicking on the banner at the top of our Home Page).
We have listened to your feedback and tried to provide what you – the leisure punters – want at an acceptable and economical price that still provides us with some income to help pay our bills.
Such has been the feedback since this was announced that we have added the ‘Saturday Six Pack’ whereby we provide six horses to back – certainly not all favorites – at a low subscription rate each Saturday starting this week (in addition to the Late Mail service) in the hope of find that elusive winner.
Another reason for the decision to make the website pay – which we didn’t take lightly – was the cost of legal consultation when we are threatened or intimidated by race clubs or officials especially in Queensland over items that appear (mainly in the Wednesday Whinge).
Sadly, these parties are able to use (or in our opinion misuse) industry funds to try and put us out of business while we have to finance our own legal fight from our own funds. But that’s racing in Queensland.
We are also concerned that a message has gone out – in Queensland only – to racing advertisers not to get involved with our site (and another website that is critical of the authorities).
Racing Queensland has officially denied to us that this has anything to do with them but our information is that it is supporters of officials in high places trying to put their weights up and earn Brownie Points. If it continues we plan to take some statutory declarations we have to the appropriate authorities.
It’s a shame that this minority of low-life and parasite – who cling to whatever political party or administration is in power – is allowed to survive in an industry in Queensland that is largely full of hard-working, ethically motivated, thoroughbred loving people.
Letsgohorseracing is here to stay – regardless of whether we are flavor of the month with officialdom or not – and we will continue to criticize when we believe it to be justified. Our motto of ‘keeping the bastards honest’ will remain.
We invite those who like a punt and enjoy the site to help us off-set costs by subscribing to our letsgohorseracing Late Mail and to advertisers to ignore the intimidation and continue to support a website that dares to be different.
THE EAST COAST SCENE
NEW SOUTH WALES
HAS RACING NSW SNUBBED THE GOLDEN SLIPPER AT THE EXPENSE OF THE CHAMPIONSHIPS? 
RACING NSW is under fire from without and within over what some perceive as a ‘snub’ of the Golden Slipper at Rosehill as promotion of The Championships at Randwick continues to be ramped up.
Here is an example of one of many emails we have received on the subject:
‘SURELY the powers that be in Sydney racing are not that obsessed with the need to rival the Melbourne Cup that they are prepared to neglect promoting one of their biggest drawcards, the Golden Slipper.
Promotion of the inaugural Championships has, in the opinion of many, been over the top. At last some of the big names in racing and the racing media have had their say on the inequality of this massive advertising campaign.
Full marks to Gai Waterhouse, Ken Callander and Max Presnall for highlighting the back-seat role that the Golden Slipper seems to have been relegated to this year.
The Championships will never overtake the Melbourne Cup carnival. Racing NSW should be careful to protect meetings that are a huge success like the Golden Slipper instead of putting all their promotional eggs in one basket.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE are excerpts from some of what has been said and written on the above topic:
MAX PRESNALL wrote in the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD that Gai Waterhouse has accused the Australian Turf Club of ‘being asleep at the wheel’ regarding the Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday.
“We had the most marvelous day's racing on Saturday with no one there,” she said to colleague Chris Roots.
Having a receptive ear for bile, the quotes came to me from Roots like a Sonny Bill Williams' pass.
“If it is not a girls' day out they don't want to know about it,” she added, hitting the bit like The Offer in the Manion Cup.
“It is the Golden Slipper next week and you wouldn't know it is on. This is the best race in Australia, and will shape racing in this country for the next 10 years, so they should be out telling people about it.”
Brett de Vine, answers man for the ATC, denies the absence of promotion, saying more has been spent spreading the message this year than before.
“Being aware of the hype regarding The Championships at Randwick, the ATC has advertised the Golden Slipper extensively on radio, television, and social media,” he said.
THEN KEN CALLANDER in his column in the DAILY TELEGRAPH followed up with this item:
THE Golden Slipper is on this Saturday. Truly, I am not kidding you, it is on.
I know you might think with the Racing NSW-backed advertising and PR for ‘The Championships’ that is swamping us day after day that Randwick on April 12 and 19 is the only show in town, but the race that used to have all of Sydney talking about it — the Golden Slipper Stakes — is on at Rosehill on Saturday.
The Championships are going to be terrific and I am all in favour of them, but we can’t let the Slipper slide down the slippery slope to nothing just because some new races are on.
It took great Sydney Turf Club men like Bill Longworth, George Ryder, Jim Fleming and Pat Parker 50 years to make the Slipper great. It is taking 50 days to undo that work.
Already Slipper day has been reduced from five to three Group 1s and the Racing NSW spin doctor Ian Mackay tried to tell us that would actually put more emphasis on the main race.
I don’t believe in pink elephants and I don’t believe that.
We only had a paltry 8,000 at Rosehill on Saturday to see three Group 1s and we need to get at least 25,000 to the Slipper to make it something like the occasion it used to be. If we don’t we have to get at least 50,000 to each of the two days of The Championships.
Otherwise, a rethink is needed.
AND there was this story by RAY THOMAS, Racing Editor of the DAILY TELEGRAPH:
RACING NSW and the Australian Turf Club have no immediate plans to include Sydney’s signature race, the Golden Slipper, in The Championships race series.
This is despite criticism the Golden Slipper has been largely overlooked by racing officialdom this year, with more energy used to market and promote The Championships at Royal Randwick.
Colleague Ken Callander has made particular mention of this issue in his Daily Telegraph column today and, as usual, his views reflect the opinion of rank-and-file punters. But Racing NSW chairman John Messara maintains the Golden Slipper is a race of such significance and reputation it can stand alone.
“The Golden Slipper is a very special race and it is synonymous with Rosehill,’’ Messara said.
“When The Championships races were being determined, we analysed the Golden Slipper with the ATC and took the view we didn’t want to change too much.
“The Golden Slipper has very much its own integrity and we didn’t want to do anything to spoil that.”
QUEENSLAND
PHOTO FINISH FOR ‘RACING GOOSE OF THE YEAR AWARD’ BETWEEN JEFF AND STEVE 
JUST when you thought the award for outrageous statements was entirely the province of Racing Minister Steve Dickson, it seems to have developed into a photo finish with Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney.
Here is an email we received from one of the hundreds of thoroughbred participants who are angry at the support being afforded quarter horse eacing by the LNP Government.
‘JEFF Seeney should leave it to his colleague Steve Dickson to make a goose of himself when it comes to silly and outrageous statements about racing.
His claim that the creation of a multi-million dollar quarter horse racing project has the potential to put the Mary Valley on the world racing map is almost as outrageous as that by the Minister that thoroughbred racing in Queensland is poised to overtake New South Wales and Victoria.
Whilst one can understand the need of the Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning to make political mileage out of a venture that has secured questionable Government financing, spare a thought for those who are battling in the thoroughbred world.
Horse racing – not quarter horse racing – has over the years contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to Government coffers. Stakeholders are doing it tough, desperately needing prizemoney increases and what do they get? Nothing more than outrageous promises of untold riches ahead and news that the politicians are keen to support a rival racing venture.
Seeney has become recognized for ‘poking his nose into horse racing matters’ of which he obviously knows nothing. More than often it’s intervention on behalf of political mates. That raises the question about just who is behind the quarter horse and Arab racing ventures in this state and what political ties they have.
Is it any wonder many in the gallops industry are questioning their support for the LNP Government when it decides to license a private company to introduce and run quarter horse racing in Queensland?
This sounds very much like a ‘pie in the sky’ project but it didn’t stop Premier Campbell Newman from ‘grandstanding in Texas’ when the announcement was made at some rodeo where he got plenty of media mileage.
There is no way the punters of Queensland will be interested one iota in betting on quarter horses. But unless something is done to boost prizemoney which will help stop the rorts at the gallops they won’t be doing too much betting there either.’
VICTORIA
TONY VASIL INCENSED BY ON-LINE REPORTS THAT HE PLANS TO RETIRE
TRAINER Tony Vasil has emerged from his treatment for acute depression in north Queensland to say his career as a horse trainer is far from over.
PATRICK BARTLEY reported in THE AGE that the Caulfield Cup-winning trainer said he and his clientele were incensed by online reports that he would retire after Saturday's meeting at Moonee Valley.
Vasil, 51, left Victoria two months ago in a bid to overcome depression and last week announced that he would be taking extended leave from his 35-strong team at Caulfield.
However, reports that Vasil was retiring moved the trainer to publicly quash talk of him leaving racing after nearly four decades.
"I'm here in Queensland, I'm getting the very best of help for my illness that is sometimes hard to identify,'' he said.
"But when you're trying to recover from a sickness that can be so often time consuming in trying to overcome it, you are confronted with nonsense that you have two days left in racing.
"I was inundated with nearly 100 text messages confused about my future, so I believe it's important that the racing industry on a whole, from my long-time clients through to the stewards, know that my full intention is to come back to training," Vasil said.
Aquanita, the syndicators, wrote to clients of Vasil last week to say the trainer would be taking leave, but was unable to estimate how long he would be away from Caulfield .
"It's not a matter of days, it's a matter of months,'' the statement said. ''We [Aquanita] have 
asked Tony to take as much time as he would like to get over this terrible setback.
"His horses will be transferred to Robert Smerdon, who, like Vasil's owners, are perfectly agreeable to the temporary move.''
Vasil said he was still monitoring his team in Melbourne from Queensland, still overseeing worksheets and the placement of some of the horses.
"It's not as if I've turned my back on the game, far from it. It's more been a case of, I've taken a step back but still I have the pangs for racing. Of course I can't watch one of mine on the TV and see it win and not get excited.
"That's what we aspire to: training horses to win races and then see the ultimate enjoyment their owners get from winning.
"I can tell you, I'm still very fond of what I do, but I just want to beat this damn depression."
Vasil said he was also upset that a report claimed he was moving from Melbourne after his Caulfield home was put on sale.
"This is what makes me really upset,'' he said. ''I'd planned to put the house up for sale as far back as last year. It's a two-storey home with four bedrooms and I've already bought another place in Brighton, so I can't work out what all the fuss is about.
"I'm totally determined to beat this illness. And when I'm not getting treatment, of course my heart is still with my horses. I started riding trackwork at 15 and it's been my complete and utter lifestyle ever since.
"I have still a lot to offer, but as those close to me have agreed, let's get on top of the depression and beat that for once and for all. And then, and only then, we'll will work out what's going on with the business.
"Why these reports are so upsetting is that you're asking me and my professional help to measure how long before I'm back or will it be hours, days or months.
"All I know is that when I beat this I'll be a far more complete person and ready for challenges that come along."
Smerdon said Vasil's horses were in a transitional period of moving under his name at his Caulfield stable.
A long-time friend of Vasil's, Smerdon said he, too, was dumbfounded by reports of the former leading apprentice of the 1970s deciding to leave racing.
"The rules haven't changed at any time. We want Tony to get better, but it's ridiculous to put a time limit when you are battling such a dreadful illness as depression.
"He has a loyal band of owners who are in total agreement that time away from racing will be a contributing feature of his recovery and so we've just got to hope that it all comes good and I'm sure it will.''
THE NARCS HAVE THEIR SAY ON CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES
B J SMITH HAS ‘WON FEW FRIENDS’ IN THE BROOKE RICHARDSON AFFAIR 
QUITE a few people are far from impressed by the way the industry in Queensland and apparently some of those close to suspended apprentice Brooke Richardson have watched her walk the plank without the support they believe she deserves. Here is one example:
‘WHERE is the hullabaloo from within the industry for apprentice Brooke Richardson that we saw when a far more high profile jockey in Damien Browne was suspended by stewards over a bad ride?
The same outspoken critics have been deadly silent but then again Brooke is a ‘nobody’ in racing parlance compared to Damien. What a disgraceful attitude when you allow a young kid to be thrown on the scrapheap.
Where was the great B J Smith in all of this? What were his instructions to Richardson prior to the Raeburn ride? Did he go in to bat for her in the inquiry into her tactics?
These are all questions that the industry and racing followers would like answered. But – unlike the Damien Browne situation where the racing media got heavily involved and so did trainer Rob Heathcote (even threatening to quit racing in Queensland) – there has been a deadly silence.
Whether it was a bad ride by Richardson or not, did she deserve to get a four month suspension? She made a mistake – just like Browne did. She wasn’t riding a horse that was anywhere near as fancied in the betting. The difference being – she put her hand up and pleaded guilty to a bad ride.
Perhaps, you might feel, she can still appeal against the severity of the penalty – which is her right. My guess is she wouldn’t have the same influence with the Appeals Body that Browne did – nor the same media or industry support from influential people.
The stewards might have just been doing their job but a four month suspension seems over the top. Imagine the reaction if they suspended a high profile jockey for that amount of time. All hell would break lose.
But again I repeat in the case of young Brooke – nothing but silence from these ‘high profile people’ in the industry and racing media – especially her trainer – who has won few friends in all of this.
Then again isn’t that the same trainer who allegedly suggested that his colleagues in the north didn’t matter. Training great you might say. I think his true Kiwi colors have been exposed for all to see.’
LONG TIME PARTICIPANT ACCUSES RACING INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND OF BECOMING ELITIST 
‘I am a long time racing industry participant from the Darling Downs whose family has been involved in the industry for as long as I can recall.
Up until a few years ago I had planned that my children would carry on the family tradition and become apprentice riders, but the way this industry is travelling I have taken the decision that this will not occur.
From my perspective the racing industry has become elitist with the current Board appearing to favor those stakeholders residing in the metropolitan area, in preference to those trying to generate a living in regional areas.
Although I thought the Workcover issue was a key highlight of this fact, I was dismayed last weekend to be advised that a 2yo Maiden abandoned from Gatton on Friday 28 March was being rescheduled to Doomben on Wednesday 2 April.
The decision makers at Racing Queensland must not have known that Dalby had a meeting scheduled for Friday 4 April, at which there was no two-year-old event, or that there was no two-year-old event scheduled for the Toowoomba meeting on Saturday 5 April.
Interestingly, seven of the 12 acceptors for the Gatton 2yo event were trained on the Darling Downs. Even more interesting is that of the 12 acceptors in the Gatton race only four entered for the two-year-old event placed on the Doomben card.
One wonders whether those close to the decision makers at Racing Queensland had any involvement in this decision, as it is interesting that the Chairman of Racing Queensland’s horse trainer is one of those who had a horse in the abandoned Gatton event, which is now accepted for the Doomben meeting.
I don't know how anyone could explain why this two-year-old event was not rescheduled at Dalby on Friday or Toowoomba on Saturday to ensure those most affected by the abandonment, were those to benefit from the rescheduling.
Also, can anyone explain why the decision to abandon the Gatton meeting was taken on Thursday 27 March, but yet the decision to reschedule the two-year-old to Doomben was not taken until Saturday 29 March? It was advertised on the Racing Queensland website at 9.40pm Saturday night.
Again, this begs the question as to whether this was a decision made at the races on Saturday, rather than in the Deagon offices where common-sense would surely have dictated that this race was placed on the Dalby or Toowoomba card.
As I am currently licensed by Racing Queensland I ask that you withhold my identity.’
‘IRRELEVANT’ OFFICIAL CONTINUES HIS ATTACK ON ‘DESPICABLE WEB SITES’ 
WE almost didn’t run this email because the official in question is becoming increasingly irrelevant as far as this website is concerned – but a couple along the same lines convinced us to let them ‘Have Their Say.’
‘ARE you aware that those despicable websites were again attacked when a prominent official addressed chairmen of various race clubs in the past week?
“Don’t believe or take any notice of what they write,” was the direction with websites like justracing and letsgohorseracing the target of his venom.
What a pity he didn’t address some far more worthy causes like reviving Racing Queensland and boosting its image from joke status interstate.
I cannot believe the dislike and obsession that an official of his stature possesses toward some racing websites and the people who run them. In all my days in racing I have never witnessed such appalling behavior from such a high profile identity.
I am told his comments to the assembled chairmen were in poor taste and some of those who listened were apparently in agreement except, of course, for the jackass who all but had his head up the chairman’s behind for the entire proceedings.
But none of us have forgotten the days when Bob Bentley was chairman and this bloke’s fawning to him was similar. Nothing has changed just a different set of cheeks for him to part’.
EDITOR’S NOTE: WHAT I find amazing about the attitude of the official you are obviously referring to is that he says he doesn’t rate or read websites like justracing or letsgohorseracing and continually tells industry stakeholders to ignore them, yet he seems to know everything of a critical nature to him that appears on these sites.
IS THE DIXIELAND QUINTET CAUSING SOME HEADACHES FOR ‘CAN DO’? 
THIS was an interesting tongue-in-cheek but dare to be different contribution from one of our readers which we decided warranted a run:
‘THE possible desertion of the ‘band’s trumpeter’ and the ‘odd base player’ from the DIXELAND quintet indicates THE WELL IS DRY and ‘Can Do’ is having a difficult time keeping as many cards up his sleeve as possible.
Why, I hear you ask?
Well, simple, as fast as CD is saving money by sacking, or as he will say ‘just outsourcing ‘the dead wood’ and ‘the workers’ in the State’s payroll department, he will be feathering the nest of the quarter horse fraternity.
CD’s power hungry logic surely has affected the Racing Minister’s ability to reason.
I can just imagine a typical Monday morning briefing between C.D and his Racing Minister – if you will allow me:
CD:What is all this rubbish that is going on with Racing Queensland?
RM: It’s those bloody website fellows – they keep pissing off the Chairman for Everything – mind you little ‘Dicky’ never reads those sites but they still seem to keep him awake at night.
CD: Get in and do what I put you there for – clean it up – oh! And by the way, how long is five lengths?
RM: (responding the following week): I have sorted that out CD – I sent those jokers from the websites a dirty letter – that should fix them.
CD: Gee, I don’t know – stand up straight when I am talking to you – whose electorate are they in, the LNP?
RM: I believe so.
CD:Fair dinkum, give me a break, have I got to do everything? You know we will need all the votes we can get come next election. Have you found out about that five lengths yet?’
STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN THE MAINSTREAM RACING MEDIA
JOHN SADLER QUITS MALUA RACING AND WILL TRAINER UNDER AQUANITA BANNER 
TRAINERS John Sadler and Troy Cortsens have dissolved their partnership in Malua Racing.
DARYL TIMMS reports for the HERALD SUN that Sadler, who has battled illness in recent months, will return to Caulfield where he will again train under the banner of Aquanita Racing.
Owners were told of the decision by Sadler in an email today.
He said Cortsens wanted to train in his own right and had accepted an offer to buy all the shares in the company they established nearly four years ago
“Both Troy and I discussed what was in the interests of the owners and horses, as well as the business,” Sadler told owners.
“Troy has offered and I have accepted that he will buy my shares in the company effective June 1,
“ From that date I will move to Caulfield and train under the Aquanita banner. In the interim it will be business as usual as we strive for winners on behalf of you all.”
Sadler said the process had been very amicable and he and Troy remained close friends.
Under the initial structure of Malua Racing, Sadler was head trainer and Cortsens was general manager.
It’s unclear when Caulfield Cup winning trainer Tony Vasil will return to Aquanita Racing. He has taken extended leave as he receives treatment in Queensland for depression.
And Sadler also made it public in February that he had battled depression which had forced him to take leave from Malua Racing.
Saddler’s illness promoted changes at Malua Racing, with business partner Cortsens training a large number of the stable’s horses.
The pair trained under a partnership when Sadler recently returned to the stables.
FAMILY PLANS TO BRING NATHAN BERRY HOME AS CONDITION DETERIORATES 
THE condition of jockey Nathan Berry has deteriorated in Singapore and his family are making plans to bring him back to Sydney.
CHRIS ROOTS reports for FAIRFAX MEDIA that Berry collapsed at trackwork in Singapore on March 18 and suffered a series of seizures before he was placed in an induced coma last week. Doctors have diagnosed Berry with Norse syndrome, an acute form of epilepsy.
His family are bedside, including twin brother Tom, as are the Schofield family of his wife of only a couple of months, Whitney.
She issued a statement through the Australian Jockeys Association on Tuesday.
"I cannot thank everyone enough for the amount of love and support you have all shown through this most difficult time in Nathan’s and my life,” she said.
"Nathan continued to improve over the weekend but it is with great sadness that I have to say his condition since has had complications.
"Between myself, his team of doctors and members of both families, we have decided to bring Nathan home to Sydney as soon as we can.
"Nathan is my world and I don’t know anyone who can fight this illness like he is.
"Please now let us keep him in our thoughts and prayers.”
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.
