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 ‘Look Back at 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 some officials who cannot cope with constructive criticism.
STRONG MAIL THAT THE COURIER-MAIL WILL HAVE A SATURDAY ‘EXCLUSIVE’ ON NEW TAB DEAL 
EDITOR’S NOTE: BEFORE we launch into some very interesting contributions to the Wednesday Whinge this week I would like to comment on a rumor – it’s probably better than that – doing the rounds concerning the much-awaited announcement of the new TAB Product Fee agreement for racing in Queensland.
The mail is strong that the story will be released exclusively to their 'spin doctor' at The Courier-Mail for Saturday’s newspaper which comes as no surprise considering the LNP Government and RQ, especially its Chairman Kevin Dixon, would be counting on plenty of positive publicity and chest thumping.
If an announcement of this importance is restricted to ‘exclusivity’ it is an insult to the mainstream media – the television and radio stations who don’t play the political game in racing but are entitled to get an equal shot at the story.
We couldn’t care less at letsgohorseracing. Once it finally reaches our desk we will be asking some independent experts to give us their opinion on how good or bad the deal is. We won’t just be running the propaganda that will flow from the two Dickos and Tim the Toolman about how wonderful it is and how it will save an industry that is sinking into the quicksand.
The one question perhaps they might think of addressing is whether there has been a behind-the-scenes deal struck as part of the agreement to end the court case between RQ and Tatts and, more importantly, why racing in Queensland is persevering with TattsBet when punters largely regard that gambling operator as a standing joke compared to the TABs interstate and many of the corporate agencies.
OUR RACING E-MAILS OF THE WEEK:
WILL ‘KEV’ GIVE NATHAN A REV FOR HIS ‘HARNESS HONESTY’ ON SOCIAL MEDIA? 
JIM BRANNIGAN sent this email:
‘SINCE his appointment to replace Bart Sinclair as the Racing Editor at Queensland Newspapers, I have noticed how certain contributors to the Wednesday Whinge and the letsgohorseracing website have been critical of the job that Nathan Exelby has done.
Nathan has been described as everything from a ‘carbon copy of his former boss’ to ‘spin doctor’ for RQ Chairman Kevin Dixon and the Brisbane Racing Club.
Well I want to take the critics, including your website, to task, and have some ammunition to back up my claim which I am sure Nathan would have no objection to me using.
It supports the argument that he does have an opinion of his own and that it doesn’t always agree with the thoughts and wishes of Kevin Dixon, Bart Sinclair or RQ, or some of the other political heavies in the industry, especially Kevin Seymour, who most agree runs harness racing in Queensland.
The only downside to my argument – which I am prepared to concede before you point it out – is that the views expressed to the social media by Nathan are far more critical and one might argue at times in contrast to what he writes in The Courier-Mail.
The question is: Does this mean Nathan wants to play things conservatively in his newspaper job or doesn’t want to rock the racing boat too publicly despite what he really believes? You be the judge after reading the following:
As Racing Queensland does not keep its Industry Infrastructure Strategy web page updated, last week I viewed a greyhound forum that provides brief updates on the Logan project.
When reviewing this forum I was interested to see two emails attributed to The Courier Mail Racing Editor and addressed to a greyhound follower.
To my surprise these emails were more enlightening than the information published by Nathan Exelby in The Courier Mail, and he even let his guard down about his thoughts on Racing Queensland and the harness industry.
Nathan openly criticizes Racing Queensland’s lines of communication. I presume he thought this email would not be published and that it wouldn’t be seen by Mr Dixon.
Also, Nathan openly states his views on the harness industry, which he confirms is losing market share all the time, and is in trouble. I presume he thought that Kevin Seymour would never see this statement.
The above was a distraction from the real reason I reviewed the forum. I was looking for information on the Industry Infrastructure Strategy.
Interestingly, Nathan Exelby confirms that a number of thoroughbred projects will have to take a ‘haircut’ to fit in the $10 million for Eagle Farm. I wonder whether this has been raised with those clubs who are patiently awaiting their share?
On a positive note it appears that Nathan isn’t afraid to highlight his thoughts on Racing Queensland and current issues. It’s just a shame we don’t read this in The Courier Mail and we have to resort to perusing forums for this information.
THE TWO EMAILS SENT TO SOCIAL MEDIA 
For your readers benefit I have provided the two emails from Mr Exelby below, which were copied from the greyhound forum.
Hi Graham,
Thanks for the reply.
I agree RQ’s lines of communication have been found wanting many times over the past 12 months and this leads to industry anxiety.
In relation to the Product Agreement deal, the problem is that they aren’t allowed to release any information. It’s a delicate negotiation process and if they were to come out and guarantee this or that, then it wouldn’t help the negotiations.
If I were a betting man (and I am), I would say the Greyhounds will come out of this new deal more sweet than the other two. It is true that you have been getting a raw deal (as a result of the previous agreement) and have largely been propping up the trots.
With the growth in market share greyhounds have had, it automatically follows you will receive a larger share of the pie.
The ones in trouble are harness, which is losing market share all the time.
Stay in touch.
Kind Regards,
Nathan Exelby, Racing Editor
And the following from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Subject: Re Racing Queensland Overspend
Hi Graham,
A lot of those thoroughbred projects have not been completed and a number of them will take a ‘haircut’ to fit in the $10 million for Eagle Farm.
Remember, the Eagle Farm reco is only $10 million out of the IIF, with the other $12 million being the responsibility of the BRC to repay as part of a loan. It does not chew up funding for the IIF.
Work on Logan has already started.
Furthermore, it is locked in stone that thoroughbreds get $70M, greyhounds $25M and Harness $15M. THAT CANNOT BE CHANGED.
Hope this helps,
Kind Regards,
Nathan Exelby, Racing Editor
EDITOR’S NOTE: NOW isn’t it nice to read what Nathan really thinks, especially about how bad harness racing is travelling in Queensland? What a shame he doesn’t write those opinions in comment pieces in The Courier-Mail. Having been in a position of a Racing Editor (of the then Brisbane Sun) who dared to criticize politics and issues in harness racing (when I wrote the trots), I can probably understand why Nathan prefers to keep his thoughts to a large degree – closeted. Good luck to Nathan if he dares to tell the real truth about the parlous state of harness racing in Queensland, even at a social media level. One thing I have learnt over the years following the industry is that political persuasiveness will always over-rule what is right and proper. I can see no reason for this to change with the Dixieland Duo and Tim the Toolman calling the shots.
CONCERNS FOR THE FUTURE OF STAKEHOLDERS OF RACING IN QLD 
THIS email came from a TRAINER who is concerned for his future under the current RQ administration:
‘ARE those people running racing in Queensland totally inept, or am I not reading things properly?
Although I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would release a Strategic Plan two weeks prior to the announcement of the benefits of a revised wagering agreement, I moved past this point and spent an hour reviewing the Key Performance Indicators Racing Queensland have implemented for the next three years.
If your readers haven’t reviewed this document, I suggest they do! This will provide everyone a good understanding of the capabilities of those people running racing in this State.
Following my brief review my key concern is that they have forecast growth in wagering revenue of $22,011,000 in the three year period between 2013/14 and 2016/17.
On face value I was extremely buoyed by this, bearing in mind this is a widely distributed document and Racing Queensland has highly paid officials preparing this information.
To my dismay, during the same period they have only proposed to increase prizemoney by just $3,211,000 or 2.89 per cent over three years (less than one per cent per year).
Surprisingly, they are proposing that the number of trainers will increase from 2760 to 2929, a 5.88 per cent increase.
We trainers are struggling to stay afloat at present. How can they afford trainers numbers to increase at a greater rate than prizemoney?
To me this highlights that these people have no idea!
I know that Darren Condon has put his name to this document, but this type of information would have been prepared by the finance boffins. I have just checked their website and it confirms that Adam Carter is the Chief Finance Manager and Ron Mathofer is the Senior Business Analyst.
Quite simply, do these people know that trainers are eating the paint off the walls and these guys are proposing that revenues from wagering activities will increase by $22 million and they are only proposing to return $3 million of this back to the industry?
What are they proposing to do with the extra $18,800,000?
In my view as an industry we should not be subject to this apparent incompetence!
I feel those people associated with the development and publication of this rubbish should seriously consider standing down from their positions.
To me, this is supposed to be an extremely important document that highlights what the Controlling Body for racing in this state is budgeting for the next three years.
If I cannot utilize this information to assess my future, what can I use?
I mean these guys are running a multi-million dollar industry and I understand are paid small fortunes.
I maintain a small business in the hope that Racing Queensland and the Government can deliver on their promises and significantly increase returns to stakeholders. This document does nothing to encourage my continued faith in their ability to deliver on their promises.
I know I am being repetitive, but I cannot believe that this is tolerated and I ask that the Board of Racing Queensland, or what is left of it, review the current positions of Mr Condon, Mr Carter and Mr Mathofer for their part in the development and publication of this damaging document.
From my perspective this is nothing short of incompetence and I cannot continue to put my family’s future in these people’s hands.
Tell me how I am supposed to attract new owners when their prizemoney forecast is well below inflation. This place needs to be cleaned up and as a priority they need to get some people in who at least seem to have some idea about what they are doing.
I would be interested to hear how the Board of Racing Queensland views this matter!
Please withhold my contact details as I am a current licensee and do not wish to be victimized for publishing my views.’
PLENTY OF GAS IN THIS DECISION TO PRESS AHEAD WITH TRACK ON DUMP SITE 
BEN KINGSTON of GOLD COAST sent this email:
‘I was surprised to see the tongue in cheek criticism of Racing Minister Stephen Dickson for his decision to build a new dog track on the old commercial dump site at Cronulla Park.
Sure it is a contaminated site after years of dumping of all types of things like household waste, dead animals, asbestos to name a few. But as your correspondent said last week it is likely to emit methane gasses until at least 2017 and here is where I believe Racing Minister Dickson has shown his adept ability to see a great business opportunity when everyone else things it’s a crook idea.
On a worldwide basis methane gas is an in demand commodity. Not only has Mr Dickson seen the opportunity to power the floodlights needed for night racing from the methane produced right on site (although a 2004 report did state that only 10% of the site is stable enough to erect any building including light towers), there are also commercial opportunities to export the stuff.
Methane is an important source of hydrogen and some organic chemicals. Methane reacts with steam at high temperatures to yield carbon monoxide and hydrogen; the latter is used in the manufacture of ammonia for fertilizers and explosives. Other valuable chemicals derived from methane include methanol chloroform, and nitromethane. With methane providing goodies like that I am sure there would be demand from places like Russia, Somalia, Pakistan and more recently Iraq.
So in future I hope your readers and contributors won't be too keen to dismiss some of the plans put forward by Minister Dickson and his current Greyhound Board members.
With the decision to spend $12 million on the Cronulla Park track, I am sure Minister Dickson, Board Chair Mr Byrne and his compatriots Messrs Williams and Hawkins have considered the methane gas opportunities available at Cronulla Park.
Where else in the world could you build a greyhound track which because of its past history as a dump site can supply all the methane gas needed to power the lights and all the electrics plus bring in a nice little earner on the side by exporting the stuff?’
QUESTIONS STILL BEING ASKED ABOUT THE TRACK LOAN TO BRC 
BRAD WINTEC writes:
‘I note in last week’s Wednesday Whinge you reported from RQ CEO, Darren Condon, that $10 million for Eagle Farm comes from the Infrastructure Fund and that the Brisbane Racing Club has to repay the remaining $12 million.
As a local Club member and owner of horses currently racing interstate due to our poor prizemoney, we are hanging out for Queensland prizemoney increases and I must be honest I don’t like the idea of a race club struggling to make ends meet having such a debt hanging over its head.
The repayments of such a debt could easily be in the order of $1 million each year, which is a considerable amount. I doubt many Queensland race clubs would be returning profits that would enable them to service such a debt and if they were attempting to do so would likely go broke and default.
Do you know if this $12 million loan to the BRC is coming out of future Infrastructure funding, which must see many projects deferred, or is it a commercial loan?
If it is coming out of future Infrastructure funding which projects are being deferred and for how long or if it is a commercial loan arrangement what has been put up as security for the loan in the event of the borrower defaulting?
Something doesn’t seem to add up here and to be honest we need more information on this loan of $12 million and the timing of future projects.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: IT seems that the Brisbane Racing Club will repay the $12 million to the Infrastructure Fund and those repayments will come from money raised from projects that are part of their Master Plan. RQ expects they would be making substantial repayments within three years. As for the suggestion that the ability to repay $12 million could affect the club’s prizemoney, that is not the case as RQ distributes the stakes paid by clubs.
THE PUNTERS POST MORTEM – HAVE YOUR WHINGE!
SAME OLD STORY – MORE HEAVILY BACKED FAVORITES PERFORM LIKE MULES 
CHARLIE T of SYDNEY writes:
‘WEEK in, week out, it’s the same old story – heavily backed favorites failing badly.
It was Sydney’s turn last Saturday when Tonopah and Agadir went woefully.
Tonopah looked to be a promising stayer and was entitled to be heavily backed but no punter in their wildest dreams could have expected him to perform so badly.
Josh Parr told a subsequent inquiry that Tonopah was a beaten horse at the 600m mark and blamed his pathetic effort on a failure to handle the step up in distance and the deteriorating track.
Agadir performed woefully like many of the heavily backed Darley horses since John O’Shea took over the training. Kerrin McEvoy could offer no excuse for this terrible performance. O’Shea blamed the track condition and said the horse would be spelled.
At the end of the day the big losers were the punters. It continues to happen and the excuses are simply not good enough. Little wonder sports betting is starting to attract more of the money that was once invested on the gallops.’
IS JIM BYRNE A BETTER RIDER AT IPSWICH THAN THE BRISBANE TRACKS? 
GARY G of GOLD COAST sent this email:
‘JIM Byrne – in my opinion – is a far better rider at Ipswich than on the metropolitan tracks in Brisbane. He went from Cup day hero the previous week to the punters’ villain at Eagle Farm last Saturday.
Limehills looked the good thing of the day but jumped awkwardly for Jimmy and then had trouble securing a clear run from well back in the straight.
Transporter won impressively at his previous start but seemed to lose a leg and was never really a winning hope finishing a dismal ninth to Kingdoms.’
HOW THE BIG BETS FARED LAST SATURDAY 
BOOKMAKERS had a field day when hardly any of those runners heavily backed in Fixed Odds betting were able to salute on Saturday.
Plunges came unstuck when Tonopah and Agadir went woefully at Randwick. Neither raised the hopes of their backers at any stage during their races.
Le Bonsir carried some big bets at Moonee Valley and was unlucky, finishing fourth to Pillar of Creation when it probably should have won.
Queenstown and Transporter were costly losers for punters at Eagle Farm.
The only big bets collected were on Casino Wizard at Morphettville Parks and Cosmic Endeavour at Eagle Farm.
Maybe what the punters of Australia need is the 'inside' mail from Fat Tony.
THE CYNICS HAVE THEIR SAY 
NATIVES FAR FROM HAPPY WITH THE OUTCOME OF THE HORSE DEATH INQUIRY
SOME of the natives on the Downs are pretty restless in the wake of the completion of an inquiry into the death of a two-year-old in the swimming pool at Clifford Park in April.
Several emails we have received on the issue were ‘too hot’ legally for us to publish. Needless to say the outcome of the inquiry was not well received by some nor was the appointment by RQ of Norm Torpey to conduct it. They felt it should have been done independently by the RSPCA.
Racing Queensland has completed its inquiry, cleared trainer Michael Frappell and his stable staff of any wrong-doing in the matter. His father Bob – the Toowoomba Turf Club chairman – claims the incident was ‘blown out of proportion’ and is understandably angry like any dad would be.
RQ was obliged to conduct an inquiry, even without considering the closeness of Bob Frappell to the Chairman for Everything in Racing in Queensland, Kevin Dixon.
As far as we are concerned the matter is now closed and no further whinges on the matter will be published.
RQ INTEGRITY REGULATION UNIT RAIDS CAR OF TOOWOOMBA TRAINER AT ROCKHAMPTON 
PETER S of TOOWOOMBA wrote:
‘HERE’S a good story that the racing media seemed to conveniently overlook and it involves an incident in Rockhampton on Cup day involving a trainer from Toowoomba.’
(The email went on to describe certain events that occurred and made comments in relation to this which for legal reasons we were not prepared to publish).
What he was referring to is covered in this excerpt from the Stewards’ Report at Rockhampton last Saturday which reads:
PRIOR to the running of Race 1, stewards received a report from the Integrity Regulation Unit member Mr John Hackett who conducted a search of trainer Ben Currie's motor vehicle which revealed syringes and a number of treatment products.
After taking evidence from Mr Hackett and trainer Currie stewards could not be satisfied that any treatment had been administered to UNSPOKEN or SEEN and therefore permitted both horses to start in their respective events.
Trainer Currie was unable to provide any treatment records, however pre-race samples were taken from both runners and a post-race sample was taken from UNSPOKEN three hours following its race.
Stewards will inquire further at a time and date to be fixed.
FAT TONY STILL PUNTING SUCCESSFULLY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HIS FRIENDS 
DANNY K of MELBOURNE writes:
‘IT would be interesting to know who is tipping to Tony Mokbel during his stint behind bars and whether it is a jockey or a trainer and which state they hail from.
Tony might be in jail but he still seems to be better informed than most punters.
The story goes that the investments being wagered on his behalf have been very successful.
Is there a coincidence in a jockey who was linked to him in the past now taking a break from race riding?’
EDITOR’S NOTE: I am sure it is purely coincidence and there is no suggestion of any link now between the jockey in question and Mokbel. Here is a story that obviously prompted the above email:
CAGED drug boss Tony Mokbel has been busted laying huge bets from inside Victoria’s most secure jail.
MARK BUTTLER and PADRIAC MURPHY report in THE AUSTRALIAN that authorities at Barwon Prison have intercepted coded messages in which the big-punting Mokbel made five-figure betting plunges on major race meetings.
Mokbel has been banished to a management unit at the prison, near Geelong, after being caught.
The 48-year-old had only just been released from the same restricted regimen after allegedly breaking the nose of a fellow inmate in a fight.
That incident, which remains under police investigation, was reportedly sparked by friction over betting.
The person suspected of placing the bets on behalf of Mokbel, after receiving coded instructions via phone, was authorized to be on his call list.
It is unclear where the money to make the recently intercepted wagers came from.
The size of the most recent Mokbel bets indicates he still has access to large sums of money, despite police efforts to seize everything he made from decades of drug trafficking.
Assets confiscation experts have stripped away more than $50 million from the trafficker and his associates.
Police say they found secret betting accounts, from which huge sums were being turned over, were being operated on behalf of Mokbel.
A Corrections Victoria spokesman said it did not comment on specific prisoners.
But a CV statement said prison phone calls were monitored and recorded to maintain the system’s integrity.
“Corrections Victoria’s intelligence staff are trained to interpret coded telephone conversations and decipher information that prisoners - for whatever reason - want to keep secret from authorities,” the statement said.
“Evidence of illegal activity and other intelligence is passed on to Victoria Police and other authorities to assist in any ongoing investigations outside the prison walls.
“Prisoners can have their phone access revoked if they’re found to have misused the phone system.”
In the 1990s Mokbel was the leader of the infamous Tracksuit Gang, which won millions in huge plunges on the nation’s racetracks. There were allegations of improper links with successful jockeys and trainers.
Mokbel, once regarded as the largest drug importer and distributor in Melbourne, fled Australia for Greece in 2006 after becoming aware he was under police investigation over gangland murders.
In 2012, he was jailed for 30 years with a minimum of 22.
Charge of the (cashed-up) tracksuit brigade
TRACKSUITS were more than just the mark of questionable fashion sense on the state’s racetracks in the 1990s.
Back then, they meant Tony Mokbel and his gang - armed with thick wads of cash and improbably accurate tips - were set to strike.
Mokbel, not yet a household name at that point, had a direct line to some of the biggest riding and training names in Australia. He is suspected of using that access and information gleaned from it to orchestrate his tracksuit-wearing punting team in massive co-ordinated betting plunges along the eastern seaboard.
The activity served the dual purpose of making big dollars and laundering the profits of criminal activity.
Riders were heard on phone taps talking to Mokbel and spotted by surveillance teams fraternising with him over coffee at one of his bars.
Victorian racing stewards were concerned enough by Mokbel’s connections to warn a succession of trainers and riders to cease their association with him.
Among them was top Sydney hoop Jim Cassidy, who in 2006, when Mokbel was on the run from police, spoke fondly of the fugitive.
Mokbel was among a list of identities prohibited by then Chief Commissioner from visiting Crown casino and the state’s racetracks in 2008.
Punting has always been the big passion of Mokbel’s life.
The Herald Sun recently unearthed video footage of him betting up a storm at a two-up game run by the Lionel “Nappy” Ollington in 1996.
During the spring carnival of 2004, as his public notoriety was rapidly rising, Mokbel was primed for action.
He boasted he had scooped $380,000 in phone bets from rails bookmakers on Cup Day.
Almost a decade later, he hasn’t lost his love of the punt but this time might have made the wrong call.
ANOTHER VICTIM OF DEPRESSION IN RACING AS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED 
MARY K of LISMORE sent this email:
‘FORMER Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett hit the nail on the head when he suggested recently that pressure of a ‘24/7’ racing industry was causing a spike in depression and sending trainers broke.
“It’s bringing them down in droves, the pressure on them, and not only in their mental health but their financial position,” Mr Kennett said. “It’s all because the gaming bodies want product seven days a week but it’s killing the industry.
“Sports betting agencies won’t reduce it and the industry hasn’t got the strength to do it, so the Government will have to step in to reduce the number of racing days.”
More and more trainers are going public and admitting problems associated with the pressures of their job and how it has affected their mental health.
In the past week we have seen another sad situation when the life support was turned off on one of the leading trainers in Northern NSW who reportedly had been suffering from depression.
Something desperately needs to be done about this situation.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE is a story relating to the above by RAY THOMAS in the DAILY TELEGRAPH:
RACING NSW has fast-tracked a trainer’s licence application from Daniel Bowen Jr following the tragic death of his father last week.
Bowen Jr, 29, has been a long-time stable foreman and Racing NSW yesterday granted approval for him to take over his father’s Lismore stables.
Danny Bowen, one of the northern NSW’s leading trainers, died last Friday night, after his life support was turned off at Lismore Base Hospital. It is understood he had been suffering from depression.
Bowen’s family plan to establish a foundation in his memory to provide help for people in the racing industry who suffer from the disease.
Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys said “Bowen’s passing and the circumstances around it are a tragedy for his family and, of course, his friends and the larger racing community.
“Danny was well known in the northern rivers of New South Wales as a larger than life character that not only raced a lot locally, but travelled his horses for the right races. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
“Depression and pressures of life are issues that cut across all sections of the community, and racing is no exception.
“Racing NSW has worked closely with the Trainers Association, Jockeys Association and other industry representatives in recent years to establish specialist programs to support our participants in times of need.
“Specialist psychologists and counsellors are available to trainers, strappers, jockeys and others who may need support and professional help to balance their lives. The programs are at no cost to our participants and completely confidential.
“Racing NSW is very conscious of the dangers of depression and will continue to offer our support through these specialist programs.”
NSW Trainers’ Association chief executive Steve McMahon said the news of Bowen’s death is “heart breaking”.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Danny’s family, friends and fellow trainers,’’ McMahon said.
“Trainers are doing it tough across the country but there is help out there. My plea to trainers is please never be too proud to ask for help if you’re struggling.’’
Bowen is survived by his wife Shelley, children Daniel, Brooke and Leanne and eight grandchildren. Funeral arrangements have yet to be finalised.
Racing NSW recommends those in the racing industry suffering from depression to contact:
Trainer/Strapper Assistance program — 1300 88 77 24 or jockeys assistance program — (02) 9929 8515 / 0403 944 900 and Lifeline — 13 11 14
STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED IN THE MAINSTREAM RACING MEDIA: 
ATC RULES OUT ANY PLANS FOR FREE ADMISSION IN WINTER MONTHS
THE Australian Turf Club has ruled out any plans to throw open the gates during the winter months, despite less than 4000 punters rolling up to Rosehill last Saturday week.
CHRISTIAN NICOLUSSI reports in the DAILY TELEGRAPH that the atmosphere could only be described as miserable at the western Sydney track, despite trainer Chris Waller doing his best to breathe life into the meeting with a winning treble.
As Rosehill struggled for an on-track audience, the Sydney Swans pulled in more than 41,000 fans across town at the SCG for their four-point thriller against Port Adelaide.
While racing crowds have dwindled over the years — and the colder months generally features plenty of empty seats in the stands at Randwick and Rosehill — slashing the $15 general entry fee won’t be considered by the ATC.
An ATC spokesman said the club had trialled free entry in the past, including Saturdays, but it had done nothing to improve crowd numbers.
In their defence, the ATC have introduced a few winter initiatives, including $5 beers, and pre-purchased tickets which include a free ticket, beer and drink.
Just 5000 punters are expected to attend this Saturday’s Winter Dash meeting at Royal Randwick.
One club that has enjoyed the benefits of wiping the cover charge is Dapto, whose Thursday night bar takings jumped from $700 to $2500 immediately after they dropped their entry fee for the dog meeting 15 years ago.
The Thursday night trots meeting at Penrith is also free for punters, and is known for its healthy crowds.
The Melbourne Racing Club have in recent years thrown open the gates to launch their spring on Underwood Stakes Day, which club officials said had led to an increase by 2000 to 3000 people.
Prominent owner and former Sydney Turf Club committeeman Nick Moraitis said free entry wouldn’t work, and if anything the ATC needed to do more to drive down food prices.
“We need to make food more affordable,’’ Moraitis said.
Technology that allows punters to watch and bet on races via a mobile phone or laptop has made it even harder for the ATC to lure the casual racegoer.
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.
