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. The Whinge will continue to provide 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 and insist that no-one reads it. We encourage readers to continue to contribute but plan to restrict the Whinge to only eight or at the most 10 items as well as stories you may have missed in the mainstream media. That is what you seem to want. Feedback suggests that unless there is a major issue that the column at times is too long.
JUST ANOTHER REASON FOR SOME RACING FOLK NOT TO LIKE ROBBIE WATERHOUSE 
GUY T of MELBOURNE writes:
‘EVERY time Robbie Waterhouse opens his mouth he convinces me more why I don’t like him.
Where does he get off talking about the ‘sins and failures’ of former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett?
For a bloke with so many skeletons in his own closet the best I can say is that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
But that’s par for the course with the Waterhouse family who regard themselves as some form of racing royalty in Sydney.
It comes no surprise to see Waterhouse got into bat for all the other – what some would call – ‘fleas’ in the industry – like the corporate bookies and Damien Oliver.
When it comes to respect might I suggest Mr Waterhouse that Mr Kennett has more than you could hope to achieve in three lifetimes in racing?’
IT CERTAINLY WAS A CASE OF THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK 
CLEM D of SYDNEY sent this email:
‘TERRY Butts summed it up perfectly in his ‘Silks and Saddles’ column on your website this week when referring to the Robbie Waterhouse attack on the Jeff Kennett criticism of certain aspects racing.
‘Comment of the Decade’ was the nice way was the Butt’s description although I could have thought of a few more choice words.
It’s a bit rich Waterhouse trying to highlight ‘sins and failures’ of the former Victorian Premier when one looks at the history of his own family in racing.
And as Butts pointed out the irony of his comments were that these coincided with the greatest rort in Australian racing – the Fikne Cotton affair – which Waterhouse and his family should never be allowed to forget.
And to think he would talk about another individual doing more harm to racing in a specific state than anyone in history. Give us a break you goose!
The more I read the Waterhouse comments the angrier I became. First he called the corporate bookies ‘good citizens’ and then he went into bat for Damien Oliver who just happens to ride horses for his wife, Gai.
Wouldn’t it be a great old industry if the Waterhouse’s had more influence on the running of racing than they already do?
As the old saying goes: What’s the one thing that’s worse than a Waterhouse?
I’ll let you guess the answer because your website probably won’t run it – but let’s say it rhymes.’
SURELY ROBBIE DOESN’T NEED A DOLLAR THAT BADLY HE HAS TO SELL HIS TIPS 
MAL G of MELBOURNE writes:
‘GOOD old Robbie Waterhouse – now he’s the punters’ friend – providing them with tips for only ten bucks.
Don’t tell me chief steward Ray Murrihy is again going to be gun shy when it comes to dealing with a Waterhouse and some suggest he is after many losing run-ins with Robbie’s wife, Gai.
Waterhouse should be told point blank that he is in breach of the rules tipping as a licensed person – not to mention the conflicts he has as the bookmaking husband of a leading trainer.
It’s time that Murrihy stopped pussy-footing around with the Waterhouse family or hang up his ‘Sheriff’s hat which is long overdue.
Sydney racing in recent times has become a standing joke with second string runners from leading stables upstaging their more fancied and often heavily backed stablemates.
If Robbie Waterhouse is doing it so tough that he needs to encourage punters to pay him $10 for his tips than perhaps he should seek a handout from his corporate bookmaking mates who he continually goes into bat for.
As for tipping well he’s going to be in competition with quite a few former top jockeys who seem to think that operating this sort of service is their calling in retirement.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: IT would be interesting to know just how successful Robbie Waterhouse is as a tipster and how many of Gai’s winning or losing horses he tips.
PRAISE FOR SYDNEY PROFESSIONAL PUNTER IN HIS FIGHT AGAINST THE CORPORATES 
BARRY J, a keen punter of Melbourne, wrote this email on behalf of his mates:
‘MY mates and I want to commend Sydney-based professional punter Richard Irvine for leading the campaign to force corporate bookmakers in this country to toe the line.
It took the courage of Racing NSW to do the ‘heavy lifting’ – as CEO Peter V’landys describes it – but there still seem to be a handful of operators who are refusing to accept the new rules that came into effect at the start of the month.
I heard Richard speaking with Shane Anderson on RSN on Tuesday and seemed pretty happy with the implementation but admitted there were still a few bookies who were refusing to obey the new rules.
He said that one corporate (named as Unibet) had closed accounts on the night before the rule came into force while others (reportedly Tom Waterhouse, Sportingbet and Centrebet) were apparently providing different prices for different punters.
Richard was high in his praise of Sportsbet, Bet365 and Betstar, agencies that he said had accepted the new rules and got on with the job.
He’s right when he declared it a ‘no brainer’ for the other states to follow the Racing NSW lead and suggested that the Melbourne Cup carnival in November would be a ideal time for its implementation in Victoria.’
WAS THIS TRAINER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ‘DUMBEST STATEMENT OF THE YEAR’? 
GARY N of MELBOURNE sent this email:
‘IF the newspaper reports are correct the ‘dumbest statement of the racing year’ must go to trainer Shea Eden after Flyingconi won the Mildura Cup.
Here’s what he is supposed to have told the Sunraysia Daily post-race:
“It’s great when a plan comes off. We put two horses in the Cup, one being Rambert and he is a front-running horse, and we knew Flyingconi needed the pace on. Dean Holland rode Rambert to instruction and Dean Yendall was able to peel off the back.”
The roughie Rambert certainly did his job setting a cracking pace and setting the race up for his stablemate. Whilst this sort of thing happens – not so blatantly – but on many occasions in Sydney Saturday race, we don’t expect to see it in Victoria where the stewards in the eyes of most punters seem far more vigilant.
I should add that Racing Victoria stewards had opened an inquiry into the comments made by Eden and here’s hoping they send a message to all trainers planning the same tactics with a penalty befitting what occurred.’
TRAINERS ARE QUIETLY QUESTIONING HOW THE DOOMBEN TRACK WILL SURVIVE 
FROM a high profile trainer who fears if he is identified the RQ can will drop on his head:
‘AS a reasonably successful trainer I cannot afford to put my name to this email because as you are probably aware there are close ties between the heads of our association and those running racing in Queensland.
But something needs to be said about the increasing number of horses that are pulling up with injuries after racing on the Doomben track. I can name three from Saturday alone.
Now we are only just embarking down this journey to Christmas where almost every Saturday fixture has been programmed for Doomben while the redevelopment of Eagle Farm takes place.
There are plenty who believe the Doomben track will not survive this ordeal or if it does many horses will be injured or breakdown in the process.
Under normal circumstances you would take this matter up with your Trainers’ Association but in my opinion some of our officials are so busy patting the powers that be at RQ on the back that there is no way there will be any criticism of Doomben or the concerns of the rank and file will be relayed.
That is why I am writing to you because I know that despite their denials my email will be read. Whether anyone acts on it however remains to be seen.’
HERE’S ONE PUNTER WHO WANTS QUESTIONS ASKED OF KAVANAGH ABOUT COMMENTS 
HARRY K of MELBOURNE writes:
‘I was very keen to back the promising youngster Chivalry at is comeback at Caulfield on Saturday but was put off after listening to an interview with Mark Kavanagh on race morning.
Now I realize that Kavanagh is a conservative and glass half-full character who plays his cards close to his chest when it comes to the chances of his runners.
But in an interview with Bruce Clark on RSN on Saturday morning I am sure I heard him say that he didn’t think Chivalry could win.
Perhaps the stewards would like to listen to a replay of the interview because if my recollection is right then Kavanagh should be asked to explain why he misled the punters.
I don’t expect any trainer to say his horse will win – those that do like Gai Waterhouse and Chris Waller are rarely right and in the case of the latter more than often a stablemate will beat the one he has tipped.
But at the same time punters shouldn’t be fed crap either. Perhaps my anger her stems not only from the fact I was talked out of backing Chivalry which I might mention came in for some good support but also because I find Kav an absolute smart arse when being interviewed.’
JOCKEYS GIVEN GREATER REWARD EVEN WHEN THEY SLAUGHTER THEIR MOUNTS 
ALBERT W of BRISBANE writes:
‘THIS was written before I read similar sentiments on another website (justracing) but decided to send it in any case.
It relates to the recent announcement of a pay rise and superannuation deal for jockeys in Queensland where in the first year they will be on more than $183 a ride.
I accept the risks they take but it’s a pretty healthy living when you consider the number of rides they get each week and how some slaughter their mounts.
If I do my job badly I don’t get paid for it. If a jockey goes out and doesn’t do his job badly he still walks away with the money.
How fair is that?’
IS A TOP JOCKEY GETTING BEATEN ON MORE FAVORITES THAN HE SHOULD? 
‘PERHAPS I am just a sore loser but is it my imagination, or is a prominent Queensland jockey getting beaten on more favourites that he should be at present?
I have started keeping a record of his losing rides on heavily backed runners, some of which I might mention bookies seem keen to lay at the short odds.
I can already see a pattern developing and I plan to pass this information on to the Chief Steward who would have to be asleep at the wheel if he wasn’t aware what I am talking about.
In case he isn’t the jockey questions seems to miss the start on favourites, then ride the ears off them to make up ground and on some occasions in the process even winds up having to check them off heels.
I know you can’t help bad luck in races and as I am continually told horses aren’t machines but it seems to me the poor old punters is getting the raw end of the deal here.
STORIES THAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN THE MAINSTREAM RACING MEDIA
RANDWICK MEMORIAL TO FALLEN JOCKEYS TO BE UNVEILED THIS SATURDAY 
THE Australian Jockeys’ Association will be unveiling a memorial at Randwick Racecourse this Saturday to commemorate those jockeys who have died as a result of riding accidents.
The monument consists of a bronze figure of a jockey standing 1.8 metres with a base of 1.2 metres, with 10 pedestals in bluestone arranged in a semi-circle containing the names of 870 jockeys.
The jockey, in a sense anonymous, is based on famed rider Hughie Cairns who was killed in a hurdle race at Moonee Valley. The stance has been copied from a mounting yard photograph taken prior to one of Cairns’ 14 feature wins on Heroic.
On a solemn note, there are five Melbourne Cup winning jockeys listed (H. Dawes, R. Reed, H. Cairns, K. Voitre and N. Sellwood) along with the fathers of John Marshall, Jimmy Johnson, Damien Oliver and Tony Vasil. Also, the brothers of Bobby Lewis, Damien Oliver, Harold Badger and Bob Cox. Billy Elliot, who had a perfect score on his seven rides on Phar Lap, is listed, along with Tommy Corrigan.
The CEO of the Australian Jockeys’ Association, Paul Innes, said the memorial is the work of Melbourne artist Jennifer Mann, and a similar memorial situated at Caulfield Racecourse, was the inspiration of the late Ned Wallish.
Innes said, “Being a jockey is a dangerous occupation and every day they take considerable risks on all sorts of tracks and in all sorts of conditions. The memorial at Randwick will be a reminder to all of us, of the risks they take. They are the courageous warriors of the turf.”
The memorial, which will be unveiled at 11am, will stand in the garden near the McGrath meeting tree and adjacent to the Theatre of the Horse.
BRC JOINS GROWING LIST OF RACING BODIES BRINGING IN THE DEVELOPERS 
BRISBANE Racing Club has joined the growing number of racing industry bodies around Australia seeking to bring in developers and create value from their lucrative land holdings.
MATTHEW CRANSTON reports in the AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW that as clubs deal with declining revenue streams from lower attendances and the rise of corporate bookmakers they have had to generate income from alternative sources.
BRC has enlisted Knight Frank to find a joint venture partner for a 5.4-hectare site at the Eagle Farm Racecourse in the affluent suburb of Ascot, in Brisbane’s north.
“This iconic Brisbane residential opportunity will appeal to large developers who want to be involved in a premium, large-scale development,” BRC general manager Jeff Kahler said.
Beck Property Group and Probuild beat heavyweights Lend Lease and Mirvac to the right to develop five hectares of land adjacent to the Caulfield Racecourse on behalf of the Melbourne Racing Club in 2012.
The trend for such development is catching on following Mirvac’s highly successful development of Harold Park racecourse in Sydney’s inner west, Perth Racing’s redevelopment of Belmont Park Racecourse and ISPT’s plans to develop the Pakenham racecourse site in Melbourne’s south-east after purchasing it for about $30 million.
Clayton Utz partner Gary Best, who has just co-authored the Urban Renewal Guidebook, said old facilities where the activity is no longer economic, such as racecourses, offer massive potential for developers.
“Securing good sites is difficult but getting old sites like racecourses allows developers to unlock value and create something new for the market,” Mr Best said.
“The private sector will jump at the opportunity to convert an old or outdated site, especially if it is near transport and other infrastructure.
“They can unlock value by developing a mixed use development, often involving residential.”
The BRC site, which is part of a master-planned development of Eagle Farm and Doomben Racecourses, has the potential for 1000 apartments. Rail, bus and ferry is all within walking distance. Towers of up to 15 storeys are allowed on the land.
Knight Frank’s Richard Morrison and Paul Henley are marketing the property.
Mr Morrison, who is a racing enthusiast himself, said he had no doubts as to the need for racing clubs to make better use of their assets.
“Racing clubs of all codes are facing new challenges to stave off dwindling attendances since the introduction of corporate bookmakers and increased broadcasting,” he said.
“Race clubs need to be more proactive in generating other revenue streams that are separate to their core racing enterprise.”
In 2010 Racing Queensland had plans to sell off the home of the state’s harness and greyhound racing, Albion Park, but that was met with strong opposition.
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.
