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.
BIG DAY MARRED BY TRAGEDY PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GRANDSTANDING 
GRAHAM JENSEN, who was at FLEMINGTON for the CUP, was quick to pen this email:
‘OUR biggest day of racing marred by two Cup fatalities in successive years and the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses is having a field day.
Reports suggest that 30 protestors from the group took advantage of another racing tragedy and gathered around the main gate to Flemington racecourse chanting: ‘Racing kills’.
So does driving your car, eating the wrong food and working in buildings that terrorists fly planes into. Jockeys also die as a result of accidents in racing. It’s a sad fact of life.
Ward Young, speaking on behalf of the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses said the protest group was letting racegoers know that a horse had died ‘because last year the only people who knew about Verema dying in the Melbourne Cup were the people who bet on her’.
“Racing does kill horses and we think a lot more needs to be done to make horse racing safer. These incidents are a lot more frequent than people know about,” Mr Young said.
All of a sudden this bloke is an expert on thoroughbred racing. Where was he when that fruit loop massacred those beautiful horses on the farm in South Australia? Not a whimper of course. But a big stage like Melbourne Cup day presents a perfect platform.
The same as the big jumps days – but don’t get me started on that one. Were it not for jumps racing many of the horses competing would be destined for the knackery. But Ward Young and his fruit loop protesting mates wouldn’t want to know about that.
He claimed that Admire Rakti's death was another example of horses being overworked on the racetrack. Has this bloke any idea about the training of a thoroughbred? Does he think that the Japanese team who prepared and loved this horse to death – not to mention his owner who was devastated at losing the horse – would allow anything to occur that would threaten the safety or harm their horse?
Just have a look at the photographs of how devastated the Japanese were at losing such a magnificent animal then hide your head in shame at making such a slanderous accusation, or at least apologize if you have the balls Mr Young.
He said that in the past year about 125 horses have died during or shortly after a race. I wonder if he knows how many people have died on the roads in Australia during that time. We don’t see him out there protesting about that.
Racing Victoria’s Head of Veterinary and Equine Welfare, Dr Brian Stewart, said the circumstances surrounding the death of Admire Rakti ‘were very rare’.
“Our sympathies are extended at this time to the owner Mr Kondo, trainer Mr Umeda and his staff who cared deeply for their horse and are naturally saddened by their tragic loss,” Dr Stewart said.
It is always sad when the screen goes up on a racetrack signaling the death or pending euthanization of a racehorse. It was worse still to see footage and photographs of crowds five deep surrounding the hosing bay holding Admire Rakti. Stewards and officials had erected a green tarpaulin over the horse’s body. It would have added to the devastation for those close to the stable.
My last word on the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses is this: “These are the same dickheads that were responsible for angering the industry when they had erected an anti-racing billboard showing a dead horse on one of Melbourne’s busiest freeways.
The 22-metre board appeared in early October on CityLink near Footscray Road bearing the slogan “Is the party really worth it?”
The sign was slammed by Australian Racing Board chief executive Peter McGuaran as ‘a terrible distortion of the reality of thoroughbred racing’, and branded ‘highly inappropriate and distasteful’ by Racing Victoria. It was subsequently removed on orders of the owner of the land where the billboard appeared.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: WHAT a shame such a wonderful day was again marred by the tragic loss of a great horse. For better or worse we live in a country where freedom of speech is a privilege. The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses are entitled to their opinion but no-one who cares about the beautiful thoroughbreds that make horse racing the wonderful sport it is would not have been saddened by the tragedy in the Cup. The autopsy that stewards have ordered will tell the story of what caused Admiral Ratki to collapse and die soon after the race. Even sadder than the CFPR jumping at an opportunity to grandstand were the thousands of drunken morons who congregate for their annual party at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November oblivious to the racing and even more oblivious to what happened to the Cup favorite. In fact many of them won’t remember much of what happened in the afternoon.
‘UN-AUSTRALIAN’ NOT TO HAVE A BET ON CUP DAY BUT BE PREPARED TO LOSE 
LYLE JACK of SYDNEY writes:
‘I am hoping my whinge is not too late for this week’s column as there are a few observations that I would like to make from a punters’ perspective about Melbourne Cup day.
It’s the biggest day of racing in the country but the worst by a country mile for the punters. Every year we do our backsides on this day but we line up again for another dose because it’s supposedly un-Australian not to have a bet on Cup day.
The Cup is a traditional nightmare – going global might be good for Australian racing – but trying to fathom the form of these internationals is never easy and unfortunately they are becoming even more competitive.
My bitch is not about the Cup but the ‘good things’ that got beaten in the support races.
Where’s big Richie Callander when you need him to interview his mate Chris Waller?
Law and Wine Tales were the two ‘declares’ on the 10-race card. Both were heavily backed. Law never looked like winning. In fact it went like a busted bum. Wine Tales ran into more trouble than the early explorers. Personally I thought the ride of Tim Clark – for a jockey with international experience – was nothing short of disgraceful. To appease Waller's legion of fans I had better mention that Grand Marshal did score a last stride win.
It wasn’t exactly a day for the big name trainers. Darren Weir, Peter Moody, Gai Waterhouse and David Hayes didn’t train a winner.
And as for the favorites, only one – the Kiwi Atacama in an open betting race – was successful on the 10 race card.’
STEWARDS’ ASKED THE QUESTIONS BUT SHOULD THE HORSE BE REQUIRED TO TRIAL? 
ALBERT WILLIAMS of REDCLIFFE sent this email:
‘MUST admit I was more interested in looking forward to Cup day but first thing Sunday my curiosity got the better of me and I had to log into the RQ website to check out the stewards’ report on the Doomben meeting from Saturday.
Primarily I wanted to check if they had bothered to ask any questions about the pathetic performance of the well fancied What About Me which ran last after winning at its previous start.
There’s nothing unusual – in my opinion – in horses from the Kelly Schweida stable putting in a bad one after they have gone well. The pattern seems to be that his horses go very well fresh after returning from the spelling farm then their form tapers off – in some cases quite quickly.
On this occasion the panel, headed by veteran steward Allan Reardon, didn’t miss the fact that What About Me, an easing $3.7 second favorite, was gone at the 600m mark and stopped like a shot duck.
Their report read:
WHAT ABOUT ME - Hampered shortly after the start. Raced wide in the early stages. Rider J. Orman could offer no excuse for the disappointing performance other than the gelding sweated up prior to the start and was under pressure prior to the 600m.
Whilst at least on this occasion the stewards didn’t miss this form reversal from a leading stable, the outcome was far from satisfactory from a punters’ viewpoint. Read into the report what you like – explanation noted or accepted – who would know? Like it or lump it, if you want to bet on Brisbane racing, this is what you have to cop on a weekly basis.
Might I suggest that the horse should have been required to trial to ensure it doesn’t run another shocker? Instead, if they press on and don’t send it back to the farm for a freshen-up, a massive improvement next start will just be put down to one of those things that happen in Brisbane racing.
Little wonder no-one wants to bet in this joint – except at carnival times – when at least it is competitive and the weekly, run of the mill form reversals, seem to disappear.’
‘WHAT A DISASTROUS WEEK’ FOR TAB MEETINGS CONDUCTED IN QUEENSLAND 
BRETT WINTEC of BRISBANE, a regular critic of Racing Queensland, made this contribution:
‘WHILST Melbourne is showcasing its sensational racing to the nation, the past week has been disastrous for Queensland with four of our seven TAB meetings conducted with just six races.
I don’t blame the current Board for the implementation of the policies that are limiting our meetings to just six races. I understand that this is a legacy of the Bentley era.
What really concerns me is that Kevin Dixon has done nothing to correct this issue even after promising that all prizemoney will be distributed.
Last Wednesday we saw the $250,000 Bendigo Cup supported with a 10-race card. Unfortunately, Queensland’s corresponding meeting was six races from Ipswich!
We followed that up with six races at Gatton last Thursday, another six races from Kilcoy on Friday, and of course the six-race card venue, Toowoomba, had more of the same on Saturday.
What a fantastic racing schedule when the eyes of the nation are focussed on thoroughbred racing.
Anyway, no time to write any more, I’m off to Melbourne to sample some real racing, run by people who truly understand how to look after their stakeholders.
I hope Messrs Dixon and Condon are also in Melbourne over the Carnival. They might see some light and start addressing some of the wrongs implemented by the previous regime.’
SKY DEAL TO DODGE DELAYED COVERAGE OF CUP WEEK INVOLVED A ‘CATCH’ 
BRUCE ATKINS of MELBOURNE writes:
‘SKY Racing might have negotiated a deal with the Seven Network to dodge the delayed coverage of racing during Melbourne Cup week but there was a catch.
Access to this ‘live’ race coverage over the four big days at Flemington was still restricted to those residential viewers who subscribe to SKY2 and SKY Racing World.
What a joke? The majority of at-home racing followers aren’t interested in SKY2 unless they want wall to wall coverage of the trots and dogs from obscure venues like Hatrick and never-never land.
Sky Racing World is nothing like its name suggests and if you happen to want to watch Hong Kong racing from the start of the day (or the first half of the card from Sha Tin of a Sunday) you have to tune in to SKY2 and hope like hell it doesn’t clash with a trot or dog race holding two and sixpence on the totes across the land.
Whilst those of us who follow racing every week accept that clubs have to provide some exclusive coverage to major sponsors, like the Seven Network, who pay big money for their rights to Melbourne Cup week, there has to be some protection for the purists.
There is so much more to the Seven coverage than just the minute or two of live racing coverage. Many traditional racing followers aren’t interested in the social side of the coverage. They just want to watch the races and the lead-up to these.
Surely their loyalty week-in, week-out to Sky and TVN deserves more than a kick in the teeth from clubs and officialdom when the biggest meetings of the year come around.
It’s time for those running the show to bite the bullet and write into the agreement that the ‘live racing’ has to be shown as well on SKY1 and TVN whether Seven likes it or not.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: ONCE again here is a story from THE AGE concerning the above email:
SKY Racing has secured the rights to broadcast live racing from the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington in a deal negotiated with the Seven Network.
Under the agreement, residential subscribers of Sky Racing2 and Sky Racing World will have access to live race coverage from the four-day carnival. Sky Racing is currently the only racing broadcaster to have secured the rights.
Similar to 2013, the arrangements see the removal of the two-minute "hold back", but exclude the feature race on each of the four days. This means the Victoria Derby, Melbourne Cup, Oaks and Emirates Stakes will continue to be shown on a two-minute delay.
RACING VICTORIA LEAD TO PROTECT PUNTERS IN BIG RACE SHOULD BE FOLLOWED 
JOE THORNTON of BRISBANE writes:
‘I noticed where every runner in the Melbourne Cup had a security guard in the 24 hours leading into the big race.
This is a terrific protective measure leading up to the biggest race in the land and should be introduced for all the big Group 1 races throughout the country.
It gives punters that added confidence, not to mention protection for connections of runners involved in the big race and ensures a level playing field.
Victorian Chief Steward Terry Bailey didn’t rule out ‘locking down’ some stables in the lead up to the Cup. Any trainer who isn’t comfortable with this begs the question: Why?
Can you imagine Racing Queensland stewards, following the lead of the best panel in the land and implementing a similar measure for the new, you beaut, $2 million Stradbroke next June?
Maybe it’s something that the stewards from Brisbane who spend some time as guests of the Racing Victoria panel during the big spring meetings might recommend or learn from their visits.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE is a story that no doubt prompted the above email:
EVERY Melbourne Cup runner will have a security guard in the 24-hours leading into the Cup.
Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey said the security policy worked well last year and would be replicated again.
Bailey said security guards would be assigned to each horse from 3pm on Monday until the horses made their way into Flemington racecourse.
He said the security guards would monitor and record the movement of horses as well as any treatment administered.
"Every security guard will have a log book to record anything a horse receives," Bailey said.
"When the security guards arrive on track they will present the log book to the Compliance Assurance Team and they will audit them on the spot."
Bailey said Kane Ashby, who heads the CAT, had notified all international trainers/travelling fore-persons of the rule that prohibits any treatment from midnight on the day before the race.
Bailey said security guards would be employed on other races during the four-day VRC carnival, but they would not be broadcast.
He added some stables may also be "locked down" during the carnival.
INTERESTING OUTLOOK ON HOW THE RACING INDUSTRY IS REALLY TRAVELLING 
KIM JACKSON of SYDNEY sent this email:
‘THERE is so much garbage written in the racing media about how well our industry is travelling that it almost makes me want to throw up.
And that’s before I even tune into the ‘talking heads’ on Sky Channel who are always ‘pumping up’ the situation to put a positive slant on the sport that funds their big pay packets.
It was refreshing to read the ‘real facts’ about how racing throughout the country is travelling in a well researched article in The Financial Review. It is a ‘must read’ for all racing followers and I wrote this email in the hope that you might reproduce it in your section: ‘Racing Stories You Might Have Missed from the Mainstream Media.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: HAPPY to oblige Kim. Here is the story that you referred to by SU-LIN TAN in the AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW in the lead up to Derby Day at Flemington:
WITH more than 100,000 punters expected to roar their horses home at Flemington racecourse on Saturday, you could be forgiven for thinking the business of racing is booming.
But for many of Australia’s 389 racing clubs a steady fall in revenue has forced them to find ever-more creative ways of making money.
For Gosford Race Club on the NSW Central Coast, that means booking rock band Hoodoo Gurus. To woo an audience beyond racegoers, Gosford has spent $4.8 million upgrading its grandstand, conference rooms and overhauling its marketing. So drastic was the facelift the race club has even changed its name; goodbye racecourse, hello The Entertainment Grounds.
“Yes, race clubs are doing it tough,” says chief executive of the Gosford Race Club James Heddo.
“Attendance has dropped alarmingly in the last 10 years as technology continues to improve, which means that racing followers no longer need to attend a race meeting to watch or bet on a race. Therefore, revenues previously raised by clubs from gate takings, bar and catering sales have dropped.”
Further west in Clarendon, at the foot of the Blue Mountains on Sydney’s northwest fringe, historic Hawkesbury Race Club was also struggling to make ends meet. With space to spare but falling revenues, in 2006 the club borrowed $4.5 million to build a 30-room motel to complement its on-site conference centre.
RACING REVENUE NOT ENOUGH
“We are not profitable just on racing revenue,” club chief executive Brian Fletcher says. “TAB revenue distributions are also dropping as punters move to corporate bookmakers who don’t pay as much.”
In South Australia, Port Lincoln Racing Club chairman Greg Fitzgerald says attendances at racing clubs have suffered in recent decades as the impact of technology alters the way punters receive and send information.
“We compete for people’s time and money spend in a busy and competitive environment,” he says.
Even at Flemington, which made a profit of about $7.5 million in 2012-2013, attendances have been declining from a high of nearly 600,000 in 2008-09 to closer to 500,000 in 2012-13. The Brisbane Racing Club’s attendance in 2014 was 177,255. Five years ago, it was 226,563.
The Victoria Racing Club, which runs Flemington, is selling land to partially fund the development of its new grandstand, while Brisbane Racing Club is developing residential retail and commercial projects on its property.
Other non-race events include concerts, expos, food and wine shows and weddings to supplement income.
WAGERING CUT DWINDLES
Racing clubs normally receive a cut of the revenue earned by bookmakers such as Tabcorp and Tatts Group. However the revenue is declining as punters increasingly wager on pure online betting sites, which return less.
As racing clubs are not-for-profit and get little government funding, non-race day income has become increasingly important, especially to fund the upgrades they need to stay competitive.
Dr Rohan Miller, University of Sydney lecturer and racing researcher, says the main problem for Australian racing is that most punters only attend the bigger race days.
“Racing got old,” he says. “The boards of many clubs were more concerned with polished silverware rather than getting people through the gate.
“[This is] less [so] now than 10 years ago, but race clubs still have not managed to get returning customers. They really haven’t developed a model of customer satisfaction.”
In Gosford, club management will be hoping the Hoodoo Gurus help close the generation gap.
THE CRITICISM FROM RACEGOERS CONTINUES FOR THE TOOWOOMBA TURF CLUB
THIS email was from a regular racegoer on the Downs who prefers to remain anonymous as he wants to continue to enjoy his day at the races:
‘I decided to go to the race meeting at Toowoomba on Cup day. This club will never learn.
Recently the pool was closed for two weeks to clean it out.
Any other club would have done this in the middle of winter but the brains that run this club decided to do it at the start of summer.
I walked down to the tie up stalls and there was the greenest, dirtiest pool you would ever see. There is no way any horse should be swum in this pool in its present state as the mind boggles what would be germinating in there.
For a club with more titled people than employees, they apparently forgot to appoint someone to supervise the chlorinating and testing of the pool.
With a track that shouldn't be raced on and training facilities that are obviously unsupervised, is it any wonder they had four and five horse fields there on Cup day?
EDITOR’S NOTE: NO doubt we will again be accused of bashing racing in Toowoomba, the ‘love child’ of Racing Queensland. If some official from the TTC or RQ wish to respond to the above criticisms we would be happy to run their unedited reply but we won’t be holding our breath waiting for a denial or explanation.
CALL FOR MORE ANSWERS FROM THE AUTHORITIES ON PROPOSED GREYHOUND COMPLEX SITE 
RAY RUSSELL, Greyhound Owner & Trainer of Atkinson Dam, Queensland, sent this concerning email:
‘COULD someone please explain to the Greyhound Industry why it is necessary for all the recent demonstrations at ‘Cronulla Park’ in Logan City against Racing Queensland and the poor old Greyhound people?
Could it be suspect decision making/selection process?
Or is it the lack of communication with the residents of Logan City by the Government and Racing Queensland, in other words deafening silence regarding the site in question, ‘Cronulla Park’, or the fact it is an old contaminated tip site that residents do not want disturbed, because it contains dangerous contaminants, of which the effects are well documented for shortening people’s lives?
Back in April of this year when the Government and Racing Queensland announced they were committed to constructing a stand-alone Greyhound Racing Complex on Cronulla Park, I wrote to the Premier, Minister for Racing, Minister for Health, both the Chairman of Racing Queensland and Greyhound Racing Board and various other parties informing them I personally dumped a large quantity of super 6 Asbestos in the old tip now known as Cronulla Park.
Since then I have received contact from other people telling me as construction workers they also dumped larger quantities of Asbestos than me in the same tip.
Surprisingly, some six months later I received an acknowledgement of my correspondence from the CEO of Racing Queensland advising me that they were looking in to the matter. No response from any other recipient, so I assume they are all still looking into it today.
Asbestos today is recognized as a killer disease, and the Queensland Government Health Department has recently announced they are recording the number of deaths occurring in Queensland from Asbestos and Mesothelioma, both fatal diseases if you are unlucky enough to come into contact with Asbestos.
Just maybe the demonstrators have realized they have been sold a pup by the various Government parties involved, in what is to be a construction site in their backyards, with the recipients – greyhound Industry introducing not only more gambling to Logan City, but a spread of Asbestos spores into the air from disturbing the old contaminated tip site with construction.
I think it is now time for Racing Queensland to put all the cards on the table re difficulties with this contaminated site which to date has been conveniently covered up.
It is well known that at least three high profile Sports Clubs have been offered Cronulla Park as a home for their sport. These sporting Clubs, after doing a Feasibility Study, which includes Environmental and Engineering reports, available on the internet, declined the offer.
Why? If you read the daily paper or watch the daily news on TV you will have noticed in nearly every state in Australia big discussions are taking place re Asbestos deaths. I will list some that I am familiar with: Western Australia: Wittenoom – many cancer deaths – class action taken by residents. Victoria: Cranbourne – class action, finalized against Developers $85 million payout, Homes built on old tip site. Wunalich Factory in suburban Melbourne, secret payouts occurring to cancer suffers. Australian Capital Territory: Federal Government announced $1 billion for 1,021 homes (asbestos) to be demolished, sites remediated, land re-sold and new homes built for displaced residents. New South Wales: Camden Park State High School built on old contaminated Gas Site, demolished after class action against cancer deaths. Queensland: Arundel, Gold Coast: Current Class action by cancer suffers against Developer, homes backing on to old contaminated tip site. Downey Park, Brisbane: Asbestos found on park site after flooding, park closed for weeks, home of many Sporting Clubs, old tip site. Wundalich Factory in suburban Gaythorne revealed 20 secret payments have been made for asbestos related deaths.
I BELIEVE THERE ARE SOME SERIOUS QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE QUANTIFIED BY RACING QUEENSLAND, NOT JUST HEAD IN THE SAND STUFF FOR THE HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF ALL PARTIES CONCERNED.’
OWNER SUPPORTS WITHDRAWAL OF BANDE IN AFTERMATH TO ALL THE DRAMA 
BOB WALSH of MELBOURNE writes:
‘IN view of the hoo-ha that emerged from a couple of sections of the racing media over the decision to rule Bande out of the Caulfield Cup, I was interested to read the comments from a prominent Japanese owner.
While some in the media – trying to let off steam after backing the invader pre-post to win the Cup (and losing their hard-earned) – wanted to drag the ruling into a deeper controversy, it seems the connections of Bande were actually content with the decision.
In fact one of the owners of the horse contacted the Racing Victoria vets and thanked them for saving his horse from long-time injury.
That should be the end of the story – no controversy – just the right decision but the right people doing the right thing by all concerned, from owners to punters and the horse itself.
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE is a story relating to the written by PATRICK BARTLEY in the MELBOURNE AGE:
ONE of Japan's most prominent owners has made direct contact with Racing Victoria's veterinary stewards, thanking them for saving his one-time Caulfield Cup hope Bande from long-term injury.
Just three days before the Caulfield Cup, veterinary officials went to the Werribee compound and found that the Japanese stayer was on the cusp of bowing a tendon and, in a surprise move, ruled the horse a non-starter.
The Japanese galloper had been sensationally supported from $45 into $6 second favourite in the weeks leading up to the $3 million handicap.
Owner Masamichi Hayashi returned to Japan upset that Bande did not compete in the Caulfield Cup, but the owner later contacted RVL praising the work of the veterinarians on Bande's foreleg tendon.
"I was naturally very disappointed and it was reported in Australia that I was not very happy with what the official vet had done, because another vet arranged by our trainer Yoshito Yahagi has suggested to us that Bande could run," Hayashi said.
"Please send my sincere thanks to the veterinary surgeon [Brian Stewart] who stopped my Bande running. If he would run Caulfield Cup, he might have won the race, but he might have fatally injured himself. There was certainly a lot of risk about it and I know now that the vet saved Bande."
Stewards were alerted in the days leading during up to the Caulfield Cup that there could be an issue with Bande. Chief steward Terry Bailey decided to clear up "rumour and innuendo" by sending his chief veterinary surgeon to thoroughly examine the horse.
After his inspection, Stewart ruled that Bande had an issue with a tendon and would not be permitted to run in the cup. He said the situation had been aggravated by the stayer's final track gallop.
But the Bande team, including Hayashi, were incensed that Bande had been ruled out just days after he had been given a clean bill of health by another vet.
It's understood that the Bande entourage wanted to debate the extent of the tendon problem, but Stewart withdrew him from the cup soon after his inspection.
Bande was expected to jump straight to the front in the cup and be hard to catch, according to racing experts in Tokyo.
While Hayashi encountered bad luck on his first trip to Australia, he is viewed as one of the luckiest owners in Japan. He only started racing horses when he attended the 2009 Japanese yearling sales.
Hayashi, who now has 40 horses in work, continues to buy staying horses, regularly making purchases in Europe and the US.
He intends returning to Australia in two years with Bande for the 2016 Caulfield Cup, allowing extra time for the horse's recovery. He also hopes to bring another of his team, Neo Attraction.
‘RACING BITCH’ NO FAN OF THE WAY RACING IN SYDNEY IS CURRENTLY BEING RUN 
MERV JOHNSON of BRISBANE sent this email:
‘EVERY now and then I read an item criticising Australian racing in the Hong Kong-based Racing Bitch that I wish more locals would read.
You have been good enough, in the past, to run these articles when I have sent them to you so that your readership base has access to what I consider is justifiable comment.
This one involves Sydney racing – the sorry state that exists there – despite all the garbage pumped out to his media mates by the great Peter V’Landys.
I was hoping you might run this Racing Bitch item for me which reads:
IT is getting close to “mission impossible” to see any light at the end of a very long tunnel with metropolitan field sizes in Sydney.
This week saw Warwick Farm’s Wednesday midweek meeting attract a paltry 53 final acceptances for a seven race card while 71 were paid up for Rosehill’s eight race card on Saturday at acceptance time with three of the Rosehill races not meeting the mandatory eight starters requirement to pay a third place dividend, or for the exotic duet (quinella place), bet to be wagered on.
The decline in field sizes has been a problem which has regressed to such an extent that small fields of below eight starters are now a regular and almost permanent feature of a Saturday and Mid-Week metropolitan race meeting in Sydney. It is a problem which has been highlighted by the vast majority of the “50,000 participants” that the fearless leader Peter Vlundies has constantly reminded all are front and centre of “every breath he takes”.
Yet, these are the very stakeholders who are being duped by the failure of those responsible to fix up the programming, handicapping, and everything else that has contributed to this massive problem. And yes, these are the very people who ultimately pay the price through the severe impact on wagering and the low returns to the NSW racing that small sizes guarantee.
The almost comical irony of this whole sad sorry mess was made even more telling picking up the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) and reading that the ATC Racing Manager Matt Rudolph had “opened a review of Saturday field sizes in Sydney after disappointing acceptances for Rosehill on Saturday.” Genius move.
According to the SMH report, Rudolph stated: “We are looking to find out why we can’t get runners on a Saturday. The small field without each way betting is costing us turnover and is not a good sight.”
Is he f…ing serious? This Monty Pythonesque-type of bureaucratic bullshit makes one understand better the root of the problem.
It’s just like everything else in NSW racing: solutions are only thought about and sought when things just can’t get any worse than what they are.
For someone with such a lofty title as Racing Manager, Rudolph’s response is as puerile as it is unacceptable.
Just what, if anything, has the ATC and Racing NSW done for all this time while metropolitan field sizes have been dwindling?
Maybe Rudolph has been based somewhere in the arctic circle with his herd of red nosed reindeer?
For how much longer can the ATC and Racing NSW continue to turn their hearing aids off to the problems of NSW racing?
It is the very reason that Racing Minister Troy Grant should place very clear and unambiguous guidelines and retain the ultimate say on how Racing NSW spends any of the extra funding that he may sign off on through lowering the State Government take out rate from racing.
It is also a compelling and potent reason to clean sweep the board of Racing NSW through the current appointment process and get fresh blood onto the new Board.’
STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN THE MAINSTREAM RACING MEDIA
GOVERNMENT SETS UP NATIONAL WORKING GROUP TO STAMP OUT ILLEGAL OFFSHORE BETTING 
A national working group will be set up to stamp out illegal offshore betting on racing and sport in Australia.
Australian punters spend hundreds of millions of dollars with illegal offshore bookies, but those bookies pay no product fees and deny revenue streams to governments, the racing industry and sporting organisations.
Federal Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews and Victorian Premier Denis Napthine (last) Wednesday announced moves to crack down on the illegitimate industry.
"There are significant numbers of illegitimate offshore operators already targeting Australian racing and sport, and it is vital that an effective regulatory regime be introduced to address the serious integrity and revenue risks that they pose," Mr Andrews said in a statement.
"It is also important to discourage any Australian-based operators being tempted to relocate offshore in order to avoid the obligations to racing and sporting bodies that they face under existing Australian laws."
Dr Napthine said wagering revenue helped fund racing and sports facilities, and prizemoney.
Who exactly will be in the working group is yet to be determined, but it will include representatives from the racing industry, professional sports and wagering companies.
It's expected to start work later this year and provide recommendations to the federal government through its Gambling Industry Advisory Council in 2015.
The move comes a day after the chair of wagering group Tabcorp, Paula Dwyer, urged the government to create a more level playing field in relation to unlicensed foreign companies taking bets from Australian residents.
Ms Dwyer said that as much as 14 per cent of betting by Australian-based customers was conducted with operators not licensed in Australia.
She said the fact that these foreign operators were not regulated to Australian standards posed significant risks to consumer protection and to the integrity of sport and racing.
PREMIER NEWMAN SAYS RACING HAS BEEN REVITALIZED ON THE GOLD COAST 
RACING on the Gold Coast is being revitalized and hundreds of jobs secured thanks to new infrastructure at the city’s Turf Club and bigger prize monies for the industry.
Premier Campbell Newman joined the huge crowd at the track to enjoy its Melbourne Cup Day event and celebrate the turnaround of Queensland racing.
“The racing industry under Labor was plagued with scandal and uncertainty and there was no plan for the future,” Mr Newman said.
“My government cares about racing and we made a commitment to reinvigorate the industry.
“The first phase of Gold Coast Turf Club’s redevelopment saw a new grandstand lounge, bar and restaurant facilities, as well as the 10 new corporate boxes.
“The second phase, which is scheduled to begin next year, will mainly see improvements to the racing and training surfaces, which will significantly improve the quality of racing in the region.
“Judging by the impressive crowds at the club today, Gold Coast racing is on the up.
“But we know the industry can do even better, as long as the LNP Government can carry out its strong plan for Queensland racing.”
Racing Minister Steve Dickson said the Gold Coast redevelopment was creating local jobs and boosting the region’s economy.
He said a new 30-year wagering deal with Tatts Bet had cemented the future of Queensland racing.
“Thanks to this great deal, stakes on the Gold Coast are rising by 23 per cent,” Mr Dickson said.
“That money will help secure the future of thousands of Gold Coast families who rely on racing.
“We know that racing provides 30,000 Queenslanders with jobs, so it’s vital that the Newman LNP Government presses on with its strong plan for the industry.”
Queensland All Codes Racing Industry Board Chairman Kevin Dixon said the Gold Coast would remain a key part of the future of racing in the state.
“I would like to thank the State Government for its commitment to the Gold Coast and the wider racing industry,” Mr Dixon said.
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.
