THE WEDNESDAY WHINGE has a new look but won’t be dispensing with the theme and focus on the THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY side of what is happening in racing. 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 and one of the most read on racing websites in the country. Our popularity continues to grow despite the bagging it cops from some high profile officials, especially in Queensland, who cannot cope with constructive criticism of any kind. We encourage supporters – and critics – to continue to contribute but plan to restrict the Whinge to less than 10 of the best items each week. Our message to those who continually bag us is simple: IF YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT YOU READ, THEN DON’T REVISIT THE WHINGE.
DARREN CONDON CAN HOLD HIS HEAD HIGH THE WAY HE HAS HANDLED HIS DEMISE 
ALBERT WILLIAMS, of REDCLIFFE, a regular contributor to the Whinge pays this tribute to dismissed RQ CEO Darren Condon:
‘SOMETIMES how we handle setbacks rather than success defines our ability to survive.
Darren Condon has shown in the short time since his demise as CEO of Racing Queensland that he deserves a second chance at a high profile industry role.
It might mean in the wake of the greyhound controversy that has been blamed for his demise in Queensland that he will have to move interstate.
But sooner or later many are hoping he returns home and continues the good work that he started, initially with the Brisbane Racing Club and then with Racing Queensland.
Condon was a political scapegoat in the fallout of the live baiting scandal that has engulfed not only racing in Queensland but also the east coast of Australia.
One could argue that he was walked all over, thrown under a bus and treated like contempt. More to the point he did not receive the support he deserved from some of those colleagues he was so loyal to.
Unlike his former boss, RQ All Codes Chairman Kevin Dixon and former Head of Integrity and Stewarding, Wade Birch, Condon has not disappeared from the scene. He has not sulked and blamed political manipulation for his dismissal.
Condon has looked at the positives – which must have been so hard after what has happened to him and the fall out with his former friend and colleague Wade Birch, who, at the end of the day, suffered a similar fate.
Last Saturday at a bush meeting at Ilfracombe Condon showed what he was made of fronting up as a guest speaker for the club, recounting the tumultuous end to his career at RQ but remaining positive and refusing to blame anyone. In contrast he remembered the good times, what he felt he had been able to achieve and summed it up in three short words: ‘Life Goes On’.
Hopefully it does for Condon with another door in the industry opening as quickly as the last one closed. Racing needs administrators like him, prepared to pay the price for loyalty, unafraid to call a spade a spade even if it offends the boss or the boss’s ‘pin up boy’, then to accept that things sometimes happen for a reason.
It didn’t take long for those who wanted to see the back of him to realize that ‘what you wish for is not always what you want in the long run’. Some of the dills trying to do his job are finding it a mission impossible.
At a time when racing needs a Darren Condon to keep the ship clear of the icebergs he is gone. But hopefully that will only be a temporary loss and that one day he will return with even more experience under his belt to once again lead racing in Queensland which hopefully won’t have been damaged too much more in yet another political crap fight.’
‘VIRTUAL RACING’ DECISION ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF LNP AND RQ INCOMPETENCE? 
DAN GOLSCHEWSKY of BRISBANE sent this email:
‘THE recent announcement of the compensation to TATTs due to the Government not being in a position to provide TATTS with a license for Virtual Racing, is another sign of the incompetence of the LNP and the All Codes Board of Racing Queensland.
The LNP, well before the election which saw them swept to power, established an advisory committee to “write” the new racing policy. This committee was selected by the LNP and as I understand, was made of industry participants, including a former Brisbane Turf Club committeeman.
Now this group, were well aware that shortly post that election, a new TATTS deal was to be negotiated, which was to include an additional revenue stream from Virtual Racing, now reported to have been worth several millions of dollars annually to the industry.
However they quietly sat by and allowed the LNP to offer a license for Virtual Racing to the TATTS competitor Tabcorp, which has now robbed the industry of valuable ongoing and a potentially growing income.
The lame arguments I have read on certain racing forums makes you wonder if those subscribers have a logical brain.
For example, from a blogger (From Racehorsetalk):
“The Tatts intention is / was to add a dissimilar product named Virtual Racing to its TAB or UBet suite of products....dissimilar in so as not to be challenged over copywrite / ownership by TABCORP. Maybe the cartoons show camels ridden by monkeys and no running rail or grandstand backgrounds. The same principle was used with the introduction of flexibetting in Qld where the flexbet is determined by a different algorithm. It is all about legal semantics. So as long as the product is not identical, with the stroke of a pen the Government can approve another bet type into the UBet catalogue, under its own license. This is what the LNP intended to do, but held an election instead. Clearly the new ALP Government had/ has no intention of accepting policy and unfulfilled strategies of its predecessor”.
This argument defies total logic, and Tabcorp were well within their rights to demand exclusivity to Virtual Racing or Keno Racing, whatever name you wish to put to the product. The point in relation to Flexibetting is nebulous, as Tabcorp did not hold a retail license is Queensland and as such a matter of exclusivity was not a related argument in that matter.
If I take this blogger’s example above as correct then I assume it will be OK for me to register a business name of Harvee Normen and commence retailing furniture, computers and all other appliances sold under the real Harvey Norman Banner.
Yeah right! I would be closed down in no time by the authorities.
This argument and loss of income is not about legal semantics (as argued by this blogger) …it’s about badly thought out decisions without due consideration for the consequences and the racing industry’s future income.
Shame on the LNP and their Racing advisors!’
‘NOTHING CHANGES IN BRISBANE RACING – WITH THE FORM STILL HARD TO FOLLOW’ 
BRAD ANDERSON of BRISBANE writes:
‘NOW that Wade Birch has left the building will we see anything different from the Integrity Unit on race days?
One could say probably not because Birch rarely worked at the races in recent times and the Chief Steward’s responsibilities rest with Allan Reardon who is also said to be on the verge of retirement.
Nevertheless, from a punter’s perspective I would like to raise a couple of issues from last Saturday’s meeting at Doomben which once again made it very hard to come up with a winner when assessing the form.
Satirical Miss started favorite and got beaten (ran third) in a Class 3 at Doomben at her previous start. On Saturday she came out and bolted in running a pretty amazing time in a tougher race – a Class 6 for Fillies and Mares.
One would have assumed that the stewards would ask the Tony Gollan stable if there was any reason for the improved performance. But, on checking this out, to my surprise there was not a whimper from the panel.
A race later and Headwater Country, which led and dropped out to finish near last (beaten 11 lengths at the Sunshine Coast) comes out and wins – not totally a surprise to some however. Trainer Liam Birchley put it down to a soft run in front and a freshen rather than quick back up. So there you go, still a minefield for any form student.
Stablemate Cum Dividend had run a struggling 12th at Rockhampton at his previous start and came out and won later in the day. The only question asked here involved the jockey who told stewards when looking like getting caught wide she allowed the horse to stride forward and lead. Another one hard to find on form unless you allowed for the give in the track on Saturday – and you had to be very forgiving in the process.
Then to send punters home even more unhappy Sambuca Shot dropped in class and trip and scored an upset win over what looked the good thing of the day in Golden Falls which just got too far out of her ground.
Just another day’s racing in Brisbane where some of the results are impossible to fathom. Little wonder the punters prefer to be interstate.’
AUSTRALIAN RACING NOW A CRUMBLING EMPIRE BECAUSE OF COBALT SAGA 
CLEM DOUGLAS of MELBOURNE poses this question:
‘IS it fair or unfair that the Cobalt scandal has thrust Australia into the global racing spotlight for all the wrong reasons?
One of our biggest owners, Terry Henderson, has publicly expressed fears that Australian racing might be perceived – if not now, then soon – as the badlands of world racing.
Of course those who live in glass houses – like Europe and American racing which is far from squeaky clean – are keen to give OZ racing a good kicking while it is down.
Motor-mouth Matt Chapman, the colorful Pommy racing host, was quick to jump on the band-wagon in a recent radio interview speaking of the growing perception internationally that Australian racing is full of short-cutting cowboys and voicing concerning about Europeans not having a level playing field if they travelled Down Under.
Revelations at the Sam Kavanagh inquiry have not helped. Even those close to the industry are disgusted. There is genuine concern however when Peter Moody, a national training icon, is dragged into the scandal.
Most who know him – and many who have watched his climb to training glory in this country – regard Moody as a knockabout, good bloke and feel for him in this terrible affair.
The same cannot be said for the father and son team of Mark and Sam Kavanagh. Whether it is just a perception or not, dad Mark goes over like a smug, smart arse and now a constant whinger (like his mate Danny O’Brien). Sadly many of those who want to see Moody survive, couldn’t care less what happens to O’Brien or the Kavanaghs.’
‘ATC HAS TO BE KIDDING IF THEY FOOT THE LEGAL BILL FOR MATT RUDOLPH’ 
BEN ADAMS of SYDNEY sent this email:
‘NOTHING that happens in racing in NSW would surprise me but if the Australian Turf Club pays the legal fees of Matt Rudolph in the ‘Kavanagh Affair’ then that is an absolute joke.
Rudolph, a prominent official, as most in the industry would know, has been asked to show cause over allegations that he attempted to influence a witness at an on-going stewards’ inquiry.
That witness was Sam Kavanagh and it has been alleged he Rudolph told the trainer to change his evidence which stated Dr Tom Brennan, a friend of Rudolph’s, had sold him cobalt.
This is an embarrassing situation for the Integrity Unit of Racing NSW considering the Rudolph is the brother of Chief Steward Ray Murrihy’s son-in-law Greg, a high profile member of the panel in Sydney.
The timing of the alleged Kavanagh meeting aside (one has to question how Matt Rudolph had prior privileged knowledge of this whole affair), one has to raise a previous precedent if the ATC was to fork out on legal fees.
Murray Conallin was found guilty of placing over 70 bets during an almost two year period while employed by the ATC as a photo finish judge. Not one of these bets was found to have interfered with any decision Conallin made but he was barred from race tracks in NSW for 18 months.
If Matt Rudolph is given more favourable treatment than that afforded Conallin then the Racing Minister needs to step in and ask a few questions.’
OUR SPY IN THE DEAGON BUNKER FILES HIS LATEST REPORT
SURELY THIS RUMOR IN THE STEWARDS RANKS CAN’T BE RIGHT 
THE demise of Wade Birch has seen some interesting jockeying for positions in the stewards’ ranks at the Bunker.
If the rumors doing the rounds are correct one member of the panel – dead and buried not all that long ago – has not given up hope of making a remarkable comeback after being sent to purgatory at one stage. Surely that can’t be right.
The general feeling in the ranks is that the time has arrived for ‘Mr Nice Guy’ to fulfil his new role of ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ and head off to the retirement barn. Like it or not, the majority agree that new blood is needed at the top and rumors persist that a massive offer could be made to lure Terry Bailey from Victoria back home.
‘DECLAN WHO? MOST RECKON HE ISN’T FIT TO POLISH CONDON’S SHOES’ 
ON the subject of change someone needs to talk to the new powers that be about the lack of confidence most stakeholders have in the individual elevated to call the shots since Darren Condon departed as CEO.
Most call him Declan Who? But those who have had the misfortune of having to deal with the Irishman prefer to ask: Who else is there to deal with?
Complaints, flying thick and fast from licensees and stakeholders, are falling on deaf ears. They have some real issues dealing with Declan since his supposed promotion.
But the problems are not entirely external. A training manager has been on stress leave following a recent meeting in the Bunker. Perhaps RQ could issue a Media Release explaining where Declan did his training and what his racing background is. That seems to be the main question being asked within the industry.
By the way when will they appoint a new CEO to replace Condon and relieve the industry of the burden on the thousands that are reportedly being paid each week to the KPMG administrator?
‘WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BUILDER BOB AND LITTLE KING KEV?’ 
FOR some of those who have been around RQ for some time and seen the demise of Bob Bentley and now Kevin Dixon, there is an interesting joke doing the rounds.
The question goes: What was the only difference between Builder Bob and Little King Kev?
The answer: One had more hair.
The joke is being credited to a wily official who had close dealings with both but would prefer to remain anonymous.
Just a tip – it wasn’t Little King Kev’s loyal servant from Toowoomba who has been awfully quiet since his demise especially after the state of financial affairs at RQ have come to light.
‘WHINGE AND WIN’ – IS IT STARTING TO WORK FOR THE GREYHOUND INDUSTRY? 
‘BILL BARKER’ of CAPALABA writes:
IT seems to me that the only way to get any response to problems facing the greyhound industry is through your Wednesday Whinge column.
I noted a few weeks back a piece regarding the totally antiquated website owned by Queensland’s premier race club, the Albion Park Greyhound Racing Club. Obviously powers that be at APGRC have reacted and a new look website has resulted.
Pity the same club didn’t update its lure motor which has caused red faces at recent Albion Park meetings when it failed numerous times. It’s going to be replaced finally, but it has really done the club a service. It probably got it for nothing because it is the same motor that powered the lure when the Gabba was the premier track.
Speaking of websites, bit sad that Greyhoundsqueensland don’t follow their lead. Currently its website, and this is the body that administers greyhound racing, is advertising the Greyhound Sweepstakes to be held during the RNA Ekka, calling on owners and trainers to nominate dogs. Only problem is that entries closed on July 3.
I digress from the more important issues facing greyhound racing in Queensland. One could easily be forgiven if they think that whoever is behind recent decisions made from the Deagon bunker is deliberately trying to close down the greyhound industry. It’s virtually impossible to find out just who is running racing. Surely we can’t accept that a $20,000 a week bean counter from a multi-national accountancy firm, who wouldn’t know which end of an animal crosses the line first, would be able to make decisions to benefit the industry.
Let’s look at some of the recent blunders.
Appearance money: Prior to the live baiting scandal all owners were paid $40 starter’s fee for each dog when it was engaged to race. This money went a long way to cover travel costs and incidentals associated with racing a dog. Generally it was spent at the host club. One local club manager has reported since the $40 was dropped to $15, the club has had to cancel its raffle which brought much needed funds back to the club. The $40 was also great help to the many owners and trainers who supplied dogs to make up a 10 race program each day for the benefit of TAB turnover.
For the time being there’s actually been an increase in turnover on greyhounds despite the scandal. However, given that the $40 has been reduced back to $15, eventually many owners and trainers will be out of pocket and won’t be buying more dogs when the time comes for replacements. This will lead to a drop in numbers of both dogs and trainers. Given that each race has eight runners the total payout each race for the then $40 starter’s fee was $320, if this was taken out of the winner’s purse, prize money would still be around $1200 for a Class 2 track winner and $4700 for a Class 1 track winner, as good as you get anywhere in Australia. By making this idiotic decision to ‘rob’ every owner and trainer of the $40 starter’s fee the powers to be at RQ are slowly bleeding the industry to death.
Races for four-year-old and over: Here is just another stupid decision made without any obvious knowledge of the industry. Given that welfare issues are now paramount (one of the reasons RQ Boards were sacked) some dunderhead has come up with the ‘great’ idea of putting on races for dogs four years and older. By the time most greyhounds hit four years of age they are either good competitive dogs that are winning and being regularly placed or they have been retired. By staging races for 4YO and over they are merely giving the same good performed dogs more races to compete in. Owners and trainers don’t keep slow dogs, it makes no sense, by the time they turn three their ability is exposed and the good ones continue on racing and be competitive and the slow ones are retired.
It’s obviously a crazy idea and proved to be so with the races programmed for dogs four-year-old and over having been programmed and scrapped because there are not enough nominations. At the same time the dunderheads scrapped the QGreys Breeders’ Bonus Scheme. Not that it was anything of much benefit is was at least something to encourage breeders. If they knew anything about the current state of the industry they would know that one of their staffers whose duty it is to mark up dogs for future racing, that is the pups coming to an age to start racing, they would know on his stats based on 15 years doing the same job that unless something happens in the very near future given the number of dogs he is registering currently there will not be enough dogs to stage a meeting seven days a week which is now the case. He estimates that in 12 months time there will be two meeting less every week because of the probable dog shortage.. That’s a loss of turnover of about 30%.
So they scrap a scheme that provided dogs for racing and in its stead put in a program of races for dogs that don’t exist! Brilliant!
Race programming: Since the days of the early settlers greyhound racing has been done on a grading basis based on the number of wins a dog has on different class of tracks. So a dog wins a Maiden then goes on to Novice class then graded races from 5th grade up to Open class and can win several 5th Grades depending on the class of track. It can win two 5th Grades on Class 3 tracks then two 5th Grades on Class 2 tracks etc etc. As stated previously nothing has changed since Cook and Banks discovered the great southern land. In a time when welfare issues, particularly with greyhounds, is paramount, the time has come to bring the dish-lickers into line with other racing codes like harness and thoroughbreds.
Both these handicap on a ratings basis or like against like. With the current greyhound system the good dogs will dominate most of the races and the racing life of an ordinary dog is very limited, hence the wastage issues highlighted by the animal libbers. If a dog is not going to be above average it’s not going to have a long racing career under the present system. The better dogs can be placed to win against inferior competition because of the age old grading system.
If a rating system is introduced similar to the horses then the better dogs race against their own kind and the slower dogs race against their own kind, like versus like. The better a dog runs the higher the rating score. If it runs as best it can and is still lengths behind the better dogs then its ratings will be reflected and it will be graded to race against similar rated dogs. It would be a miracle if the powers that currently rule the roost at RQ could devise a rating system for greyhounds. It’s probably an issue for the national industry and in a time when the animal libbers have had great exposure to the wastage in greyhounds (most of it totally unfounded and not researched) then it is time to consider the rating system.
In closing, thanks for your WW column, it is the only place where opinions can be given and it seems are noted and is the case with the APGRC website, changes for the betterment of the industry of all codes are the result.’
ALL QUEENSLAND GREYHOUND TRAINERS ARE OFF TO COLLEGE 
THIS e-mail was received from a prominent Brisbane greyhound identity who preferred not to be identified:
‘ONE’S curriculum vitae may be very impressive but one must be very careful of not misunderstanding the profiling of your clientele or mindful of over estimating one’s importance.
Of the number of 180 QGBOTA members on the 2014-2015 membership book, 60 did not register an e-mail address but are discriminated against if they nominate by telephone. How is that an exercise in understanding your clientele?
It is generally accepted that the majority of greyhound people are retired, semi-retired and older. You don’t see the champagne set training a greyhound nor track photographs of delightful young ladies clutching their hats, wobbling on high heels, leading a dog on a straining leash, to the starting boxes.
I am totally dumbfounded that the authorities don’t fully comprehend what is presented to them, at no cost, to race an animal.
Geez, I’d like to own a business where someone pays all the production costs and keeps a greater percentage of the profit whilst brushing crumbs off the table to them.
I am flabbergasted that the authorities, obviously cloned from Spanish Inquisitors, are blatantly discriminating only the greyhound trainer by perpetuating persistent persecution of trainers by signing statutory declarations and by frivolous and meaningless testing- though WAIT FOR IT, Yes Virginia there is a Racing College Queensland and it accepts Recognition of Prior Learning but not for long term greyhound trainers. Wow, I can’t wait to wear my mortar-board and gown at my graduating ceremony.
A supposedly broke RQ found much moolah to create a Racing College Queensland with all its start-up costs and ongoing costs funded no doubt by a reduction in prizemoney, their only blunt bail-out tool, whilst demonstrating how well they have learnt form the Eurozone.
The unequal fight will continue this morning at RQ headquarters at 11:30 am where four brave greyhound participants are arraigned against 14 non-trainers. The authorities are so fearful of colonial rebellion that police presence will be there.
When are they going to publish the plans to grow the product, not diminish the revenue and not Soviet Hungarian style crush the greyhound industry? As Jesus said suffer little children to come unto me. Should the greyhound industry fail, let the other codes be very afraid.’
THERE ARE TIMES TO AGREE WITH THIS ‘BURR IN THE SADDLE FOR RACING’ 
VINCE RYAN of MELBOURNE sent this email:
‘FOR many in this industry, Patrick Smith, the leading sports writer for The Australian, has become a real burr in the saddle for racing.
Whilst I wish he would just once see the positive side of thoroughbred racing – how many in employs, how much it raises in revenue and how many people get enjoyment from the punt – there are times I agree with Mr Smith.
The article that he penned in the last week – although slanted toward his obvious campaign to have the whip banned – made a lot of sense, especially how our industry is changing.
Most pertinent was his observation: Racing is changing as the new technology increases and enhances the ability to punt. Crowds are shrinking as racing becomes more an app than a sport. What once were considered rituals will soon become relics. Just a trace of racing when it was at its pomp. When your spine shivered at the colour, the sound of horses and jockeys rushing the finishing post. And the noise of the whips.
Yes, times are changing, and in the wake of so much bad publicity and scandals surrounding the alleged use of Cobalt, it is time that those running the show started to listen instead of wishing and hoping that all these setbacks will simply evaporate with time.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: FOR those who missed it, here is the latest PATRICK SMITH article in THE AUSTRALIAN that the above email refers to:
Racing is a bug. It bites you. Deep. Whatever the little critter releases into your blood stream it causes a chemical reaction. Endorphins gallop about your body.
What looks mundane from a distance has an excitement, charm and a thrill that makes the smallest function something fantastic.
A strapper leads a horse in the mounting yard, circling until the signal for the jockeys to mount up. You’ll hear the jingling of the gear. The bit, the bridle, the reins. It is the music of racing. You’ll hear the strapper’s voice too, mostly soothing but sometimes stern. Racing’s chorus.
You might see one horse sashay left and right as nerves become his jockey. Another might want to suddenly back up, find reverse and tug at the lead strap as the head pulls back hard and high. Whoa, whoa. Easy. Settle. The lyrics.
That is racing as a ritual. It is intoxicating.
And there’s racing as a scandal. Horses are whipped by jockeys; horses trained to jump fences at a pace. Last week in a maiden hurdle at Casterton, Try Pickle went out alive and came back dead. He fell at a hurdle and broke his leg. Try Pickle was put out of his misery behind a screen.
Then there’s news yesterday that Peter Moody, trainer of the unbeaten mare Black Caviar, faces three charges involving the drug cobalt. The charges relate to a positive swab returned by Lidari, which finished second at Flemington in the Turnbull Stakes.
Other leading Victorian trainers face charges relating to the administration of cobalt: Danny O’Brien, Mark Kavanagh and Lee and Shannon Hope. All charges relate to horses running in last year’s spring. NSW stewards are running cobalt cases as well.
No date has been set to hear the charges against the Victorian trainers. While there is no suggestion of guilt, the charges weigh heavily on the men and equally as heavily on racing itself. Moody and Black Caviar are famous around the racing world.
Racing is changing as the new technology increases and enhances the ability to punt. Crowds are shrinking as racing becomes more an app than a sport. What once were considered rituals will soon become relics. Just a trace of racing when it was at its pomp. When your spine shivered at the colour, the sound of horses and jockeys rushing the finishing post. And the noise of the whips.
Authorities have not given up their intention to maintain the rituals that gave racing its grace and nobility. In Victoria racing has gone to free-to-air television in the hope the sport will become more accessible.
This month Racing Australia will consider a change to rules that govern how many times a horse can be whipped. Oddly, and sadly, the decision will not be driven by consideration of the horse’s welfare but rather perception. Whipping circa 2015 is not a good look.
The rules were last changed in 2009 and were resisted desperately by the jockeys, owners and trainers. In fact, Australia’s riders went on strike to force an amendment in the rules. The jockeys wanted the right to hit their mounts more frequently than the new rules allowed. Surely that has not happened in any other country. A strike to strike and then strike again.
Racing authorities around the country are considering a Victorian change to the whipping rule. Racing Victoria chief executive Bernard Saundry said yesterday the proposition wanted no differentiation between a backhand and forehand strike.
Presently a horse can only be struck with a forehand action five times before the 100m but not in consecutive strides. However, the horse can be struck backhand as many times as the jockey wants to.
The new rules would have both forehand and backhand considered a strike. Victoria also proposed that from the 100m to the finishing post horses could not be struck in consecutive strides.
However, yesterday The Weekend Australian learned that a majority of state representatives believe Racing Australia would decide on a compromise. Jockeys will be limited to five strikes of any sort (backhand/forehand) before the 100m. However, the present rule to allow unrestricted whip riding from the 100m to the finish would not be amended.
That would be half-hearted, hardly brave reform. But at least it would ensure a horse might be struck 10 to 20 fewer times. Good for perception, marginally better for horse welfare.
The post-race ritual is special too. The horses return tired but still exhilarated by the competition against the rest of the field. They arrive in the mounting yard with steam lifting off their rump and flank. Strappers console the losers, praise and pat the money-winners. It is not easy, for the horses shuffle and shake their heads. The adrenalin drains from the body slowly.
They are led off to be washed down. Some have settled while others, full of themselves, prance about to suggest that only bad luck stopped them from winning. The owners always agree. Then you see them. The marks on the rump. Not welts but small grooves where the whip has belted into the horse.
That’s not perception. That’s reality. Such a pity Racing Australia lacks ticker.
STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN THE MAINSTREAM RACING MEDIA
END OF ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING SEASON FOR HONG KONG RACING 
HONG Kong’s 2014/2015 racing season ended last Sunday in an atmosphere of celebration before more than 42,000 racing fans, which represented an 8.9% increase on the same day last year.
Champions were crowned trackside, cumulative attendance for the entire campaign was the highest for 12 years, season’s turnover climbed to yet another peak and the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges reflected upon an “incredible record-setting season.”
During what was designated a celebratory season to mark the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s 130th Anniversary (founded 1884), Hong Kong horses excelled at home and abroad, winning nine out of 10 Group 1 races at Sha Tin and breaking new ground at the elite international level. Six of Hong Kong’s G1 races were included in the 2014 World’s Top 100, with four in the Top 25, and a record 23 Hong Kong-trained horses featured in the year-end LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.
Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges recalled the excellent global achievements of Hong Kong’s elite horses, which included some notable overseas G1 wins: “Dan Excel and Aerovelocity gave us a third consecutive Group 1 double in Singapore, Aerovelocity also became the first overseas horse to win Japan’s (G1) Takamatsunomiya Kinen and Rich Tapestry gave Hong Kong a first Group 1 win in the US. But Able Friend being rated, at the end of 2014, as the third best racehorse in the world, and then temporarily ranked first in the world, is an achievement we can all be proud of. With only 1,200 horses, to be that successful speaks for the world-class racing product we have in Hong Kong.”
In lauding those achievements, Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges also stressed the necessity of continued endeavor in order to maintain Hong Kong’s culture of world-class success and improve upon what has already been accomplished.
“It is not for us to rest on our laurels,” he said. “Our goal is to further improve, even though the economic circumstances for next season, we think, are a little bit more challenging. But we always have an optimistic outlook for the future.”
Turnover for the season finale came in at HK$1.758 billion, which in turn carried the season’s overall turnover to a new high of HK$107.9 billion, up 5.8% on last season: that record represents the third consecutive season that a new pinnacle has been reached and is the second time that the figure has topped the HK$100 billion mark.
“The record turnover this year is the result of a lot of hard work. Since the 2005/2006 season, turnover has increased 79.7 percent, which is testament to the successful strategies the Club has undertaken in that time to revitalise Hong Kong horseracing,” said Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges. “The season’s record turnover has in turn provided a record tax contribution from racing of HK$12.3 billion, which means that horseracing has again been able to make a significant positive contribution to the Hong Kong community.”
Overall attendance across the season’s 83 race meetings at Hong Kong’s two racecourses, Sha Tin and Happy Valley, reached 2.071 million, the highest for 12 years and a 2.6% increase on 2013/2014.
“It is rewarding to see us exceed the two million total attendance figure for the third consecutive season. This is a result of the right strategy, the right investment in facilities and technology; I think it has to do with people – we have a fantastic team who are able to understand what our customers want and provide those services,” said Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges.
The Jockey Club CEO pointed to the season’s new racecourse venues as having succeeded in offering greater variety and enhanced race-day experiences for targeted customers. He also identified the success of the Happy Wednesday brand as being a notable factor in boosting attendance and participation at Happy Valley: “It has become one of the most interesting tourist attractions you can find,” he said. “It is a must-do, must-go venue every Wednesday night, and therefore we have been able to revitalise racing where most other jurisdictions have not been able to do so.”
In line with the Club’s strategy to apply new technologies, Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges highlighted the new Sha Tin Communication & Technology Centre, which exhibits the Club’s commitment to sustainability.
“The building is a statement of what we want to do in creating a wonderful environment for our staff,” he said. “Technology will become even more important, so that is one reason why we have invested a significant amount of money to create a working atmosphere for our Telebet staff that is state-of-the-art; for our broadcasting team, which becomes more important going forward; and our IT team, because we will embark on a new journey of a HK$2.6 billion investment in a new IT system and that’s our commitment for the future.”
The CEO also had a word for commingling which continues to gain greater traction: “Commingling has been a major strategic initiative. We now have 11 commingling partners and if you look at today the commingling turnover was HK$50 million, which shows that we are growing and we will hopefully see a further increase going forward.”
In concluding his end-of-season remarks to the media, Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said:
“It was a marvelous 130th Anniversary season, it was a record-setting year but I think, for all the planning we do, in the end it is about our customers, so I want to thank them, and I want to thank our owners, trainers and our stable staff who have made such a contribution to Hong Kong’s success; I want to thank our team at the Jockey Club who have enabled us to achieve these new heights.”
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