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.

‘CRITICS OF NEW RACING MINISTER WILL BE WISHING HE REMAINED INVISIBLE’

GLEN COOPER of BRISBANE writes:

‘THOSE who criticized new Racing Minister Bill Byrne for his lack of public presence early days will be wishing he had remained invisible.

In a performance reminiscent of the days in Parliament of Russ Hinze and Bob Gibbs, Byrne put his predecessor Steve Dickson to the sword last week.

The pathetic performance by Dickson, trying to pump up the tyres of the racing achievements of the LNP Goveernment, was downright embarrassing.

And Byrne didn’t even need to remind poor Steve that he was the Minister who claimed that racing in Queensland would wind up ‘a furlong in front of the southern states’ under his watch.

As Minister Byrne told the House:

‘If the member is suggesting that the legacy of the LNP and the racing industry in Queensland is something he wants to be proud of, he must be certifiable.

‘I do not know what evidence he wants to put on the table to demonstrate the absolute destruction of the racing industry’s prospect enlivened by the LNP. This is his legacy — $28 million in the hole. That is the legacy of the LNP.’

Unfortunately the new Government and a new Racing Minister now have to clean up after the excesses of the likes of Kevin Dixon, Tim Nicholls and Steve Dickson aided and abetted by their advisors in the industry – the bosses at Kilcoy and Toowoomba to name but two.

Their legacy, as Peter Cameron so rightly predicted in The Sunday Mail will see club closures, fewer meetings, lower prizemoney, less incentives and carnival cuts (hope that bloke Exelby is taking note of what a ‘well informed’ turf scribe is writing, he might learn something).

So where do they start in trying to rid the RQ balance sheet of a sea of red ink. As Cameron said by lopping some of that farcical $2 million in prizemoney from the Stradbroke back to half; by relieving Gerry Harvey of much of his handout for the big MM Day from the pockets of the industry in Queensland; by taking the sword to the breeders’ social security scheme, QTIS and most of all, by having a new, hard look at just how beneficial this supposedly you beaut new TAB deal is through the eyes of those who didn’t want it to start with.

And there’s merit as well in selling either Deagon or Albion Park. Those funds would certainly go a long way to putting racing in Queensland back in the black.

But back to where I started and those (or the clubs) who benefitted the most from the Dixon era should come out from beneath that giant rock they have been hiding under and face the realities of life in Queensland racing going forward courtesy of their great mate, ‘Little King Kev’.’

‘FINANCIAL DISASTER PAPER’ NO RINGING ENDORSEMENT FOR SO-CALLED LEADERS 

BILL WHITEHOUSE, who is becoming a regular contributor to the Whinge, sent this email:

‘FORMER Racing Queensland Chairman, Bob Bentley, must be wondering how, in three short years, Chairman Dixon, CEO Condon and CFO Carter have guided the industry to a point where the Government is now preparing a ‘Financial Disaster Paper’ for the industry because of the financial disaster reportedly left by our so-called leaders.

Whilst I never personally knew Bentley I did meet him on a couple of occasions and he impressed me as a man who got things done. Granted he sometimes appeared to act hastily but none the less achieved plenty of good outcomes for the industry.

I can understand how he could easily have ruffled some feathers along the way but I don’t recall on any occasion when he Chaired Racing Queensland that the industry was in any financial strife at all.

One thing he seemed to understand was the issue of ongoing costs. For example, I don’t recall him ever providing a commitment for an ongoing cost that couldn’t be funded in future years. He would never prop up prizemoney for feature races or provide funding for a breeding scheme unless it could be funded into the future.

Bentley realized that the worst message of all is that of prizemoney cuts. I can recall it occurring in other States over the years and it is a bad look.

It appears as though this once financially stable industry in Queensland is now facing the embarrassment of having a ‘Financial Disaster Paper’ prepared by Government. Can it possibly get worse?

As an industry participant, I sincerely hope that the Government and the taxpayers in Queensland don’t get jack of the racing industry. Remember, if it wasn’t for the LNP Government wanting to make our so-called leaders look good when the Tatts deal was being renegotiated we may not have got any more funding at all.

It was the LNP that shoveled money via Tatts to Racing Queensland so that our leaders could look good. How much more the taxpayer can shoulder is unknown at this time. I hope we are not made to stand on our own two feet as we did when Bentley was the Chair, because if the Government cut us free as we once were, the industry may grind to a halt.

A time has clearly come where the Government must bite the bullet and put in place a capable interim administration. The industry can’t keep going with a CFO who thinks it is ok to bring forward a budget paper for the current financial year with a $21 million deficit.

It may be painful, but we desperately need a man like Bentley to step into the breach now and make the necessary amendments to get the industry into a cash flow positive position. As an industry, we know that $21 million deficits can only finish in tears.

The Minister needs only to pick up the phone and give Bentley a call, if he hasn’t already. The conversation could go something like this:

Bob,

I need you to step into a Board position for me at RQ. I have a Chair but need you to sort a couple of things out. First of all, get the industry back into a cash flow positive position and in doing so get the most out of the Tatts agreement.

Sort out the Eagle Farm development and get it back racing for the 2016 Carnival which I want to be the best we have had, recommend to me what internal reviews you are going to undertake and recommend to me a commercial structure that will give the industry a stable, sustainable position, having regard for the proposed integrity changes. Then tell me what needs to be done to grow some serious revenue for the industry.

Oh, and can you start tomorrow?’       

PLENTY OF MERIT IN THE QROA SUGGESTION THAT DEAGON BE SOLD

ALBERT WILLIAMS, a regular contributor from REDCLIFFE, writes:

‘THERE is plenty of merit in the suggestion by Queensland Owners’ Association boss, Kerrina King, that Deagon should be sold to pay the massive debt confronting the industry.

Rather than bleat about the inevitable prizemoney cuts like top trainer Rob Heathcote has done, Ms King came up with a realistic solution to the problem that confronts her members.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Let’s face it this Government isn’t going to provide the racing industry with another handout. As Racing Minister Bill Byrne said this predicament is the work of the LNP Government and the people they chose to run racing in Queensland.

Rather than play the blame game it’s time to find a solution and that certainly won’t be acceptable to all concerned. Can Queensland any longer afford a boutique training facility for the privileged few that has been an impost on the industry for years?

This is a decision that should have been made long before RQ moved its headquarters from Newstead to Deagon. It should have relocated to Hendra and used land near or within the Eagle Farm – Doomben precinct.

Now the bleating and protests will begin from those in the racing industry with big real estate interests at Deagon who want to see the training facility retained in their own backyard. Ask many other residents in the area what they think and the resounding answer would be a preference to see the horses gone.

Full marks Ms King for a workable resolution to the latest woes confronting the industry. But good luck convincing the stakeholders who will be under enormous pressure from influential people.

Watch for an immediate backlash from the Australian Trainers’ Association but that wouldn’t amount to a conflict of interest would it and is it the representative voice of the trainers in this state anymore?’         

DEAGON REMAINS A POLITICAL HOT POTATO – YEARS AFTER BENTLEY DEPARTED

FROM an owner with a stable that hasn’t enjoyed the privileges of some at DEAGON:

‘WHEN the Bob Bentley Board suggested transforming Deagon into a state-of-the-art harness racing and greyhound complex they were shot down in flames.

Any suggestion of changing the comfortable situation of a privileged handful of trainers who have enjoyed a training facility in their backyard (or should that read hefty real estate investments) was shouted down.

Moving the gallops out to make way for the trots and dogs became a political potato too hot to handle. The LNP jumped on the bandwagon but times have changed and Deagon could prove the answer to the industry prayers.

Something needs to be done to address the debt situation. In some ways it seems like Karma that those who sought to be so close to Kevin Dixon after riding the Bob Bentley red carpet for so long would have the rug pulled out from under them.

Can the industry in Queensland afford a boutique training facility like Deagon when Eagle Farm is being redeveloped and a complex like the Sunshine Coast is arguably under-utilized?

Eagle Farm is where the RQ headquarters should be situated and such a move would kill two birds with one stone – freeing up a major industry debut to consolidate the future and helping pay for another asset (through rent or purchase of some land from the BRC).

If Deagon is not seen as suitable for sale then perhaps Albion Park should be. It is another massive industry asset that real estate-wise would be worth a considerable amount of money – one might think much more than Deagon – if it were sold.

It’s all food for thought but at least there is someone in the racing industry in Queensland – in Kerrina King from the QROA – who is thinking outside the square rather than sitting on her behind like many others, just whining and waiting for another handout.

Sorry guys but the days of the Toowoomba snout in the trough like slush fund situation sailed out the door with the LNP Government and the Kevin Dixon Board.’

‘WOULD THE ‘LITTLE KING KEV’ FAN CLUB STOP HIDING BEHIND THEIR ROCK?’

STU WILLS, a regular from the DOWNS, makes this contribution:

‘THE question I would like answered is this:

Where are all these loyal supporters of Kevin Dixon and his hierarchy who were so outspoken before the release of figures showing what a bad financial state RQ is in?

Wherever the blame lies, the fact remains that RQ was in a far better financial state when Bob Bentley and his Board departed.

Kevin Dixon was a far more popular Chairman but will the industry now pay the price for some bad decision making and perceived pork-barreling?

In the opinion of many Bentley was put there to do a job and in the process of doing the ‘dirty work’ for the Labor Party and cutting the number of country clubs, as well as limiting outrageous expenditure, he didn’t win any popularity contests.

Dixon had the LNP and in particular its poor excuse for a Racing Minister (a la the Treasurer) singing his praises over a TAB deal that promised plenty but one wonders whether it will ever deliver what is expected over a 30-year time frame.

If debts totaling $40 million over two years could be accumulated by the previous Board – they deny this of course – one wonders what damage could have ultimately been done to the industry had there not been a change of Government.

Kevin Dixon argued that he was apolitical despite his close ties with the likes of former Treasurer Tim Nicholls and Racing Minister Steve Dickson. Yet when it came to responding to the bleak financial picture painted last week in Parliament by Labor his sacked Board sought to return fire via the LNP Opposition. One would have thought an apolitical group would have gone on the front foot and made that response through the usual media outlets independently (there would have been plenty prepared to run their side of the story).

At the end of the day racing in Queensland will again drop further behind the southern states. Once again we are the laughing stock of the industry in this country for all the wrong reasons. When will it ever end?’

‘THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE TURN SLOWLY AT RQ WHEN IT IS ONE OF THEIR OWN’

‘BARRY BARKER’ of CAPALABA has sent another contribution on the greyhound debacle in Queensland:

‘YOU have got to hand it to Racing Queensland where the wheels of justice appear to turn very slowly, especially when dealing with one of their own.

Back on February 25 an RQ employee, whose job it was to oversee the grading and handicapping of greyhound events, has been found guilty of pulling a stunt that saw a dog, part-owned by a relative, which was never nominated for a race, included in a field and ironically drawn to suit in box 3. It was backed by the RQ employee and won the race. Great work if you can get away with it, better still if no one complains.

All good until the owner of a dog that was originally nominated for the race, but failed to get a start because the grader’s dog was snuck into the field, lodged a complaint.

It seems that after five months RQ stewards have finally concluded their inquiry and the ‘Grader’ gets – in the opinion of many – a paltry 12 month disqualification.

Reading the official RQ stewards’ report indicates it was a contrived plan to dupe not only other greyhound owners and trainers but also the general public. The dog’s owners, related to the ‘Grader’, didn’t even have to pay back the $5,250 in winning prize-money. This smacks in the face of integrity issues and how RQ is supposedly trying to clean up its act.

The report also shows that the ‘Grader’ demanded one of his staff call extra nominations for a race that there were already sufficient nominations for. That was obviously to cover his tracks to justify how the dog got into the race when it was never nominated. This way to the general public it looks like it’s a late nomination when entries were extended. At the same time the ‘Grader’ makes three phone calls supposedly to the trainer (now one of those warned off by RQ) to tell him that it was a very weak race and that he should run the dog part owned by his relatives although it was never nominated for the race.

Given a dream run the trainer agreed. The dog gets into the weak race, gets backed by the ‘Grader’ and wins. This is the stuff from Nat Gould’s famous racing novels. It’s a disgrace that a RQ employee could have got away with this ‘sting’ had the owner of one of the other dogs not complained.

One wonders how many times this has gone on in the past.

The most questionable thing about this whole episode is the fact that for a planned ‘sting’ like this that was orchestrated from within the Racing Queensland integrity division, the culprit gets ONLY a 12 month disqualification. While RQ is handing out life bans, warning people off all racetracks etc etc, one of its own employees creates a fraud like this and gets what could be considered a far too small a penalty.'

TWO MEN TOPS IN THEIR FIELDS NOW BITTER ENEMIES OVER COBALT DRAMAS

PAUL ANDERSON of MELBOURNE sent this interesting email:

‘I just wanted to have my say about a sad situation that seems to have arisen in the wake of the cobalt drams in Victoria.

Let me say at the outset that I don’t know either of the individuals personally that I am about to talk about.

I am a great fan of Peter Moody and what he has achieved – the boy from the Queensland bush who reached the top of the training ranks in this country and through the deeds of his champion mare Black Caviar rubbed shoulders with the Queen at Royal Ascot.

I have just as much respect – in a different way – for Patrick Bartley, the leading turf writer for The Age. Like Moody he calls a spade a spade and pulls no punches in what he writes, unlike many in his profession who think twice about their image and those who might be offended if they dare to criticize.

It is the attributes of both these gentleman that now find them poles apart – one might say the damage done by the cobalt saga has seen them emerge as bitter enemies and it is all simply because they are victims of the jobs they have to do.

Moody will fight to prove his innocence to the cobalt charges. Bartley will continue to write about the dangers to the welfare of horses if cobalt is administered.

Big Pete made his feelings known in a tell-all radio interview last Friday with Shane Anderson on RSN. He took no prisoners and blasted many sections of the industry from the RV Integrity Unit to the Racing Media.

Bartley took it personally and fired back in a piece in The Age. Apparently he had good reason to believe Moody had singled him out for special attention. A story he wrote about cobalt readings so incensed Moody that Bartley reports he received a fiery phone call from the champion trainer advising that he ‘was banned for life’.

It’s a sad situation that isn’t likely to be resolved overnight and may in fact last a lifetime. Moody has a job to do that has its pitfalls every time a horse he trains steps onto the track. Bartley likewise runs the risk of upsetting someone every time he does his job and writes a story that might upset someone.’

EDITOR’S NOTE: FOR those who missed it, here is the article referred to above by PATRICK BARTLEY in THE AGE:

IN a radio interview last Friday, Peter Moody went on the attack and criticised many in racing including Racing Victoria, the Australian Trainers Association and sections of the racing media.

One might question the motivation behind his attacks, just seven days after he was issued with three charges over high cobalt levels in his horse Lidari, including the very serious charge of administration.

In the interview, Moody took aim at RV's integrity department, saying he was extremely disappointed to be charged with administration and although he had done nothing wrong he accepted the charge of presenting Lidari at the races with elevated cobalt levels.

Moody questioned the science around cobalt, saying there had not been enough research done on it, it was new and that he was only using a hoof supplement which contained high concentrations of cobalt. The trouble with this is that while the research on cobalt is new, it doesn't make it lesser science.

The worldwide push to eradicate cobalt collaboration between all racing jurisdictions has produced a wealth of information on cobalt. What is known is this: normal use of cobalt supplements will not take a horse over the threshold. Cobalt is poorly absorbed so oral supplements will not cause high levels. Cobalt is cleared from the body within a few hours, which poses a problem for these trainers, as in Australia, raceday treatments are banned.

On the basis of this science, RV have charged four trainers over nine horses with elevated cobalt readings. The science of cobalt might well be tested at the forthcoming Racing Appeals and Disciplinary board meetings, and Fairfax Media understands Racing Victoria's integrity department are very comfortable with their position on the cobalt science.

One should also remember that there are only nine positives amongst thousands of cobalt test results. The acceptance of a presentation charge might be borne out by the belief that it is a lesser charge with a lesser penalty. This belief is not supported historically, as Sharron Taylor, the only horse trainer to date charged purely with presentation, was clubbed with a two-year disqualification by Racing Western Australia but received a six-month reduction because of her immediate guilty plea and her co-operation with stewards.

One could cynically say that accepting presentation but rejecting administration is akin to a driver blowing 0.1 at the booze bus then agreeing to charges, but not wanting to be labelled a drunk driver.

Moody also attacked the restrictions on raceday treatments, saying they were impossible to comply with for trainers with large teams and represented Victorian racing as a "nanny state".

Fairfax Media spoke with two other trainers with large teams of horses who disagreed with Moody and said they had implemented systems to prevent any breaches of raceday treatment. They said the "no raceday treatment rule" was good for racing and the image of racing, meaning horses competed on ability and training alone.

Moody was highly critical of the ATA and said he had resigned from both the committee and the association. He felt that the ATA did not represent members on issues that matter.

This criticism highlights the difficult role the ATA has in trying to represent everyone equally. There are more than 900 trainers in Victoria, from the hobby trainer with two horses to the big trainers with 100 or more. Some in the ATA believe it is vitally important that the ATA listen to and represent the little trainers who otherwise would have no voice.

Finally Moody, who is influential in the industry, was critical of some sections of the racing media for reporting the troublesome side of his cobalt problem. I have no doubt Moody is taking aim at this journalist as he rang me after I reported a recent worldwide survey testing 10,300 racehorses on cobalt including those on cobalt supplements where the highest recorded reading was a paltry 78. After that article Moody told me I "was banned for life", a significant threat from a leading trainer to a journalist who makes his living by reporting racing.

One can assume Moody was not having a crack at other journalists. It should be remembered some work for the industry media arm RSN and Racing.com. The media have a responsibility to report any story without any fear or favor. Like it or not, Peter Moody, a leading trainer of champion mare Black Caviar, being charged with cobalt administration and facing a possible three years in the wilderness, banned from his sport, is a very big story about a big bloke from Queensland.

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.