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.
MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE TEAM AT LGHR 
AS this will be the last WEDNESDAY WHINGE before we take a break over the HOLIDAY PERIOD, the team at LETSGOHORSERACING would like to wish all our readers and those industry players who make this column possible a holy, happy and safe CHRISTMAS and a prosperous NEW YEAR where we hope you find plenty of winners. Like it or hate it, God willing the WHINGE will be back from WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017.
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS SUFFERS ED WHILE HONKERS IS SPRING ON STEROIDS 
MARTY McDONALD of MELBOURNE sees the funny side of comparing the major carnivals in Melbourne, Sydney & Hong Kong:
‘IF Sha Tin during the Hong Kong International is the Flemington Spring on steroids then what are The Championships at Randwick?
A Victorian cynic like myself might suggest it is nothing more than an over-rated, over-promoted Australian racing carnival that from a punters’ perspective is suffering ED.
Fortunately, for Racing NSW, ‘Mr Fixit’ Peter V’landys, has had his contract as CEO extended to 2020 on a reported salary in excess of $1 million a year – and to the industry in that State he is worth every cent of it!
The Championships was the brainchild of V’landys and his former boss John Messara who has ridden off into the sunset after controversially enjoying the rich spoils of the inaugural event courtesy of an interest in one of the big winners, It’s a Dundeel.
But ‘little Pete’ is staying on to fight the good fight for Racing NSW – albeit with plenty of support from his mates in the racing media who have also been rewarded for all their hard work with ‘second jobs’ at SKY Channel where, coincidentally, V’landys seems to have a major influence on what occurs.
No sooner had the reappointment of the Racing NSW CEO been confirmed than his ‘spin doctors’ at News Ltd and Fairfax in Ray Thomas and Chris Roots were quick to wax lyrical. From a Victorian’s point of view it was more of the finger-down-the-throat garbage we have come to expect from the Sydney racing media.
ROOTS TOOK OPPORTUNITY TO BACKHAND RACING VICTORIA 
Roots saw the opportunity to deliver another backhander to Victoria when he wrote:
‘RACING NSW has extended the contract of chief executive Peter V'landys until 2020 in a move to keep the best racing administrator in the country at the helm of the premier state.
Fairfax Media understands the four-year deal included a significant pay rise but the package falls well short of the $1.5 million Racing Victoria is offering in its desperate search for a chief executive.
Sources from within Racing NSW said the extension to V'landys' contract was drawn up a couple of months ago in the wake of his latest success for racing in the state, where prizemoney was lifted across the board, including $100,000 minimum stakes in Sydney on a Saturday.
His contract was due to end in December but the Racing NSW board was keen to not lose V'landys given his passion, record and standing in the sport.
V'landys, who has a seat on the Racing NSW board, is a leader in the sport and although he can be polarising, his success in delivering change cannot be questioned, which has given the industry across the country more than $1 billion in extra revenue.’
Thomas weighed in but ensured Messara didn’t miss a bouquet along the way:
‘NSW racing’s resurgence in recent years has seen it regain its premier state ranking — and this will continue despite John Messara’s decision to step down as Racing NSW chairman at the end of the month.
It will be steady as she goes at Racing NSW after chief executive Peter V’landy’s had his contract extended until the end of 2020.
V’landys has been instrumental in rebuilding the NSW industry over the past decade, championing race-fields legislation, securing a $235 million rescue package for the racing industry from the then-Howard Government during the equine influenza outbreak, and negotiating the sale of Trackside for $150 million.
The final piece of the jigsaw puzzle was to convince the Baird Government to grant wagering taxation parity. This was a battle most thought could not be won but V’landys and Messara mounted a persuasive and convincing argument that has ensured the NSW industry’s finances for years to come.’
What both sadly overlooked in declaring NSW the ‘premier state’ is that in the eyes of the racing public it will always run a distant second to Victoria.
Granted prizemoney is better – some might even suggest exorbitant considering it largely benefits the major stables and multi millionaire owners – but when it comes to attracting crowds, Sydney racing simply cannot succeed to the same degree as Victoria.
They will argue that the betting turnover for The Championships this year was better but the crowds were still a massive disappointment compared with those attracted to the Spring Carnival in Melbourne.
Sydney Saturday prizemoney has surged ahead of Melbourne in recent times but it isn’t reflected in the quality of the fields. Small fields dominated by the bigger stables are the norm. This only leads to second string runners beating highly fancied favorites from the same stable, especially that of Chris Waller, on a regular basis which does nothing for punting confidence.
Victoria might have had its cobalt crisis which has been played out in the media for months. Now Sydney has its jockey betting scandal which one could suggest is being carefully handled in the media with James Macdonald taking the brunt of the bad publicity while behind the scenes there are more than rumors circulating about a ring of top jockeys allegedly involved with betting by professional punters.
Will we hear more about this? The way things work in racing in NSW and the media there, who knows? It’s another reason why punters have more confidence betting into bigger fields, more competitive races and a more level playing field in Victoria whether it is during the carnival or just a normal Saturday race meeting.
As disliked as Peter V’landys is outside of NSW racing, I am not going to bag the job the bloke does for that State which no one could do better. I just wish he would focus more on getting things right in his own backyard rather than continually trying to upstage what is happening in Victoria. With all due respects that is fighting a losing battle, even if he insists the Autumn in Sydney would be just as good a carnival if it was run during the Spring.
There is also his perceived influence with SKY which was largely responsible for the creation of racing.com and the national Seven coverage being generated by Racing Victoria because there was a belief that NSW was getting too much start. Other states, especially Queensland, which has been so loyal to SKY, has suffered and many in the north are blaming V’landys commitment to the Saturday provincial circuit near Sydney for a downgrade of the Brisbane Saturday metropolitan coverage. Complaints continue and the service improves temporarily but sooner or later it is back to the same as with NSW enjoying the best of the best from SKY and everyone else finishing second.
DOES V’LANDYS SEE THE NEED TO OFFSET THE CHAMPIONSHIPS ED? 
FINALLY, on the subject of The Championships, it was refreshing to read some of the comments from V’landys in a story by Andrew Webster for Fairfax Media which suggests that he, too, accepts the punters’ perspective that the Sydney carnival needs a dose of something to offset that ‘erectile dysfunction’ I jokingly suggested at the start of this whinge.
Webster wrote:
‘IN the past four years, Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club have started carving out its own headline carnival, The Championships, held on the first and second Saturday in April.
Sydney can never be like Hong Kong, which has just two meetings a week ... but can its carnival ever be as popular as this one (International Week)?
Doubtless, the Melbourne racing cheerleaders will scoff at the idea, but at least Sydney is having a go after years of the autumn carnival being strangled by politics.
The Championships have featured some gun horses, from Black Caviar to Winx's dramatic win in the Doncaster Mile last April, but those superstars don't necessarily translate to heaving crowds.
Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys believes there are lessons to be learned from others, even if Hong Kong is vastly different to Australia.
"You always learn from other racing jurisdictions," V'landys said.
"In particular, both Hong Kong and Japan do it extremely well. They're both very professional and Hong Kong has a brilliant marketing plan and has designed its facilities to attract all demographics. Their facilities for the 20 to 30-year-old demographic are exceptional.
"We have a long way to go with The Championships. However we have also come a long way. The ATC, along with us, are up for the challenge."
There you go – who said there isn’t some light at the end of the tunnel for those long-suffering ED sufferers who may yet excite punters enough to return to the Autumn in the droves they did pre-SKY days.
PERHAPS SYDNEY RACING CAN LEARN FROM THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL 
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE is the story by ANDREW WEBSTER of FAIRFAX MEDIA on the HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL run last week:
IT is, without question, one of the toughest events in international racing. A true test of endurance and stamina but also requiring street smarts and local knowledge.
You don't want to start your run too early. You need patience. Discipline. Self control. And if you don't have a big heart and even bigger, er, wallet ... don't even turn up.
This race isn't the Hong Kong Cup, the Mile, the Sprint or the Vase. It's not even an event for horses.
It's for the poor old racegoer and the event is the famed Hong Kong International Racing carnival and everything jammed in between.
For years, I've watched platoons of mates parachute themselves into Honkers on the Wednesday, rushing off to Happy Valley that evening, and then Sha Tin on the Sunday afternoon, before flying back to Australia having been changed as men in profound and unspeakable ways.
Indeed, these last five days have surpassed the growing legend of this festival; a blur of dim sum, cigar bars, ATMs, gin and tonic served in goldfish bowls, the odd Australian celebrity, packed trams, early morning trackwork, Carbine Club lunches, conversations about Ox penis for dinner and Cantonese cover bands belting out rock'n'roll classics at outrageously fun Wan Chai establishments. Fabulous stuff.
Oh, and then there's the racing.
The international jockey challenge on Wednesday at Happy Valley — more footy stadium than racecourse — was won by Australia's Hugh Bowman but it was merely foreplay.
On Sunday, before a crowd of 95,357 people, 27 overseas and 28 local horses converged on Sha Tin to vie for HK$83 million ($14 million) in prizemoney.
Featuring the likes of A Shin Hikari, Maurice and Highland Reel, the Hong Kong Jockey Club had every right to its claim that this is the world championships of racing ahead of the Breeders Cup and the World Dubai Cup.
Sha Tin is Flemington on steroids. If Happy Valley is about the raucous beer garden along the straight, Sha Tin is for the serious punters who sardine themselves into every vantage point to watch the horses parade. The mounting yard at Sha Tin is so big that a visiting All Blacks player once famously remarked, "Geez, the horses must be small", mistaking it for the actual track.
Australia's hopes of success rested with Takedown in the Hong Kong Sprint (1200m). He is trained by Gary Moore, a seven-time champion jockey in Hong Kong whose father George trained here. His brother, John, has been one of the club's leading trainers for years equally well known for his safari suits as preparing winners.
Takedown's jockey, Tim Clark, flew in from Brisbane on Sunday morning, had a sleep, arrived an hour before the race and then missed the start.
"I put my binoculars down at the 200m," Gary Moore said afterwards. "I thought he would run last." He then quipped: "How did I go at Hawkesbury today?"
Takedown ran on and finished fifth behind the Hong Kong-trained Aerovelocity, which had an Australian connection through jockey Zac Purton. He and his wife, Nicole, frolicked down the straight as Moore was expected to if Takedown at won. Warwick Farm trainer Gary Portelli's Rebel Dane finished 11th.
It remains to be seen if Moore will take Takedown to Sydney for the autumn.
In the past four years, Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club have started carving out its own headline carnival, The Championships, held on the first and second Saturday in April.
Sydney can never be like Hong Kong, which has just two meetings a week ... but can its carnival ever be as popular as this one?
Doubtless, the Melbourne racing cheerleaders will scoff at the idea, but at least Sydney is having a go after years of the autumn carnival being strangled by politics.
The Championships have featured some gun horses, from Black Caviar to Winx's dramatic win in the Doncaster Mile last April, but those superstars don't necessarily translate to heaving crowds.
Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys believes there are lessons to be learned from others, even if Hong Kong is vastly different to Australia.
"You always learn from other racing jurisdictions," V'landys said.
"In particular, both Hong Kong and Japan do it extremely well. They're both very professional and Hong Kong has a brilliant marketing plan and has designed its facilities to attract all demographics. Their facilities for the 20 to 30-year-old demographic are exceptional.
"We have a long way to go with The Championships. However, we have also come a long way. The ATC, along with us, are up for the challenge."
The Hong Kong Jockey Club have been experts in selling its carnival to the world, covering the accommodation costs for the world's media, including this author.
This week, more than 100 reporters and photographers from Japan were in attendance because of the strong contingent representing their country. When crack Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira and Satono Crown reeled in Aidan O'Brien's favourite Highland Reel in the Vase (2000m), the Japanese media cheered like they were all part owners.
Moreira is considered good luck for the superstitious Chinese and is feted like a rockstar in these parts. He is the favourite among the city's taxi drivers, who all seem to have a form guide sitting on the front seat. That win means Moreira has now won all four of the international races since arriving here. "A dream come true," he said in his high-pitched voice.
He then had to elbow his way through the throng of photographers so he could prepare for the next race.
The club can accommodate this much media because it has a bottomless pit of money to market itself thanks to eye-popping wagering turnover.
Throughout the year, about HK$1 billion ($173 million) is turned over on each meeting. Interestingly, the quinella pools are always bigger than the win pool.
In the club's 2015-2016 annual report, the Hong Kong Jockey Club says it donated HK$3.9 billion to 215 charities.
After these five days, if there's any left over I know a good home for it.
MAURICE v WINX – NOW THAT WOULD BE A MAJOR CARNIVAL DRAWCARD 
GEORGE ATHERTON of SYDNEY writes:
‘IMAGINE the coup for the much-maligned The Championships in Sydney in April if a ‘match race’ could be organized in one of the features between golden girl Winx and Japanese superstar Maurice.
The amazing win by Maurice in Sunday’s Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin had some making comparisons with that of Winx in the Cox Plate.
Some might say that while Winx was making ‘supposed stars’ from the Godolphin stable look second rate at Moonee Valley, Maurice has been competing against and beating the best in the world in Europe.
Interestingly, trainer Noriyuki Hori, would not be drawn into a commitment that Maurice had run his last race after last year’s Japan Horse of the Year won the Hong Kong Cup in sensational fashion.
Story goes Maurice could be heading to a stud career in Australia. If that were to happen and part of the deal was a farewell start at The Championships where he would clash with Winx well if that didn’t bring a massive crowd to Randwick then nothing will.’
‘BANNING OF THE WHIP WON’T BOOST SUPPORT FOR HARNESS RACING’ 
SCOTT DIXON of MELBOURNE writes:
‘AS one high profile racing scribe wrote: ‘Two of the three codes — trots and dogs — generate little mainstream coverage.’
That is, of course, until controversy erupts and one or the other makes it to the news pages for all the wrong reasons. In the case of the greyhounds it was the ‘live baiting’ expose from 4 Corners. Now the trots have used their showcase event, the Interdominion, to announce that whips will be banned in harness racing from the New Year which many regard more as a knee-jerk reaction to continuining complaints from Animal Liberationists and the RSPCA.
As Matt Stewart wrote in the Herald-Sun:
‘Harness racing has slid so far from mainstream interest that Friday night’s Inter Dominion final in Perth was run well after midnight in the eastern states.
But as societies within society, the three codes thrive.
The trick is whether they can penetrate outside their own bubbles, sell themselves to the outside world.
The general acceptance in harness circles to the most dramatic cultural change in a century suggests those within the sport realize it cannot ignore the world around it.
Whipping will be banned from September next year. Drivers who would probably feel naked without a whip have almost unanimously agreed banning it is essential if the sport is to reach out.
To emphasize his point, a wise old anti-whipping sports journo observed that you’d be set upon if you whipped a dog or horse in the street but on the racetrack, you are cheered on.
Again, it remains to be seen if banning the whipping of trotters has any meaningful impact on the popularity of harness racing. It won’t be a cure-all.
But the racing codes are already on the back foot and must do what they can to stay ahead of scandal; promote their positives, eradicate bad culture, hope it makes a difference.
Jockeys used to bash horses with whips, now they are kinder. The strikes are restricted, the whips padded.
Jockeys argue safety and reckon new whip rules have gone far enough to appease the outside world, but the image, of horses being whipped to win, remains the same.’
My thoughts on this are simple – and shared by many others I have spoken to. Wagering might have gone up in greyhound racing in the aftermath of the animal cruelty revelations. But if the ‘red hots’ think that banning whips will enhance its image in the eyes of the punting public they’re living in dreamland.’
‘TOUCH OF HYPOCRISY’ IN BANNING ‘WHIP SHY’ WHYTE OVER PERTH RIDE 
GRAHAM BAKER of BRISBANE sent this email:
‘IRONICALLY, a day after Douglas Whyte, an internationally jockey renowned for his anti-whip stance, was suspended for failing to ride out his mount in a tight finish to a feature race in Perth, harness racing uses the Interdominion in the same city to announce a ban on whip use.
There has to be a touch of hypocrisy to the Whyte decision by stewards in outing the 13-times Hong Kong champion jockey for a month claiming his ride cost Scales of Victory a win in the Kingston Town Classic at Ascot.
The trainer of the horse, the syndicate manager and Whyte himself steadfastly claimed that no amount of whip or harder riding would have changed the result. Critics, led by a small group of media commentators, disagree.
Unlike a decision at the Gold Coast where a jockey threw away a similar $1 million feature at this year’s Magic Millions Carnival because he made a celebratory salute that cost victory, Whyte will suffer the loss of arguably thousands from winning mounts in Hong Kong over the next month. Here’s hoping he appeals but knowing the gentleman that he is, he will probably just cop it on the chin and taken Christmas off.
Whyte is no anti-whip crusader but he has been quoted many times as maintaining that many Australian jockeys result too heavily on the whip. He also encourages apprentices to be less reliant on whip use.
Rarely a day goes by in Australian racing when a jockey isn’t fined for excessive use and controversy rages over the current rules and requirements.
At a time when Whyte’s stance on whip use should be applauded he has been suspended for not using it enough. There are times when the Rules of Racing simply make no sense at all.’
AT THE END OF THE DAY WALLER HAS TO TAKE BLAME FOR ‘ICE’ HORSE 
FRED DOLAN of SYDNEY writes:
‘I’VE read all the stories in the Sydney media about how badly their ‘pin-up’ boy Chris Waller was done by in being fined $30,000 for presenting a horse at the track that had the drug Ice in its system.
Any fair person would agree there are mitigating circumstances and there is no suggestion that Waller administered the drug to his horse. There are endless theories on where it came from – with plenty of finger pointing at stable staff.
That doesn’t alter the fact that the buck has to stop somewhere and as the trainer and person responsible for horses in his stable that go to the track then Waller was in the hot seat. He was disappointed but accepted his penalty and has assured stewards that measures have been put in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
Interestingly, stewards took 30 urine samples from Waller stable staff with none returning positives to methylamphetamine which was found in the post-race sample taken from Betcha Thinking. Nevertheless, five staff tested positive to other banned substances and three of those had come into contact with the horse in question. One allegedly was a trackwork rider who gave Betcha Thinking light exercise on the morning of the race in question.
Now Waller went to great lengths at the inquiry to deflect the blame away from his stable. “I don’t want to be discriminating against anybody,” he said. “But the possibilities are endless in terms of the horse leaving my stable and coming in contact with a horse float travelling to the races, float drivers that obviously drive these trucks, gate attendants, clerks of the course, barrier attendants, to the extent of officials that may come into contact with the horse throughout the day … not to mention members of the public that can freely walk up to any horse at the races and pat them.”
The same could be said of any horse starting on a given race day at any venue so one could argue that there should be more positives like the one that Waller confronted – but there aren’t.
Waller has implemented a number of initiatives to prevent a repeat, including random drug-testing and making staff wash their hands before work. A senior staffer also walks around the stable at 3.40am to ensure all staff are in a fit state to work.
Whilst Chief Steward Marc Van Gestel accepted that Waller has been proactive since the positive he emphasized the expectation that such measures should already have been implemented by a leading trainer in Sydney. And he is right in that assessment.
Stewards were also disappointed that they could not access vision from the 72 cameras around Waller’s stables. The trainer explained that the cameras were sensor-based and the constant motion of horses walking past every day meant there was too much data for the stewards to access the vision they required. Again, it is simply not good enough.
This isn’t the first time that Waller has been before stewards over drug related offences which his fans would argue is to be expected considering the number of horses in his stable.
From an industry perspective it should make no difference. Racing needs to be a level playing field whether the trainer is big or small. Profile should not dictate penalty or how you are treated by stewards or under the Rules of Racing.’
‘UBET SHOULD BE THE LAST TO CRITICIZE CONSIDERING DEAL IT GOT’ 
STEVE WELLINGTON of BRISBANE writes:
‘FULL marks to UBET for giving the Queensland Government a wake-up call concerning corporate bookmakers but the wagering operator needs to lift its own game and be more competitive in the market-place.
According to a report in The Sunday Mail, Tattsbet has called for a crackdown on advertising promotion free bets and sign-up bonuses amid claims the Government is turning a blind eye to the inducement advertising which is illegal in all other States.
Not surprisingly UBET CEO Robbie Cooke appears to have achieved little by writing to Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath caling for action. You could arguably print on the back of a postage stamp what Ms D’Ath and her colleague, Racing Minister Grace Grace know about the industry.
With respect to the claim by Mr Cooke that UBET has contributed more than $2 billion to the Government and racing industry through product fees and was at a disadvantage while its competitors, most licensed in the Northern Territory, flourished without ‘paying a single dollar of wagering tax to the Queensland Government”.
Might I counter that UBET finds it near on impossible not only to compete with the big corporate agencies but also the interstate TABs and the sooner a national merger occurs, the better for all concerned, especially the long-suffering clients of UBET.
The perception is that UBET is the last to post its ’Fixed Odds’ prices and that when these do go up there too many quotes are ‘unders’ compared with the competition. UBET also fails to provide the same amount of exotic betting options as their rivals. And you have the situation, highlighted last Sunday, where the NSW and Victorian TABS co-mingle with Hong Kong meaning punters there are betting into the international pool whereas those in Queensland have a tiny local UBET pool which is nothing short of farcical.
In the letter, obtained by The Sunday Mail, Mr Cooke said corporate bookmaker advertising did not align with community expectations with regards to responsible gambling. He labelled the contribution of the corporate agencies to the Queensland racing industry as ‘tokenistic at best’.
Many would suggest there is a hint of hypocrisy in those comments considering the ‘sweetheart deal’ that the TAB in Queensland did with Racing Queensland and the Queensland Government which many believes could have been much better from an industry perspective but for ‘commercial in confidence’ reasons has not been made public for all to judge.’
‘GIVE THE ANIMAL LIBERATIONISTS AN INCH & THEY WILL TAKE A MILE’ 
ADAM PASCOE of MELBOURNE sent this email:
‘GIVE them an inch and they will take a mile – these fruit loops from the Animal Liberation movement who seem to operate with the full backing of the RSPCA.
Problem is they know nothing about the horse racing industry and now that they have effectively convinced harness racing to ban the use of whips the focus will be on the gallops.
Pressure from the strong lobby against animal cruelty has already forced regulations involving whip use in thoroughbred racing. But authorities should heed the message from champion jockey Craig Williams not to tinker with the current rules.
Williams expressed the opinion of many who have been closely involved in horse racing for a lifetime and that is: ‘Banning whips at the gallops could cost a jockey’s life.’
As Williams said in the wake of harness racing’s shock decision: “They’ve done a terrific job to have the whip rules where they are, regarding the number of strikes and public perception. But you wouldn’t want to see a coroner’s report that said a jockey died because he was unable to control a horse because he had no whip.’’
The RSPCA once again showed their ignorance of the three codes of racing with the statement: ‘The harness racing whip ban sends a clear message to other Australian racing codes.’ Surely they aren’t dumb enough to believe that the dogs race around ridden by jockeys holding whips. They won plenty of Brownie Points with the punting public on the ‘live baiting’ expose – despite the fact the ban in NSW was embarrassingly overturned when the Government went more than a shade overboard – but let’s not get carried away with the whip ban saga.’
‘RQ BASHES CLUBS FINANCIALLY AND HANDS OVER MILLIONS TO HARVEY’ 
HERE’S an update on the situation in racing in Townsville courtesy of our man on the spot, TERRY BUTTS from the NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER and his ‘SILKS & SADDLES’ column:
YOU really have to wonder about Racing Queensland.
It has already lost respect and reputation as the worthy governor of the industry with some reckless spending and poor decision making in recent years.
And its continued sponsorship of the Gerry Harvey annual $10 million gala party at the Gold Coast in January does little to enhance it. Surely that can’t continue especially while RQ continues to wave the stick at the cash-strapped clubs around the State.
Frankly the millions of dollars the indistry in Queensland 'gifts' to the Magic Millions is obscene – enough to turn you off buying a washing machine or whatever.
Talk about vagaries. While Townsville has been under the pump by RQ with unreasonable demands to square their respective ledgers (impossible with Tuesday and Thursday race dates ordered by RQ) the new Board has just announced the appointment of four more senior executives – three of which have no racing experience whatsoever and the other was a stable employee of Lloyd Williams before working under the current CEO in Tasmania.
The CEO Eliot Forbes said the ‘collective experience and qualifications of the successful applicants will significantly complement and enhance the existing RQ team’.
He added: ‘Since my appointment 12 weeks ago my Board and I have been on a fast track to ensure RQ is able to deliver on its key responsibilities and to ensure we can realize the Board’s ambitious plans to provide outstanding outcomes to the Queensland Racing Industry’.
A reliable source estimates the combined salaries of the new faces (our saviors) to be more than $1 million.
Say no more!
THIS FORMER JUDGE PACKS A MEAN PUNCH WHEN IT COMES TO RQ 
WHILE the CEO might indulge in some self gratification, a highly respected retired District Court Judge has viewed the efforts of RQ a little differently.
The former Judge Bob Pack who attended the recent special meeting at Townsville to elect a new committee has a long association with racing (first as a bookies clerk in his uni days) and later (and still) as a successful owner and breeder.
Pack is a long-time member and supporter of the TTC and asked a few pertinent questions (with hardly satisfactory answers) at that meeting and recently penned a letter expressing his sentiments that has been widely circulated in NQ. In part:
NO respect has been shown to the former committee (TTC) who act voluntarily in the club’s interest. I have difficulty comprehending what harm could have been caused with the application of common courtesy.
RQ obviously are powerful but need to understand there is a difference between demanding and commanding respect.
I can easily develop this argument. Our membership wants a continuity of racing in harmony with RQ but at the moment one can be pardoned for forming the opinion that RQ is only interested in precipitating aggravation.”
And that folks, aptly sums up the general feeling about RQ in the north – particularly of a couple holding ‘key’ positions.
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.
