August 14, 2015
The South East Country Racing Association was represented by its President Lyle Murray at a key Racing Queensland planning session conducted at Eagle Farm on Thursday.
The three hour meeting involved presentations by the Acting RQ Chief Executive Officer Ian Hall and organisational officials, along with small group discussions and other interactive opportunities.
Participants at this gathering were all from race clubs.
The task for the assembled delegates from the metropolitan and provincial clubs in the south-east, Toowoomba, Townsville and some other country associations was to generate ideas to address RQ’s financial situation.
The sitting was part of the process announced by Bill Byrne, Minister for Sport and Racing on July 16.
He indicated that “action must be taken to stem mounting and unsustainable financial losses at Racing Queensland”.
The Minister released details of the scale of the task facing the industry and declared there would be broad consultation on Racing Queensland’s plan to secure a sustainable future.
“The quoted $28 million shortfall for 2015-16 is not accurate. The returns to Queensland from Victorian and New South Wales betting on our racing were not included in the figures. Another factor to be considered is the impact of Eagle Farm’s closure on turnover,” Murray said.
“Some of the areas touched on were the Jockeys’ Superannuation costs, the question of reviewing the high stakes in races like the $2 million Stradbroke and increasing some starter’s fees.”
Murray noted that country placings incur a deduction of $173 for first to third, whereas the first four in town have a fee of just $225.
“There is a massive difference in the gross prize money and that is not reflected in the prizemoney take-outs,” he said.
“The concept of selling Deagon did not arise, nor did any suggestion of culling country racing. One worry was the news that the deal for the corporate bookmaking charges is to be decided next month but there is no Board in place to negotiate this crucial business.
“The meeting was encouraged to explore various ways of finding efficiencies. It must be said that the financial position quoted was skewed towards the worst case scenario.”
Pleasingly, the process for the contributors did not end on Thursday.
There are other sector meetings involved, and when the full set has been completed all the material will be summarised, redistributed, and another round of talks will follow.
The man in the street is probably wondering how much of the problem lies with the enormous run of course redevelopments that traced back to a previous era with the monumental projects of track and stabling at Caloundra.
The works have more recently stretched through to major alterations to the likes of Rockhampton (post-flood), Gold Coast (facilities), Mackay, Ipswich, Cairns, Townsville and Eagle Farm.
The proposed re-building of the Gold Coast track has been in the wings for quite some time as well.
Stay tuned for more details in next week’s Gossip.
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Worth Following
Serious students of the game do place credence on what is known as “franked form”, and the strategy involves tracking placegetters.
If they perform well, the form for that particular race is naturally regarded as being stronger than if they were all subsequent failures.
A number of Nanango Cup day runners have since prospered.
The Maiden over 800 metres saw Rosa Marguerita down Love Stories. Indestructible and Ibelieveicanfly.
Last weekend at Roma, that winner scored again for Stephanie Lacy and trainer Ben Waldron.
Instead of taking the more common Class B or Class 1 step up, the mare successfully accounted for her rivals at Class 2 level.
Elsewhere on the card, Billy Goat improved on his third placing in the Nanango Cup to take out the $10,000 Celebration Country Series Handicap.
Last Sunday, Ibelieveicanfly prevailed at the Dalby TAB fixture.
So it will be fascinating to see what Indestructible does on Sunday at Caloundra.
The Deagon gelding is nicely drawn in the opener, a Maiden over 1,000 metres.
Jeff Lloyd has the mount and it should be of value in the odds department.
Also at Dalby, Nautical Lad and Canaden, both out of the money at Lee Park, finished first and third respectively in maiden grade while Gaelstrom, the 2015 XXXX Carrollee Hotel Nanango Cup heroine, was not disgraced in running third at $11 in the $20,000 Showcase Handicap.
The Bel Esprit mare’s task was 300 metres shorter than her metric mile assignment just a week earlier.
In general terms, Nanango’s 1 August program was highly competitive.
That outcome was always on the cards with such a large number of diverse stables supplying candidates.
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The Waiting Game
This weekend’s statewide schedule provides no non-TAB meetings in the Downs or South East districts.
This ridiculous situation means that a swag of jockeys have time on the sidelines or are travelling long distances to ply their trade.
Hannah English is off to Cunnamulla where she will partner two hopefuls for Patrick Sexton and three for Raymond Frazer.
Jessie Philpot, fresh from a double at Gladstone last Saturday, will also ride there for Roma conditioner Wayne Baker.
Wondai’s Norma King has accepted at the remote spot with Fiscal Cliff.
Meanwhile Isabella Rabjones will journey to Emerald and Michael Murphy will sport silk at Innisfail.
It is timely to point out that these apprentice movements indicate the dilemma that will be in vogue if, in the fullness of time, there is any significant reduction in the number of non-TAB fixtures.
Racing Queensland has some form of promotional booth at the Brisbane Show.
Any interested youngster contemplating an equine based career may need to wait and assess the impact of RQ’s finalised savings package.
