January 31, 2016
Nanango apprentice Hannah English continued her remarkable run by saluting at Kilcoy last Tuesday, then doing it again three days later at Toowoomba.
Her respective partners were Darling Be Good from the Clifton yard of Bill Keenan, and Drinking Cocktails prepared by the Toowoomba-based mentor Kevin Kemp.
Since Christmas, English has been engaged by 26 different trainers and has been successful for eight of them, booting home at least one winner at seven out of the 11 meetings she attended.
At the halfway mark of the racing year, English has averaged a winner every five rides.
And according to Racing Australia, she is 15th on Queensland’s all comers table that counts in city, provincial and country results.
In the country ranks, her 26 victories give her a six-win edge over Stephanie Lacy.
Fellow Nanango junior Hannah Philips lowered English’s colours at Warwick on Saturday when Chosen Court prevailed in a photo over Bushbeat, but the Lee Park girls chalked up a pleasing quinella all the same.
Meanwhile, former South Burnett identity Carl Spry has prospered under the Northern Territory’s dual licensing policy.
The Darwin-based trainer-jockey has had 59 mounts this season.
Whilst the vast majority are his stable lodgers, he has registered a 9-10-4 podium form line.
Three of these successes (at Katherine and Adelaide River) were for other trainers.
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Country Clubs Confer
Last Saturday, the South East Queensland Country Clubs Association held its annual meeting at Doomben racecourse.
Aspects of these discussions will be touched on next week.
However, one item of immediate concern came from a Racing Queensland media release dated January 22.
It stated that Racing Queensland has strengthened its support for Queensland race clubs across all three racing codes with the establishment of a new team designed to directly assist clubs develop for the future.
“In an initiative developed under the State Government’s Country Racing package, experienced racing administrator David Aldred has moved from the role as Operations Manager – Harness to the new role of Club Liaison and Development Manager,” the release announced.
“He will be supported by additional staff members Lucy McIntosh (Club Liaison and Development Officer), who has moved from a Brand Manager role, and Shaun Drury (Facility Maintenance and Development Officer).
“The additional Club Development resource is designed to enable Racing Queensland to better assist the state’s 129 race clubs in the development of alternative revenue streams and to improve managing systems.
“David and his team have already started the process of liaising with the state’s 129 clubs and the industry will see the benefit of this resource in the coming weeks and months,’ said Racing Queensland Acting Chief Executive Officer Ian Hall.”
So what is the matter with this?
Well to start, there are only 107 country clubs in Queensland.
So one concern is that part of the State Government’s $8 million of special funding announced for country racing late last year will be spent outside the rural parameter.
It is little wonder that cynicism greets proclamations about broad-brush funding initiatives.
The devil is in the detail, and published intent is often altered.
Although the money is not to be spent just yet, non-TAB clubs have little alternative but to think they will be shortchanged.
