March 31, 2017
Although Queensland’s wet weather has been welcome on one hand as a valuable stimulus, the downside has included some disruptions to the racing calendar.
Wash-outs have hit Mackay (March 28), Ipswich (March 31, rescheduled for April 4), Rockhampton (March 31), Warwick (April 1), Monto (April 1, rescheduled for June 17) and Bowen (April 8).
The fate of Saturday’s Gold Coast and Doomben programs will be decided during race morning.
The decision to add races to Saturday’s Callaghan Park card as compensation for the loss of Friday’s contests is a twin winner.
Stables get a crack at earning a crust and the bumper line-up will add to the day’s turnover.
Lindsay Anderson and Hannah Phillips are set to team up with Glenthorn Avenue (BM 65, 1200m, 1:52 pm) and Clouds (BM 60, 1050m, 2:32 pm).
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Nanango Thinks Outside The Square
The recent rain means that Lee Park will be in splendid shape for its popular Easter fixture on April 15.
The steady soaking was just ideal a fortnight out from the meeting, which will have “Easter Bonnets, Bowlers and Cottontails” as its Moffattdale Ridge spot judging fashion theme.
The club has also broadened its scope when it comes to building up patronage for its May 27 meeting.
The annual Goomeri Pumpkin Festival will be a real drawcard on Sunday, May 28.
But because many visitors – particularly campers and caravanners – arrive at least a day beforehand to secure a parking space, Nanango race club officials, with the approval of Pumpkin Festival organisers, will be running a bus to the Saturday races from Goomeri this year.
The strategy is sound from a tourism viewpoint.
If it works as well as everyone hopes, the region could end up over time with a wonderful weekend double-header, particularly if both organisations promote each other’s agenda.
The variety over the two days would surely appeal to “grey nomads”.
The Eagle Farm think tank more than a decade ago grasped a similar opportunity to reshape a new style Exhibition Wednesday meeting.
It was a mid-week date so there was a marketing opportunity – the timing denied locals the chance of the long weekend get-away that Friday or Monday public holidays throw up.
There was precious little at the time (apart from the Show) that was a counter attraction to the youthful set.
And – bingo! – the usually empty St Leger Grandstand came back into life.
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Hanging In There
Although Queensland State Government funding is the current major source of financial support for the non-TAB schedule, Racing Queensland’s attitude to the Cairns meeting last weekend showed a welcome flexibility.
Under a previous regime, a program that drew just 22 acceptors across four surviving races would have faced abandonment.
Such an action would have been risky in a period when maintaining the faith of to-day’s players is a priority.
It is necessary to reassure folk who may be contemplating entering the game or shifting their interests interstate, or, worse still, quitting.
Investing in horse-flesh is a long term tie that requires some assurances for several seasons ahead.
So it’s timely to read sections of a Ministerial press release dated Tuesday, February 2, 2016:
Palaszczuk Government meets
with country racing repsRacing Minister Grace Grace met with representatives from the Country Racing Committee (CRC) in Brisbane today to provide clarity and certainty around funding arrangements for country racing over the next four years.
The meeting with representatives from each of the eight country racing associations included discussion about the best use for the Country Racing Support Program – a $21 million, four-year package, designed to ensure that racing in the regions continues.
Ms Grace said that the Queensland Government had stepped up to provide $13 million to offset the amended prize money structure for country racing, contained in Racing Queensland’s Tracking Towards Sustainability plan.
“The plan provides $4 million for each of the first two years to fully maintain country prize money, and then $3 million in year three and $2 million in year four,” she said.
“We have also made provision for a further $2 million per year, over four years, to assist country race clubs in exploring other revenue options into the future.
“Country racing prize money and race meetings will remain at current levels for the next two years from 1 July 2016.”
So, from July 1, 2018 when to-day’s yearlings are about to turn three, there will be a 25% cut to rural prizemoney.
In the next year, that will be up to half of the present levels.
Of course, most folk purchase a youngster with city (or provincial) aspirations in mind.
However the resale value of stock is a factor to be considered.
Mind you, foal production continues to slide so maybe there will be some naturally occurring numerical reasons for cuts to the purses.
There will be a Queensland election before the reductions are due to kick in, so it is not too early for stakeholders to press the flesh of party policy makers to ensure the value of the industry contribution by the non-TAB clubs is understood.
Note: The comprehensive aforementioned Tracking Towards Sustainability plan proposed that, where clubs race between four to seven times a year, the number of non-TAB meetings be reduced to three meetings each.
