The subjective nature in rule imposition, track preparation and condition, a likely courtroom contest and wagering turnover gets attention in this edition of the Sunday Afternoon “Finish On”.
Per Do-Re-Mi, let’s start at the very beginning, (it’s) a very good place to start and that is the Bundaberg Cup – won by Springview Magic in late March yet the winner’s purse of $75,000 was only paid this week.
Initially there was comment around the bona fides of the brindle dog’s ownership yet this dispute involves the Bundaberg meeting of March 13 which was abandoned after just two of the nine races were conducted.
Springview Magic was a late scratching due to weight variation that day and incurred a mandatory incapacitation stand-down but that was set aside when the meeting was abandoned.
All weights for all dogs who did not race on that day were expunged and the rules of racing do not materially cover this rare occurrence except for banned substances re the presentation to race aspect.
Rather than be ineligible for the March 20 Bundaberg Cup heats, Springview Magic was allowed to start, finishing second to Inevitable in 29.97 before holding All Natural at bay seven days later to snare the biggest prize ever offered in a greyhound race in Central Queensland.
The Rules of Racing don’t seem to specifically address this issue and the winner’s prize is a major leap from second ($18,750) yet this action is not about promotion/relegation, it’s whether Springview Magic was eligible for the series.
At the end of the day, the winner will be the lawyers.
Meanwhile, clarity around this in Greyhounds Australasia’s Rules of Racing needs to be addressed.
GRV’S ISSUES
The abandonment of the Horsham meeting on Tuesday following Zipping Faye’s impressive win over 485m in a sharp 27.09 had many nonplussed.
Four races over 410m preceded Zipping Faye’s assignment and the winner’s times were quite respectable but trainers soon complained that the track surface was ‘patchy’ in places and unsafe.
Stewards agreed and the final seven races were abandoned but how did this bizarre episode happen?
Was the track curation improperly undertaken re watering as the day’s climatic conditions certainly had nothing to do with the abandonment.
GRV have an investigation underway re Horsham yet that track’s issue is not isolated.
The fix should be plain for management to see.
It’s about attitude, professionalism and taking responsibility.
Lost meetings can be circumstantial and mistakes happen but work ethic has been the root of evil in meetings lost in NSW in recent times and its likely to be the same across borders.
Better news for trainers in the Gippsland region is that the renovation at Sale is progressing apace.
Sale is expected to start trialling next month with a view to have non-wagering meetings in August before a return to racing in September.
Cranbourne, however, is a little more problematic. It’s only progressed to quantitative surveying stage and a return to racing date is only be possible via a crystal ball.
With both tracks out of place, Warragul and Sandown have increased trial sessions but it’s still not an ideal outcome for trainers.
CLARITY
Thursday’s program at Albion Park was highlighted by the Group 1 Flying Amy yet the track condition was a real talking point when the dust had settled.
In recent months, times at Albion Park have been appreciably slower than what had been posted 12 or so months back.
When times in the 29.50’s were commonplace at AP, the Clegg Hammer rating for the track was as high as 10 but the surface is now prepared to range between six and eight – essentially softer under foot and safer for racing.
Safety is always a priority yet the lack of disclosure around track conditions – for owners, trainers and punters alike – is just appalling.
Imagine if punters betting on Saturday’s Stradbroke Handicap meeting at Eagle Farm were denied track condition reports!
Punters need to know how a track is expected to race before placing a bet and, for way too long, administrators have treated punters like mugs.
There’s no reason whatsoever why post-meeting analysis (of times) should not be published by stewards (in meeting reports) and for form guides to convey that message to punters in terms of form transparency.
The wagering dollar is in decline (just ask Racing Victoria) and that’s due to higher taxes.
Higher taxes ensure bookies increase margins (lessening the return to punters by lower odds) and that, like increased poker machine take outs, sees a punter lose his money at an accelerated rate.
Without reinvestment, turnover drops which, at the end of the day, sees less return to industry and prize money is the first casualty.
The November 2013 decision by regulators to increase (gouge) take outs on exotic markets facilitated a sharp decline in Trifecta, First 4 etc pools and history is repeating itself.
Responsible Gambling ads which have recently been foisted on every medium are a complete furphy and only appease those trying to make themselves important – the anti-gambling lobby.
I’d expect not one single punter has ever taken credence of the RG messages and how many rusted-on smokers are deterred by adverse advertising. The real answer (for poker machine players and the three racing codes) is for Govt to decrease take outs and let people win more.
PLACE TO RACE
There’s no doubt Queensland greyhound racing is going gangbusters and the prize money on offer is quite remarkable.
A simple and prime example is Saturday’s Ipswich meeting with 520m maiden winner Hole In One securing $3510 while a NSW maiden (at the same distance range) snares $1200 and $1900 is the number in Victoria (at The Meadows on Wednesday).
WA, however takes top billing with at $4660 going to Bo Cruz at Cannington on Wednesday yet, in terms of the eastern seaboard, Queensland is in a league of its own.
Staying races attain quite fantastic prize money in Queensland and, in February, RQ even increased the travel subsidy for stayers given the infrequency to race while short course sprinters can race twice a week.
Racing Victoria made news last week with the decision to lower prize money and Greyhound Racing Victoria quickly assured participants their intent to maintain their excellent returns but GRV still have problems to solve.
Pressure will come on all jurisdiction’s revenue in coming months and it will take a steady hand to guide each state entity through these troubled times. Costs are spiralling and breeding numbers are in decline.
LIFT YOUR GAME
There have been times when up to five stewards have been on duty at metro meetings (The Meadows and Sandown) in Victoria while as few as three are on deck in NSW and, quite frequently, four in Queensland.
The Greyhounds Australasia rules can be circumvented by local offerings but there’s a real issue with the national guidelines if consistency is not maintained.
How about this contest at Warragul on June 4!
And this is all GRV’s four on duty stewards saw:
And then there’s the return to racing offering by Golden Go in a June 2 Bendigo clearance trial – he ran 24.999 for 425m yet was cleared to race all tracks except Healesville.
The average winning time (for nine races conducted over 425m) that day was 24.04. The black dog was found to be injured and maybe that’s the reason for the particularly slow time yet he was still cleared – no trial needed again – to return to racing. How’s this possible?
Surely another trial (when fully fit) would protect punters but someone needs to get GRV’s stewards up to speed on what is or is not a racing incident.
Then there’s shenanigans of Frank’s News in the day’s opener at Capalaba today.
Frank’s News, a former Victorian, had not raced for just on 10 months when finishing last at his debut at Geelong and slapped with a “Failing To Chase” infringement.
At Capalaba, he worked to second in the latter stages yet lost interest in the lure and lunged at leader Two Spot Malt which allowed favourite Shian Coco to prevail in a slow 20.37.
In Queensland, Frank’s News failed five return to racing trials before being passed at Capalaba on May 28 when third in a very tame 20.60.
If the Golden Go situation is not enough, Frank’s News’ antics prove that something must be done to protect punters as stewards seem incapable of reporting/acting on what punters see.
Surely five failed trials tells someone – be it owner, trainer or steward – that he’s not fair dinkum when pursuing any lure. Maybe the metric around failed trials needs to be investigated for a return to racing.
CLOSING DOWN
Anti racing and animal activist buffoons were celebrating with last week’s announcement that the Singapore Government has decided to close down horse racing in the city-state.
At only 283 square miles, development opportunities (land) in Singapore – the third richest in the world in respect of Gross Domestic Product – is at a premium and the 124 hectares at Kranji is an asset which the Government has decided can be better utilised.
Singapore, in 2022 topped the list of the most expensive cities in the world ahead of Tokyo, New York and Hong Kong while the land usage uptake has been roundly applauded by Singaporeans.
In a perverse appraisal, the Singapore decision makers consider wagering at a casino as entertainment while horse racing is gambling.
The speed at which the Government acted was a surprise yet the horses will likely be repatriated to Macau or Malaysia but the human cost is hard to quantify.
Ex-pat trainers will not want to relocate to Malaysia (prize money levels are a fraction of Singapore’s) and the equine import market has now collapsed.
Animal activists promote lies ad nauseam and time has come for greyhound racing in Australia to be more Irish Greyhound Board-like and prosecute peddlers of mis-truths.