TRAINERS’ ASSOCIATION COMES OUT OF THE BLOCKS

By Graham Potter | Friday, March 11, 2011

There are industry meetings and there are industry meetings.

For the most part, history shows that the legacy of the agendas of those passionate racing participants intent on improving the management of their industry through a series of meetings and negotiation with the relevant higher authorities has floundered on the rocks even before it has left the harbour.

This has been due to a variety of reasons, chief of which has been that fact that these agendas have been conducted with more fervour than organization and have been launched from a position of weakness, given the all-encompassing power that is entrenched in the bunker that is Racing Queensland.

Yesterday, in a four-hour meeting, the Queensland Branch of the Australian Trainers’ Association prepared to set sail as they determined to seek clarity from the racing hierarchy, from the local authority to ministerial level, on a number of issues about which they are clearly extremely concerned.

The meeting was, at times, punctuated with all the fervor and emotion that has gone before, but the outcome was tempered by a solid, measured resolve which ultimately translated into game-plan with which to carry the cause forward.

During the meeting the Trainers’ Association was also able to solicit the support, in principle, of both the Queensland Breeders’ Association and the Queensland Racehorse Owners’ Association, whose representatives were in attendance, which will give the movement a greater presence as it goes about its business.

A spokesman for the Trainers’ Association put the situation in this context. “We think it is time we were given a bit more notice. When we talk about trainers, I think trainers are also major players as far as the ownership of racehorses is concerned. So I think we have a dual role. We act as trainers. We act on behalf of owners and we are owners, so I think our importance to the industry is really what it is all about,

“If we don’t have owners we don’t have racing. If we don’t have trainers we don’t have racing. So I think we’ve got to be bringing the importance of our position within the industry to the notice of the racing hierarchy.

“We have real concerns in a number of areas. By taking them forward collectively we’ve got something to go with a bit of substance to it and hopefully our efforts will enhance our industry.”

Racing Queensland was invited to attend the meeting but representatives were unable to attend, citing the pressure of the workload of dealing with three codes and previous appointments as the reasons for their no show.

Racing Queensland did however contact the meeting and asked that their points of concern be sent through to the ruling body so they could be addressed at a meeting which Racing Queensland offered to set up with representatives of the Trainers’ Association at a future time.