ROB'S SHOUT - DAWN OF A NEW ERA
By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, March 29, 2012
Robert Heathcote is the leading racehorse trainer in Brisbane. 'Rob's Shout' - the personal blog of the multi-premiership and Group 1 winning trainer will appear every Thursday on HRO.
Hello once again from what is certainly the dawn of a new era in racing in this state. I can only hope and pray it is a successful era!
The election last weekend rattled the state’s politics right to the very core with an amazing mandate from the people of Queensland given to the Liberal National Party which has already seen dramatic consequences for the Racing Industry.
The recent resignations of four leading executives immediately after the election just shows how significant politics had become in the present racing administration.
I commented last week how wrong I believe it is that politics have played such a significant role in our state’s racing administration.
I want to applaud Graham Potter for what I believe is the most balanced and well written article on the current state of affairs in racing. Graham runs and owns the horseracingonly website, whom I write my blogs for on an exclusive basis, and you can understand from his recent blog , which can be read here … Graham Potter ... why I am very happy to be a part of Grahams team!
No, I am not suggesting Graham run for a position on the new board … ha, he will find that funny … but our industry is certainly in for a challenging period, particularly if you throw in the fact that there may well even be a government investigation into the alleged payouts for the recently departed executives who have jumped ship after the LNP Tsunami!
Here are a couple of paragraphs of Graham’s article which I believe needs to be read by as many people in this industry as possible.
‘Decent men and woman in business throughout the world have become board members with the best of intentions and then fallen prey to the dizziness of
power. It is not that power corrupts necessarily it is just being allowed the freedom to do what you like … unchecked, means you will end up doing what you like, often to the detriment of others.
‘How to find a way to the monitor performance and ensure accountability of top racing officials is just about as big a problem facing racing as all of the others put together.
‘I don't have a ready-made answer to this 'accountability' situation, particularly in an industry so badly fragmented and still smarting from the pain of the many wounds that have been (often self) inflicted on it.
‘I do recognize a ready-made challenge though.
‘It is one that needs to conquered soon otherwise the road that racing is travelling might start to look familiar.
‘The repair of Metropolitan racing (from tracks to marketing its image), finding the correct fiscal balance between city and country racing, stake money levels, the reversion to individual codes, marketing, promotion, promotion … there is just so much work to be done to ensure that the wonderful product that is racing is managed to its maximum and that the future of those thousands of employees within the industry is secured.
‘Whatever the perceived ills of the past or the promises of the future, it will only be hard work undertaken within the framework of a power and priority structure that draws on the strength of all participants that will give racing its chance to regain some vital footing.
“Racing can't afford to blow the opportunity. The starting point … the direction the new racing body takes in its first couple of steps … will be all important.
‘Which brings us back to the three stand out points tackled in this article and the question that racing industry stakeholders need to answer.
‘An apolitical racing board, filled with members who have no conflict of interest and who will held accountable for their performance … is that just wishful thinking or a necessary blueprint if racing is to survive?
‘Until it is implemented, either in part of in its entirety, I allow it will be wishful thinking.
‘Until it is implemented, either in part of in its entirety, racing will be remain at risk to its own power-brokers!’
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Great to see the Met Bureau has said that the weather event known as La Nina has officially passed. It has drenched us this past three months so hopefully we
can get back onto some Good 3 race tracks in the very near future.
It just makes all aspects of racing so much easier … from us trainers preparing the horses to the punters doing their form! It sure has been a frustrating time and it will take time for things to get back to normal!
Anyway, back to what l know best and that is my horses!
I was right last week in that Hay List would be vulnerable in The William Reid Group 1. Unfortunately it wasn’t one of my horses knocking the champ off but Foxwedge!
Funny though, but Michael Rodd said that Buffering was not totally at home on the track even though he has won a Group 3 race at the Valley.
That can actually be seen as he seemed to 'crab' around the home turn into the straight and Michael later said that he thought he had slipped and he then lost some momentum. He balanced him up again and he still fought it right out to the line for another satisfying Group 1 placing.
Buffering is now enjoying a little freshen up out at Kev Thomas's Washpool Lodge to recover from his trip back home. He has had three very tough runs so a little break will do him the world of good!
I want him to defend his title in the Group 2 Victory stakes at Eagle Farm on the 28th April and then onto the Group 1 BTC Cup and maybe the Doomben 10,000.
The sun on his back for 10 days should see him bounce back with his mojo firing!
Woorim threw in a shocker at the Valley but he has done that before when he has not been comfortable on a track surface. Maybe it was a touch too firm for him but he seems to have come out of the race well so he's now in Sydney getting ready for a crack at the George Ryder on Saturday week.
A good run in that will see him take on the very best in the famed Doncaster mile a fortnight later!
Oddly enough, his third-up run last prep at Caulfield was a 'Barry Crocker' as well and we put that down to the firmness of the track and he bounced back from that poor run to win again.
He is good enough at his best so it's up to us to have him right on the day … always a challenge with this lad, but he will always be my favourite delivering me my first win at the highest level!
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Worthy of mention also is the winner of the William Reid, Foxwedge, trained by John O'Shea, who is otherwise going through a testing time at the moment with supposed failure to properly disclose a possible fault with a horse to a purchaser.
O’Shea has been sued and ordered to a pay substantial amount of money.
Trainers obviously have a duty of care to the truth, particular when a formal vet assessment has been made so at very least this was a costly error of judgment by O'Shea, but I do have a lot of sympathy for John in this instance as any yearling will always have an element of risk associated with it when purchased.
There is no guarantee at all with any yearling, but it certainly is an enormous reminder to every trainer and bloodstock agent now to fully disclose all information pertaining to any yearling purchase!
It does seem ironic that the owner in this case is a debt collector by profession and here he is taking a high profile trainer to court in an industry where there are owners who default on paying their bills but, in spite of that, are still allowed to keep racing by the authorities … but that's another blog for another day.
The industry is holding a fundraising night for John to assist with the legal costs of his case. This has caused plenty of comment particularly with the man successes John has had at the highest level … and the potential value of Foxwedge as a stallion is sure to produce a windfall for John!
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Speaking of sales, the recent QTIS sales at the Magic Millions were a success for the local breeding industry.
The nice yearlings brought good money, so good in fact that I was a bit quiet getting out-bid on many of the nicer lots!
I have pre-determined prices when I bid on any horse and when that's exceeded, I am happy to wait another day.
I did manage to pick up a very nice High Chaparral colt at great value though. He will complement the Savabeel and the Keeper staying bred yearlings I recently acquired in New Zealand with my aim to be competitive in the three-year-old staying races in a couple of years time … and maybe even some more important staying races later in their careers if they can measure up!
You just have to keep the dream alive!
Until next week.
Good health and cheers.
Robert
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