ROB'S SHOUT - WAITING TO SEE THAT LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL GET A LITTLE BRIGHTER

By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, April 26, 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.

The new Racing Minster, Hon Steve Dickson kindly gave The Australia Trainers Association President, Pat Duff, the secretary, Cameron Partington and myself a half hour of his time in his ministerial offices last week.

It was very refreshing to have basically a one on one chat with the man at the head of our industry. He said the reins of the racing industry are now firmly in the Governments hands and he will keep a very close eye how things are run, contrary to the previous administration where a free run of the ship was given with no accountability.

Any doubts we may have had about the new minister being anything less than a straight shooter were quickly dispelled with his opening salvo! He said they have already accomplished plenty in the initial couple of weeks at the helm and, fair to say, there has already been a pretty sharp and brutal execution with minimal bloodshed!

The new ministry has acted quickly in 'encouraging' Kevin Dixon to take over the helm at racing Queensland. Mr Dickson did say that like all Government departments there is going to be plenty of 'belt tightening' as we come out of the debacle of the previous government, but his assurances that the next year or so can see racing get right back on track gave us plenty of encouragement.

I have also joined the chorus of many in the industry in requesting we need prize money increases across the board in all three codes and metro and country racing, but as the previous board re-iterated on so many occasions, the cake is only so big and you can only divide it in so many ways.

The task that confronts the new board is not an enviable one and it is important we allow the new regime the time to settle in and make the calls as they see fit.

I do fully support the appointment of Kevin Dixon to the chair of the new board. Kevin has been a long time participant in racing, right at the coalface as both a breeder and as an owner racing many horses in and around South East Queensland.

He has seen first-hand the plight the industry is in and, in his role as an administrator with the Brisbane Racing Club, he has also seen how the cash strapped clubs have had to cope during some trying and often conflicting times with the previous controlling body.

Anyway, there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge. I remember the promises and dreams of 15 years ago for our industry only too well, so I am more than willing to wait a bit longer to see that light at the end of tunnel get a little brighter!

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Anzac Day this year and our states racing was at Toowoomba on the cushion track, Kilcoy and a couple of country meets at Cunnamulla and Burdekin!

Gee, I reckon there'd be a digger or two would turn in their grave at that thought of that!

I see where fellow HRO blogger, David Fowler is not all too happy about the situation either!

You know what though, I might let you into a little secret. I reckon the cost of running a public holiday race meet at the Metropolitan tracks is a loser for the club and they are only too happy to not have the meeting!

Yes, maybe true … and it adds to the sad tale of woe as to where our industry currently sits if I am on the money!

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How great was it for a young 'Queenslander' in the 'T Bar kid' to notch his first win at Group 1 level last Saturday at Randwick.

Tony Gollan's efforts to win the Galaxy with Temple Of Boom is further testimony to the skill and expertise of many of the Queensland trainers and another example of the continuing success the local trainers have had in the past few years when we have ventured south onto the big stage. Throw in the efforts of Stewart Kendrick with his good filly in the Slipper as well.

Good onya Tony and congratulations to your mom and dad. They must be immensely proud of you even if you must have been a bugger of a kid!

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I had a bit of a chuckle with David Fowlers recent comments in his blog regarding a leave pass from the RSPCA to give my cat a kick when I got home after the Eagle Farm meeting last Saturday.

Thankfully we have about four cats so after the day I had last Saturday, with three marginal second placings and very close third and fourth (under a head), I needed all of those cats to get the Chinaman off my back!

Seriously though, I have been in the game long enough to know that to win any race in town, you do need a lot to go your way and I was still very happy with those horses’ respective runs as we head into the Winter Carnival.

It could so easily have been four winners for the day, but lady luck does have a unique way of sharing it around a bit and mine will come soon enough!

Funny, I felt good today as I had a good whine to the handicappers about how spot-on they are getting it with my horses getting beaten in photos under high weights. Nathan Bourke and Lester Grimmett are excellent councilors and funny how they always seem to make me feel like I have just bought a used car off them when I finish the conversation.

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Another day of top competitive racing awaits us on Saturday with the return of our own stable star in Buffering.

The carnival is getting well and truly warmed up here in Brisbane with the running of the Group 2 Victory stakes. The Buff is defending his title from last year and wow, where did that bloody year go?

My bloke will be expected to win with his recent deeds against Black Caviar and Hay List at Flemington, but experience has taught me that it ain’t over until the fat lady sings.

Adebisi was awesome in the Bribie, Spirit Of Boom is in sensational form, Scenic Blast has been at the very top of the tree and with the 'OLD' maestro back on top of him he is capable of anything. Border Rebel seems to grow a leg up here and Tiger Tees is owned by a few mates of mine. He's a half brother to Our Lukas who is an old stable favourite having won two Ipswich Cups for me!

I have been delighted with Buffering’s lead up work and Jimmy Byrne takes over the reins for this Group 2 assignment as a reward for all his work with Buffering prior to his Autumn trip south! May you give him a pearler Jimmy!

Of course I have to mention the 'Mare That Stops A Nation'! She is a freak and the freak show rolls onto the city of Cathedrals! I reckon Black Caviar will get ‘em rockin’ so good onya Pete for keeping her away from Brisbane

Whoops, maybe I shouldn't have said that!

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Something I will always love about this wonderful … call it what you want, a sport, an industry, a business or a passion or whatever is the fact that there will always be so many differing opinions and that's what makes racing so special.

Sure, we live in a free democratic society with total freedom of speech and the right to their own opinion which has been hard won throughout this countries wars. Maybe that's why racing has always been so special to our veterans who have fought for that freedom.

Whether it is right or wrong, everyone is indeed entitled to that opinion! Well, maybe that is not entirely correct in racing if you happen to be a licensee as it would seem it's very easy to bring racing ‘into disrepute’ as we have seen in the recent past!

In racing there will always be plenty of examples of differing opinions and, as I have said, that is the right of everyone.

Having said that, it continues to amaze me to read the crap that is so often written and spoken by so many self confessed experts in this racing industry, sport or passion or whatever!

No doubt it is the same in footy, golf, lawn bowls or whatever but my focus is always on thoroughbred racing.

I guess it's also indicative of the industry to a degree that such ‘experts’ can profit from the self confessed expert opinions by selling tips, but as my dad always said to me … if what these twits peddled is so good then why don't they just back ‘em themselves?

Selling tips for profit is a part of the racing business and it’s been around for many, many years. Good luck to them for selling their confidences to those who lack their own abilities to figure it out themselves!

What often makes me smile though are those who believe they are indeed experts and have proven credentials on a level that allows them to constantly bag the industry when favourites get beat, bag the jocks when they make an error, bag the trainers when their favourites don't win, bag the track staff when the ratings are off a touch and, of course, the stewards when decisions do not go their way.

Experts with opinions only and absolutely no expertise aside from a forum to voice their opinions! I think that description would be closer to the truth.

My point is that it's always easy to be critical of people and the job they perform, but self confessed experts with no expertise in their own right or certainly no recognised qualifications should perhaps exercise a little restraint with, what really is, their less than expert comments.

A perfect example of what I am talking about are the comments made about last Saturday’s Group 1 Galaxy at Randwick by a self confessed expert on his website where he stated … 'the Group 1 Galaxy is generally a poor race!’

What a total lack of respect and understanding for the industry this 'expert' has. I am sure there are people that are influenced by such crap, but a closer look at the Galaxy showed a good field of classy, well credentialed horses!

Fools will always bag horses when they are not up to the Sunlines or Makybe Divas or Black Caviars of the world, but there are not many that are.

The Galaxy field had had won in excess of half a million dollars in their careers and all had earned the right to compete in this Group 1 race. It was a field worthy of the race and twits who fail to recognize that fact will never be satisfied in this industry.

Tell me is that was a poor Group 1 race field and I will tell you that you're expectations far outweigh reality.

Now try and tell Tony Gollan it was a poor race and I can only guess what his comment back would be ... #@*&@$^# etc!

I guess that brings us back to my earlier point. We are all entitled to our opinions and you now have some idea of what mine is!

I hope you had a great Anzac Day break.

Good health.

Cheers.
Robert

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