MY CALL - PROFESSIONAL KNOCKERS ARE AT IT AGAIN!

By David Fowler | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

David Fowler is the principal thoroughbred caller for Radio TAB. David, who is a keen form student and punter, has enjoyed a lifetime involvement in the racing media. His personal blog, ‘My Call’, appears exclusively on HRO.

Nothing like politics to overshadow the wonderful racing we have experienced over the past two months.

Kevin Dixon and his team have barely made the seats warm at RQ headquarters and the knockers are into full stride again.

By the way, this is the same bunch that blasted Bentley and co. at every possible opportunity.

Are some people ever happy in life or are they just there to analyse every situation that comes up and take the negative angle to it?

Let me explain …

Read this quote carefully and then read it again. "I believe that under the former administration there was a lessening of the importance of metropolitan racing that needs to be addressed"

That viewpoint from Rob Heathcote has now made him the "enemy of the bush" according to the critics who eagerly jumped on the statement from the latest edition of the Queensland Racing magazine.

Give me a break!

Heathcote is totally right. The animosity and unfairness shown to the BRC and its predecessors (BTC and QTC) was clearly on display and by saying as much, Heathcote is not putting the dagger into country racing at all.

Talk about drawing a long bow … but they did it.

Most reasonably-minded country participants understand that metropolitan racing must be strong and robust for the entire state to reap any rewards (read increased prizemoney).

The plain facts are that country racing can't contribute back to the industry financially because of their non TAB status. They need the city clubs to perform well with turnover so the slice of the pie returned to the industry from Tattsbet will be healthier.

Surely that's not rocket science. As Heathcote says, the flow on effect will happen from healthy metropolitan racing.

And some emails forwarded to other websites criticising Heathcote for this comment were downright offensive.

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The critics complained loudly about RQ integrity trump Jamie Orchard for a long time and eventually he was gone.

Allan Reardon has now been appointed to take the reins in integrity but from a different viewpoint.

So "they" should be happy.

Not at all! Why wasn't the job advertised? Jobs for the boys they squeal.

Again … take two …give me a break!

Reardon is respected nationally and internationally and his mentoring role will be invaluable.

And, personally, I hope he smartens up some of the stewards that will be under his direction … not necessarily in the thoroughbred code.

We're lucky to have him. It’s as simple as that.

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Bart Sinclair and Kevin Dixon are friends. What a sin!

Apparently the critcis believe Sinclair and Dixon shouldn't be friends and then we would get fairer reporting in the Courier Mail.

Again … take three … give me a break!

Since Dixon and co. took over, I cannot find one thing that they could be comprehensively cricticised for so what do the baggers expect?

I have run into the same traffic problems over the years with my association with Kevin Seymour.

Let me say Seymour, and Dixon for that matter, have reached their positions in racing through strong business sense. They are highly successful in everyday life.

Seymour and I have fought, and still fight, over harness racing matters in our roles as committee members at Albion Park, but it's these robust discussions that good decisions come out of.

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The wash-up is we are headed in the right direction.

Prizemoney increases have been made … modest but a small step that needed to happen.

And the entire industry is being engaged, statewide and with all codes.

But the rebuilding process can't happen overnight and cheap criticism is not an option.

Until next week.

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