MY CALL - HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENT THE HIGHLIGHT OF THIS YEAR'S WINTER CARNIVAL
By David Fowler | Tuesday, July 3, 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.
Chris Munce's historic achievement will be remembered as the highlight of this year's Winter Carnival.
Unless you were sleeping under a rock, Munce firstly broke Mick Dittman's 32 year old record of the most metropolitan wins in a season then a few races later made it a magical century.
It all happened under glorious skies at the Sunshine Coast on the weekend.
The Carnival has seen loads of exciting racing but unfortunately local successes were few and far between.
Sizzling (Kelso Wood and Munce again) kept the home fires burning with a clean sweep of his winter assignments so it was appropriate that Munce register his 100th winner on the Wood trained Belltone in the feature sprint.
The punters love Munce. Apart from his fantastic winning strike rate, the manner in which he has bounced back after his jail term strikes a chord with all involved in racing.
Munce copped a sentence that wouldn't have been exercised anywhere bar Hong Kong but did his time with as much dignity he could muster and has now put the past behind him.
No delaying tactics before his sentence, no paybacks post sentence. His character has blossomed through adversity.
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Fancy the stewards fining Munce 400 bucks for his celebratory whip gesture on Belltone!
There is not one person I have spoken to who hasn't shaken their head in disbelief at the unnecessary penalty.
Yes, the rule is there for jockeys to be fined but rules are there for interpretation.
Munce is one of the finest jockeys in the land and was well clear of his rivals so posed no threat to the essence of the rule.
The panel would have earned more respect if it had decided not to fine him after treating the case on its merits.
This was one of Munce's finest moments as a jockey, slightly soured by this ill thought out decision.
Fortunately, it didn't spoil the post race good will and was buried in a stipes report.
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Full marks to Racing Queensland for implementing the Oncourse Fielding Incentive Scheme.
Already in play, the OFIS will have a $1.8 million kitty to assist and promote on-course bookmakers.
RQ sensibly sees the key role they play in a raceday and are willing to help.
Significantly, the $1.8 million can also be utilised for promotion if the bookmakers seize upon an idea that will bring more people to the races.
So the ball is back in the court of the bookies statewide.
For too long they have dragged the chain in creative ideas to enhance their product. Now they have the wherewithall to take the ball and run with it.
Let's see what they can do!
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Deloitte's Sustainability Review of the Queensland racing industry, commissioned by RQ, is another step in the right direction.
Downward trends in wagering and attendances might have some legitimate excuses but they can't be ignored.
Denial isn't an option.
Rather than allow an industry to coast from week to week, RQ has decided to look at the big picture and ultimately make some tough decisions out of the final report.
As I outlined in a recent blog, this industry is headed in the right direction, despite what you might read elsewhere.
Until next week.
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