THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN - TRAINERS AT ODDS IN SEARCH FOR WORK-COVER SOLUTION

By Graham Potter | Sunday, September 2, 2012

The one constant thorn in the side of racing in Queensland is the failure of its core participants to recognize that their contribution will either help set up the future success of the industry or help condemn it to failure.

If they worked by that premise, logic would suggest that more care would be taken in distinguishing between those two courses of action.

As it is, you don’t require a degree in rocket science to understand that if you pull something in two directions hard enough it is likely to tear apart and shatter into so many pieces that you might never be able to fit them together again. Conversely, if you pull together, it can only strengthen the cause.

The recent furore about the issue of work-cover premiums payable by trainers is the latest example of dissention in the ranks.

A body of trainers in South East Queensland want changes to the existing system where exorbitant rates are applied on a staff wage based system while some trainers in smaller racing centres have reportedly mentioned taking industrial action if such changes are made as they see that as compromising their existence.

God forbid, that trainers of different status from different areas should come together to pound out a compromise outcome which all could live with.

No, apparently they’d rather pummel each other in a self defeating exercise until one section can claim a ‘win’ at the other’s expense.

To be fair, there is no easy solution to the work-cover problem, but the more difficult the equation, the more participants need to work together in order to solve it.

Remember trainers are just one sector of this multi-faceted industry. Owners, jockeys have problems of their own and most racing administrators are trying to keep their balance while walking a tight-right over a waterfall, or that is what it must seem like to them as they try to govern in precarious circumstances.

The bottom line in this instance is that if trainers can’t come up with a deal that will look after their collective interests, nobody else is going to do it for them.

At the moment it seems like the old ‘north versus south’ standoff, not exactly at war, but flying different flags with different ambitions

That is not the way to go.

Remember the pulling in two directions, the tearing apart and the shattering in different pieces.

Unless common-sense comes into play fairly quickly, somebody is not going to survive the on-going tug-of-war in trainer-land!