THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN - RENAMING OF BLACKMAN WAS UNNECESSARY AND MISGUIDED

By Graham Potter | Sunday, July 22, 2012

The name Blackman caused a stir in racing this week.

The Registrar of Racehorses, acting on the basis of what was reportedly a single complaint, initiated a process which whereby the name Blackman, given to a horse racing out of the David Hayes stable, was struck from the registrar and the horse was renamed Lady Blackman.

The two-year-old filly, who won on debut, is sired by Excellent Art and was originally named after Australian Artist Charles Blackman. That naming process followed the accepted practice of having a horse take its name from some meaning or connection derived from its sire and dam’s names. No problem there … or at least there shouldn’t have been, just as there are seldom problems with most of the 54 000 names submitted for registration on an annual basis.

What really is the most troubling is that one complaint can carry the day. While I can understand the possible delicate nature of the name in question if a different interpretation is applied, the fact that a clear and unambiguous explanation was firmly in place on this occasion as to why the horse was named Blackman should have short-circuited the whole affair and left it as a non-issue. By any logic, except running scared of political correctness, the complaint should have been rejected.

For all the political rhetoric that has emanated from Myles Foreman, the chief executive of Racing Information Services Australia, following the strong reaction to the name change, the fact is that this decision may have set a precedent which can really come to back to bite racing in the butt.

The genuinely aggrieved have every right to lay a complaint but, as indicated, if a valid explanation is in place, that should be explained to them and they should be accepting of the fact of other people’s rights. But what this decision does is open the door to another whole spectrum of complainants, apart from the genuinely aggrieved.

What about those who are just being mischievous? What about those with an axe to grind? How many horse’s names are open to an interpretation where they can give offence? It might take a twisted mind to find it soemtimes, but we know there are people out there, seemingly with enough time on their hands, who will a find a way.

It is not a good idea given them encouragement.

Myles Foreman will probably say it should never have got to this. As he explained, "There is a provision in the rules that the registrar retains the right to change a horse's name if it deems it necessary. Concerns were raised about the horse's name but we have tried to balance the needs of everyone involved. We engaged in a consultative process with the owners and key contacts at the stable to achieve the right outcome. There was an agreement from the horse's owners to change her name to Lady Blackman."

Lady Blackman! Where does that leave Charles Blackman now? Can he complain?

Or, perhaps more importantly, where does that leave the Registrar of Racehorses the next time there is a call on the complaint line?

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