MY CALL - SOME CHANGES I COULD LIVE AND OTHERS I WOULD RESIST. LET'S HOPE SANITY PREVAILS

By David Fowler | Tuesday, February 4, 2014

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.

I might be getting soft seeing I have reached the big "five-o".

My punting mate Dave Dawson will cringe but I think it's time to change the rules when a jockey weighs in light. In other words, I've shifted my stance and think the punter should get his or her cash back if the aforementioned happens rather than the present scenario of disqualification and money gone.

The issue will be a key agenda item at the upcoming national stewards' conference and the number crunchers are confident a change is in the wings.

Basic morality tells you if you can't win you can't lose. It's hard, if not impossible, to argue with that.

The unfairness of winners copping deductions if a money back rule is introduced is not palatable but, let's face it, late scratchings cause deductions as well.

And this sort of occurrence is rare not frequent.

Sorry Double D, it's time for a change.

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I'm not so sure about altering the track rating 1-10 system.

Victoria sprung this on the rest of the nation soon after the Spring Carnival. Surprise, surprise.

A few Flemington committee room drinks with some international trainers wouldn't have discussed the issue, would they?

There is nothing wrong with the present system. In fact, it's a damn sight better than the grouping and change of phraseology that Victoria, and now the ARB, want to introduce.

Let's hope sanity prevails.

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Mishani Troy flipped over in the enclosure before running in the opener at Doomben on Saturday.

He ran unplaced.

Now there is no iron-clad argument that the two can be linked but the form-guide strongly favours the view that horses who injure themselves to some degree pre-race, don't race well during the race.

And not just in the enclosure or the horse stalls but at the barrier or in the barriers.

Statistics will overwhelmingly show a deathly strike rate for horses involved in some form of mishap before their race assignment.

Why not install a blanket rule and order an immediate scratching, protecting both punter and a horse from a short term and long term point of view.

Does anyone want to argue with that?

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Kilcoy hosted a great dual code meeting in early December and the wheels are in motion for another club to host both thoroughbred and harness racing.

The Beaudesert Hibernian Club are in negotiations to run gallops and trots at their end of May meeting.

The trotting races would be run from the 1400m chute, giving them a great run to the first turn at the 950m.

Till next week.

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