MY CALL - REMEMBERING A TIME WHEN RACING COVERAGE CAME IN A MULTI-PAGE LIFT-OUT

By David Fowler | Tuesday, August 5, 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.

Thanks for the memories.

An old line but an appropriate one when the Sunday Mail racing lift-out from April 1993 passed into my hands the other day.

This is what we woke up to after a day at the sports. To my mind, Sunday racing was in its infancy and certainly no Brisbane casino to while away an hour or five.

It was only 16 pages mind you including a four page lift-out for Easter Monday racing the following day.

So there was 12 pages packed with stories, columns and details … yes 12.

I understand that internet was just a kid on the block then and a fair swag of those 12 pages has found its way to the computer screen but it still clearly demonstrates how mainstream print media have shied away from racing.

There was “Paceway” Peter Cameron being forthright from the Sydney Autumn Carnival, Bart Sinclair reporting on industry news and Bruce Clark delivering all the goss from the Eagle Farm meeting. Even the late Wayne Wilson had a cameo role.

Any media outlet suffers when there is a monopoly on opinion and that’s not the fault of the “lone ranger” … say like Nathan Exelby at the Courier-Mail.

But one opinion can unfairly pigeonhole that journo and to a lesser extent, the publication involved.

Even 21 years on, it was delightful reading the variety of opinions from past and present colleagues.

And harness and greyhound racing got their share of space as well, another legacy of days gone by.

Once Gary Keep, the man on the beat, was dispensed with almost 6 years ago, the smaller codes were shot ducks in regards to exposure.

Not only was the promotion side of things lost but so was the avenue to expose shortcomings of administrative bodies and racing’s scoundrels.

I should offer this 16 page lift-out to the Racing Museum folk at Doomben. You’ll never see one like it again.

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The revitalised QTIS scheme announced on the weekend gets all the ticks in the right boxes.

It needed finance and it needed a shake-up and got both.
It will be interesting to see how the perennial critics attempt to spin this as another failure of the Racing Queensland rollout of the recently-brokered wagering deal.

In fact, they run the risk of alienating even some of their supporters if they continue to pedal “it’s not as good as the south” line.

As TBQA trump Basil Nolan significantly pointed out on Radio Tab’s Monday’s Experts program, QTIS pays back to second and third.

Owners have got free racing and more of it in the “new” QTIS and the breeders secure a new bonus for themselves plus welcome the fillies and mares carrot that’s been added.

And thumbs up to the initiative of making QTIS race-day bigger and bolder with a brand spanking new $150,000 race.

The success of any state’s signature breeding scheme usually corresponds to the health of their industry overall.

This announcement should ensure that occurs.

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The month of August invariably throws up winning trainers or jockeys that have had to cool their heels during the big gun months from May to July.

Good to see Brad Smith (Rock Musician), Julie Green (Flying Riddle) and Garnett Taylor (Ms Ba Bella) come up trumps at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

And special mention to Michael Hellyer, a jockey dedicated to his craft and loyal to his supporters.

After partnering Rock Musician to victory at Eagle Farm, he was riding at the Gold Coast only two hours later.

David Fowler