THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN - TRI-CODE OPTION A FAILURE ... LET'S MOVE ON!

By Graham Potter | Sunday, March 1, 2015

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the paper these columns are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

The Racing Queensland Board is currently fighting on so many fronts that their overall resources, as exposed so stunningly by their massive integrity department failure, are spread so thin that they might struggle to win a battle.

A new state government has brought uncertainly about the current board’s future. That already created a shaky foundation from which to move forward and when the greyhound scandal struck you could almost feel the building start to sway.

Add in logistical issues, like racetracks where you can’t race, and you would be justified if you had a very real fear of the building, or part of it at least, collapsing.

An over-reaction? Maybe.

Of course racing will survive long-term, but in what form and under whose management?

I have never been a supporter of the Tri-Code model. Putting three racing codes under one administrative banner was, and remains, a ludicrous idea.

Each code has its own sets of demands and each should stand or fall on their own viability without letting the failing of one impact on the prosperity of another.

True, each code’s administrators would then have to work harder to defend, maintain or improve their position, but that is what happens in business and when racing gets that message it will be all the better for it.

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Some say that the Gold Coast Titans drug disaster was just the distraction that racing needed for attention to be taken away from the greyhound ‘live-baiting’ situation.

It’s like that. One media ‘disaster’ overtakes another meaning that some important, contentious issues are pushed aside, giving some of those under stress some much needed breathing space.

Like the Eagle Farm race track fiasco.

Never mind the mistakes that were made ... the premature closing of the track, the dragging of heels in the work tender process, the later than preferred actual start on the project.

That is all past tense (which should be dealt with as a separate issue) but going back to reapportion blame won’t change the present.

My understanding is that money promised has yet to be delivered so where does that leave racing at ‘headquarters’ in the grand scheme of things?

And it is not just inconvenience or a bad look that I’m talking about.

Race-meetings at Eagle Farm and Doomben are the prime betting markets for racing in Queensland. As such, any downturn in the number of meetings at these venues has a negative impact on revenue turnover which then naturally affects the overall well-being of the industry.

The longer Eagle Farm remains closed for racing, the greater the negative impact on the local industry.

Racing participants deserve an honest, no frills, up to date report-back ... right now ... on this unhappy situation.

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It might be an old story but it is as true now as it ever was.

With Eagle Farm’s closure and Toowoomba on an enforced break yet again the Sunshine Coast is carrying an ‘oversized’ burden.

This weekend the club’s schedule was two race meetings within forty eight hours. The second of those (today’s meeting) is one of seven it will they will host in March.

So, while fingers are being pointed in all directions in other matters, it is nice to know someone is going beyond the call of duty.

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