MY CALL - RQ MUST SHOULDER BLAME FOR WAGERING DOWNTURN ON QUEENSLAND RACING

By David Fowler | Tuesday, March 17, 2015

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.

Racing Queensland (RQ) must shoulder the blame for the downturn on wagering on Queensland racing.

I understand RQ must feel like a proverbial dartboard at the present time but the dip in wagering could have been avoided.

One of the main reasons has been happening right under our noses and despite some protesting, it's been allowed to continue.

Make no mistake, the slump in figures is a concern for all. Punters' participation, or lack of it, is inextricably linked to prize-money levels.

The unnecessary "over protection" of Doomben, Queensland's strongest brand for betting, has seen an alarming absence of metropolitan racing in preference to racing at the Gold Coast and Caloundra.

You can call them "metropolitan meetings" but the bottom line is the Doomben brand sits more comfortably with the punter than the provincial venues.

Sure, Eagle Farm's closure can be cited for the rearrangement of dates and venues but it can't be held as the primary reason for the "turnoff" of turnover.

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Here are some simple facts that should ring some alarm bells.

Since the start of the year, there have been four Brisbane Saturday meetings out of 11 available dates.

I'll concede two of those were washouts

And the BRC weren't strangers to losing a few Saturdays in the latter part of 2014 either.

The cuddling of Doomben is evident in these figures. Doomben has raced seven times in 2015 compared to Sunshine Coast (13), Gold Coast (10) and Ipswich (8).

Is this sensible?

Is it a coincidence that the provincial tracks are suffering from bias and wear and tear while Doomben plays like a bowling green?

As this blog outlined some time ago, transferring the Tatts feature race day to Gold Coast and Queensland Cup day to the Sunshine Coast beggared belief.

It is beyond argument this imbalance has had a serious effect on turnover and it can't be allowed to continue if the Eagle Farm project lags.

Let's use the best track with the best brand ... and more often!

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As a media participant, I was sad to see TVN's end last weekend.

Some talent will move to Sky while some will have to seek other opportunities in racing.

The teams in Sydney and Melbourne handled their last day with humour and grace. It was a fitting finale to the 10 year tenure.

TVN was clearly financially flawed but brought plenty to the table in the way of its coverage.

One would like to think it gave Sky a wake-up call on more than one occasion.

Let's hope that now a monopoly of sorts exists again, a "my way or the highway" attitude doesn't prevail from the corridors of Sky.

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Matt Hill hasn't been lost to race broadcasting.

In fact if you listen carefully over the next few months, his dulcet tones will be heard at a Victorian trotting meeting here or there.

"I'm presently freelancing and Harness Racing Victoria have asked me to assist them on the odd occasion. I'm looking forward to it," he said.

Hill who surprised many with his premature departure from thoroughbred broadcasting in January is presently on the ABC roster calling pre-season AFL matches.

David Fowler