MY CALL - RQ SHOULD FOLLOW NSW'S LEAD WITH REGARD TO A COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

By David Fowler | Tuesday, March 24, 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.

A mentor once told me it’s no sin to copy something successful.

I’ve adopted the philosophy for a long time now and I think Racing Queensland should do the same with a Country Championship series that is currently wowing the bush in New South Wales.

While the champagne racing of the Championships will capture the limelight, it’s the success of the Country Championship concept that is presently attracting a lot of the headlines.

Sky Racing seem to get knocked from pillar to post but their promotion of the heats in the various country centres has been second-to-none.

The hosting clubs have also played their part with huge crowds the result.

This has inspired the bush and the positive vibe is easy to feel, even north of the border.

We’ve done one of sorts late last year that included a Rockhampton heat but it was more of a provincial series. Fair enough, but the country concept takes it a step further.

The New South Wales concept has embraced country and city and there’s a good dose of that needed right now in our own backyard.

I’m sure eight heats could be arranged around the state at, say, $30,000 each for a $150,000 final at Doomben over 1350m.

And it could be run during the Ekka period which is synonymous with country meeting the city.

There is some rough data to work with in terms of structure and timing.

Over to you RQ. Don’t be afraid to copy, it works!

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Will the Championships be swallowed up by its’ primary objective?

The aim to have overseas horses racing for mega money and play to huge crowds is great on paper. A marketer’s delight.

But what happens if the money keeps going out of the country.

Sadly, but it’s a matter of fact, that we struggle to keep pace with racing centres around the world. Our feature race results are testimony to this.

It won’t be long before some questions start to be asked like, “why are we doing this?”

Maybe I’m jumping shadows.

Maybe.

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More prize-money went begging when half the card at Doomben and seven of the nine Gold Coast races were wiped out with rain.

And that followed the Gatton embarrassment last Thursday.

I know Racing Queensland have copped plenty for that stuff up but, to be honest, what do they expect?

Why would an inspection be made the day before after, an event three weeks earlier, then dilly dally with the cancellation notification?

Thursday’s Courier-Mail still ran the Gatton meeting on the front of its lift-out form-guide.

But where does the unspent prize-money end up?

Shouldn’t a dividend be declared at the end of the financial year with a stake-money increase across the board to reflect the amount not used?

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A bouquet to Bernadette Cooper.

Her post race jockey interviews, often under difficulties, were second-to-none on Slipper day.

I’m sure she’s even surprised herself with how far she has come in a relatively short media career.

I’ve worked with her sparingly at Sky Racing but it’s always a delight.

Well done Bernie!

David Fowler