MY CALL - AN ODD MIX BUT IT JUST MIGHT HAVE THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS TO TAKE RACING FORWARD

By David Fowler | Tuesday, July 7, 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.

I'll grant you it's an odd mix but in my book it's working.

A KPMG accountant and a Queensland Police Superintendent presently have a firm grip on Queensland Racing under a watchful Labor government eye.

I've had the benefit of meeting Ian Hall and Mark Ainsworth and I like what I hear. Highly qualified and plenty of sense spoken.

State Labor have started a clean slate for racing albeit with some financial dramas that will be sorted out sooner than later

No doubt there will be some financial grief for participants. It's unfortunate but it's unavoidable and was put on the table first-up.

Sugar coating wasn't an option.

The banging of the "hard done by" drums are not quite as loud as every day passes.

Hall and Ainsworth bring a fresh set of eyes to the table with no baggage at their side.

And no one can deny that's a good thing for the business.

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Hall and the Government's approach has been methodical.

QTIS, tick. Magic Millions, tick. And as this blog predicted last Tuesday, Eagle Farm tunnels, soon to be tick.

An analysis of prizemoney is around the corner and I can't see increases on the horizon.

But it won't be a slash and burn approach. I'll be surprised if the distribution model is not examined closely in a bid to make the pill easier to swallow.

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As a lover of two mile races, I had to really have faith in my beliefs before Saturdays Queensland Cup.

It looked pretty ordinary fare on paper but, in the end, the finish was a ripper.

And that's the charm of two mile racing, often not knowing whether they'll "get it" or not.

You generally know your fate from the 600 metres when some are going forward but many more are headed in the opposite direction,

From a caller's point of view, the Mister Impatience and Pop N Scotch slugfest was one of my carnival highlights.

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Can Tony Gollan train four city winners in the next eight metrop meets?

That's the burning question as he now treads dangerously close to Bruce McLachlan's record of 77 metropolitan winners in a season.

I've always had him in the "good thing" category so I'm not jumping ship now.

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The grapevine says there are a FURTHER two positives to cobalt in Queensland thoroughbred racing since the threshold was announced.

That leads me to only two possible conclusions. The offenders are either incredibly stupid or there is a problem with the science and the threshold level.

Think about it. And only one answer can be right!

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