MY CALL - THE DANGERS OF TIPPING AND TEXTING
By David Fowler | Tuesday, August 25, 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.
The texts between Brent Zerafa and John Camilleri hold the key to this extraordinary charge laid against the popular Sky Racing personality.
Zerafa has been stood down from duties since last Wednesday after being slapped with an AR 175A charge that he acted “prejudicial to the image and/or the interests of racing.”
The crime? He tipped two horses to on and off track audiences but backed the actual winner Palazzo Pubblico, medium of a decent plunge, at Rosehill on January 17.
Camilleri is tangled up in the cobalt affair regarding Palazzo Pubblico’s trainer Sam Kavanagh.
The stipes’ report revealed Zerafa was tipped the horse by Camilleri and stayed “mum” about it. A subsequent betting records check revealed the winning wager.
If Zerafa has not “potted” Palazzo Pubblico in the pre-race spiel, how the hell can he be guilty of 175A? No-one is aware of the “tip”.
I haven’t seen the footage but if he has deliberately knocked the winner, he’s on shaky ground.
How implicated Zerafa was in the affair can only be determined by the “text of the texts”.
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Hands up a racing journo who hasn’t tipped a horse yet put his or her money on it?
If you’ve raised your hand you’re either fibbing or not cut out to be a fair dinkum journalist.
By that I mean a journalist’s craft is to build contacts. More contacts mean more potential stories.
A contact might give you mail that a first starter is a “moral” or one is going to suddenly improve for one reason or another.
Anyone who’d release that information publicly is a “give-up” or not fair to the journalistic profession of which a key plank is not to release sources.
It’s when you go down the “misleading” path that you’re asking for trouble.
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And there is certainly no rule to say you have to back what you tip.
Often, I’ll tip a winner but back something else because it’s value to what price I’ve assessed it.
That doesn’t mean I don’t think my first pick can’t win.
It’s all a matter of what and what isn’t value in the marketplace.
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There needs to be a rethink on race morning track ratings.
Sunshine Coast was sent out a heavy 9 at 8am on Sunday morning but played like a soft 5 all day.
Do we need a consensus of more than one on arriving at the rating? Should there be the wriggle room of a possible upgrade? Should a track gallop be essential in the determination at every meeting?
Reasonable questions, in my book.
Punters were misled and owners scratched under the assumption of a heavy surface.
Sunshine Coast is not alone on this issue but let’s get some heads together and work out a better strategy.
FOOTNOTE: Congratulations to the Sunshine Coast’s Murray Weeding on being selected as Racecourse Manager Of The Year at the 20th Australian Racecourse Managers Association annual conference.
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