BROWNIE'S BLOG - THE DISILLUSIONMENT FACTOR

By Damian Browne | Monday, December 7, 2015

Damian Browne, reigning Queensland's Jockey Of The Year, is rated right up there with the best jockeys in Australia and, as such, his highly informed views make essential reading for anyone in the racing industry. Damian’s column, ‘Brownies Blog’ appears exclusively on HRO

I’ve been riding for thirty years and I’ve seldom been as disillusioned as I am now.

To say the current situation is frustrating is an understatement.

For the last eighteen months we have been reading a hell of a lot about racing in the media for all of the wrong reasons. From the live-baiting, to the sackings, cobalt, whips, helmets ... it’s all very frustrating when you are out there doing your job in a professional manner and trying to put the game in a good light.

All the good things that racing does, the money via taxation that government is able to put to use for the community, the amount of excitement it brings to people, the massive employment opportunities ... for it to get constantly shot down for the wrong reasons is obviously frustrating.

When we sign for our licenses every year it’s on there that we agree that we will not bring the game into disrepute. It seems that almost anybody else can do that whenever they feel like it whether they have the correct facts or not.

Add in the fact that, for somebody like me who is right in the middle of things, it sometimes seems that the rest of Australia is looking at Queensland and saying, what is going on?

Certainly, that is what some people have been asking me on my travels to other states.

I think ours is the only state to have all three codes under one banner. The other states are running business’ that are moving forward whereas we are cutting back.

That’s got to tell you something already.

Some people might get angry at that, but, as I say, for me it’s not so much anger as disillusionment.

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Racing authorities can produce all of the graphs they want to justify the cut backs they are making.

Some might say they are more baffling than helpful but, either way, you simply can’t get away from a few home truths on the matter.

We all know that betting turnover is the lifeblood of racing and field sizes are paramount for good turnover.

Now, if we lose owners and horses because stakes have been reduced, the first thing that is going to decrease is field sizes ... and authorities need to realise that once those people go away and race horses in New South Wales or Victoria ... whatever ... they’ll never come back.

Smaller fields can only mean the racing is going to get worse. People are going to lose jobs.

There is a whole roll on effect which will be unavoidable if the situation is not managed correctly.

It’s the same principle anywhere. Whether it is joining a football club or signing on for a membership somewhere you would like to see the organisation you have joined being run well and heading for future prosperity.

Generally, it is hard to see that, or for participants to gain any confidence, within our industry at the present time.

When you take backward steps you are not only giving people reason to leave the game but you are making the game less attractive to potential investors who won’t think twice about turning away and looking elsewhere.

When is that ever likely to be a winning formula?

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The other thing that really irritates me is the way the people in racing have been portrayed by some of the media and some radical groups.

There are 30 000 odd people employed in the industry in Queensland. Of those 30 000 every one of those is for the betterment of racing. They want it to go ahead in all areas, safety, animal welfare, prize-money ... whatever.

They are all working to help build a thriving, respectable, professional industry.

Racing is a brand and we all want to make it look as good as we can and put it out there to the public but, in my opinion, we clearly don’t get an equal opportunity to do that.

The last eighteen months the main racing headlines have all been bad publicity.

Instead we should also have been enjoying the good stories out of racing ... and there are plenty of stories to celebrate ... although most people outside of racing wouldn’t know that the way racing has been portrayed.

I certainly don’t want to be viewed the way that racing participants are being portrayed to the larger community.

I do know better, but that is not the point.

I guess the old adage applies for some. That is,'never let the facts get in the way of a good story’.

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