DISTURBING DOOMBEN STANDOFF

By Graham Potter | Thursday, September 3, 2009

It was a standoff which had the Stewards pacing impatiently outside the jockeys’ room in a role reversal while they waited for the jockeys to complete their business.

The jockeys were in a meeting with Darren Condon, the Chief Operating Officer of the Brisbane Racing Club, demanding an explanation as to why there was no jockeys’ room attendant on duty for the day.

Some jockeys believed at the time that Doug Weir, their long serving and trusted aide, had been ‘axed’. The Club refuted that claim saying Weir was just not rostered on for the day. The point was, neither was anybody else. The Club called it a trial. The jockeys called it unprofessional. The Stewards continued to pace.

Thankfully, in the end, the delay to the start of first race was minimal and it was soon back to business as usual, but the undercurrent left by the incident spelt a real concern for everyday race-goers as to the just how precarious the position of the new club might be, given the extent to which they appear to need to cull staff.

It was a disturbing standoff, not so much in terms of the immediate issue in play (however important that is to the jockeys) but rather as a symptom of a more serious problem.

HRO posed several questions to Darren Condon, the Brisbane Racing Club’s Chief Operating Officer.

HRO: “Cost cutting decisions of this of nature ... are they made at Board level or at executive level?

Condon: “It is a Club decision made at Executive level, yeah.

HRO: “Do you think part of the problem today was the jockeys were not notified beforehand of what was happening or do you think they over-reacted?

Condon: “Well, I think in any trial, you are always going to get a couple of things that don’t work a hundred percent ... and probably today there were a couple of things that didn’t work initially at the start of the day that got the jockeys off-side.

HRO: “So, in retrospect again, would you have done it differently if you had to do it over?”

Condon: “I think there are a few things that could have worked more efficiently to start with.”

HRO: “In terms of the situation, just as it stands now, are you going back to discuss whether the jockeys’ attendant is reinstated, or what is the position?”

Condon: “The guy was never dismissed. Let me be very clear about that. He was just not rostered on for today, as part of ... as we work through this trial. Moving forward, we’ve made an agreement with the jockeys we’ll have further discussions with them, which have continued throughout the day, and will continue so we reach an amicable solution prior to Saturday.”

HRO: “It is just a little bit scary looking in from the outside when cost-cutting exercises come down to this level. The message that comes across is ... not quite dire straits perhaps, but you start to question exactly what the financial position is.”

Condon: “The message is ... you know, we lost $1 million worth of funding from Queensland Racing as part of the merger. The two clubs formerly received close to $2 million. Now the new club receives only close to $1 million. That means as a business ... commercially speaking ... we have to look at every area of business and that’s what we are doing.

“Every area is getting a good look at where we can save money ... and part of that, in a trial sense, is that you don’t always get it one hundred percent right.”

Jockey Larry Cassidy gave his view of the standoff.

Cassidy: “We knew nothing about it beforehand. Nobody had the courtesy to tell us what was happening. I come here and I was told, we’ve got no jockeys’ room attendant. I said, what is he a bit late or something and I was told, no, he’s been sacked.

“We thought Doug (Weir) had been put off ... but now all of a sudden they’ve done a back-step and said, no, it was a rostered day off.

“We didn’t want to hold the race up for something that is so simple. I suggested to Darren (Condon) that he does it through the day to help us. He didn’t really like that suggestion. I think they will put something in place by Saturday. We’re adamant that we want Doug back because he knows everything.

“We need someone in the jockeys’ room the whole time. Doug’s there the whole time and he’s going backwards and forwards ... I’ve never seen him sit down and have a break or anything. He’s doing something the whole time.

“I’ve ridden, along with a couple of other boys here ... we’ve ridden in other countries around the world and they have a minimum of two, three, four or five jockeys’ room attendants. It is necessary.

“If we can’t find colours the next minute ... when a trainer brings a set of colours up they grab Doug and, if they have a special need, they say to Doug, tell him it needs a small girth ... otherwise the jockey weighs ... next minute there is a holdup ... horses are late in the enclosure ... the race runs two minutes late. It’s a flow-on effect for something that is so simple.

“And this is to cut costs ... I’ll pay his wages!

“It’s just rubbish. It is unprofessional. It’s also an integrity and safety issue. We have two doors here, right. Now, If there is no attendant ... let’s say the last race, right ... eight horse field ... and there is no jockeys in the jockeys’ room and nobody here. Anybody could walk in ... and we have valuables here. So, on all levels it’s a bad decision.

“I’m sure it will be sorted out by Saturday. They have to sort it out.”