NEWS BRIEFS – SEPT 1:

By Graham Potter | Thursday, September 1, 2016

VICTORIA ANNOUNCES NEW MINIMUM BET POLICY:

Racing Victoria has announced that it plans to implement an identical minimum bet policy to Racing New South Wales and it is their desire for that policy to come into effect from October 1. That being the case, bookmakers will have to let punters betting on Victorian metropolitan races on to win up to $2000 on any win bet placed after 9am on race-day or 2pm for night meetings. Bookmakers must let provincial punters on to win $1000 in any win bet. Racing NSW introduced its minimum bet policy in 2014.

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GROUP 1 TRAINERS SETTLE IN QUEENSLAND:

John Symons and Sheila Laxon, both Group 1 winning trainers, have applied for their Queensland co-trainers license after deciding the settle permanently in the Sunshine State. Laxon famously won the Caulfield Cup / Melbourne Cup double with Ethereal while Symons sent out Bel Esprit to win both the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Doomben 10 000. Their presence will provide a boost to the Queensland training ranks, particularly as it comes right on the back of the move of another Group 1 winning trainer David Vandyke who recently relocated to the Sunshine Coast. Like Vandyke, Symons and Laxon will be based at Corbold Park.

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BEAUDESERT MEETING MOVED TO GATTON:

One step forward ... two steps back. The meeting scheduled for Beaudesert on Tuesday, September 6 has been transferred to Gatton due to safety concerns about the Beaudesert running rail.

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SYNDICATORS CAN UP THE ANTE

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission has made significant changes to the rules governing racehorse syndicators with the syndicator investment level being doubled (from $250 000 to $500 000) and the number of shareholders per horse increased from 20 to 50.

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BIRDSVILLE WEATHER

The predicted heavy rain has arrived in Birdsville. The weather event is likely to bring about a change in the racing schedule with Friday’s meeting expected to be moved to Sunday. It is hoped the Saturday Cup meeting will go ahead. Club vice president Gary Brook said, "We're not governed by race times, Sky channel and so forth. We do have some flexibility around when we start the races. Ahh ... most race-clubs can only envy that level of freedom!

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AN ICONIC OUTBACK VENUE

A few Birdsville facts. The town has a resident population of about 100 people. Seven thousand people are expected for the Birdsville races, where thirteen races are programmed with $200 000 in prize-money. Twenty extra police will report for duty at Birdsville over the next few days to support the sole police officer who usually mans the town. Recent years have seen an increase in petty theft by souvenir hunters leading to a warning, as one report suggested, for residents warned to lock up their gnomes!

NEWS UPDATE: The Diamantina Council has advised all roads in and out of Birdsville have been cut, leaving the town swamped and isolated on the eve of the Birdsville Cup.

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CZECH MATE:

The Czech Republic’s hopes of having its first representative in the Melbourne Cup have been ended almost before their campaign had started. With Australia not have an agreement with the Czech Republic regarding the importation of horses Trip To Rhodos’s planned assignment was tripped up by the strict quarantine requirement that the horse would need to spend sixty days in an approved country before shipping to Australia. RV’s international recruitment officer Leigh Jordon explained, “While the horse is permitted to travel freely throughout Europe, the fact that he is based in the Czech Republic has meant that he cannot satisfy Australian quarantine protocols in time to contest this year’s Cup.”

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