FROM THE SHERIFF'S DESK: THE SPRING CARNIVAL AGAIN SHOWS THE SPORT IS BIGGER THAN ANY INDIVIDUAL

By John Schreck | Wednesday, October 26, 2016

John Schreck, a former Chief Steward in both Sydney and Hong Kong, has seen both the colourful and the dark sides of racing. His wealth of experience and his deep knowledge of racing matters across the board is unquestioned and the reputation he built as a racing ‘lawman’ remains firmly entrenched in racing’s history. Shreck’s personal blog, ‘From the Sheriff’s Desk', appears exclusively on HRO.

Racing enthusiasts are in for a special treat over the next week and a half.

I would agree with the popular held belief that Victoria Derby day ... which takes place this Saturday at Flemington ... is probably the best individual race day in Australia as far as the actual racing is concerned.

It is quite simply an outstanding day of racing with four Group 1’s, two Group 2’s and three Group 3 races filling the card with quality racehorses. Golden Slipper day in Sydney is another outstanding day’s racing.

The Melbourne Cup, as an individual race, holds the honour and main focus but Cup day overall is more of a mardi gras type day where everybody turns up and has a party.

Both the Derby and the Cup individually and collectively play a huge part in making the Melbourne Spring the best racing carnival in the world of any carnival that takes place over several weeks.

I don’t think anything compares with it.

I know there are odd days around the world that might be better ... the Kentucky Derby, the Grand National and a few of those sorts of races where ... but for an 'event' that takes place over a period six weeks it is really outstanding.

While there is big money involved it is not a money thing.

It is a carnival built on a tradition that money can’t buy and, as such, it is a carnival out in front with the others following along.

It is the leader. It has been for a long time and will continue to be into the future.

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I have been saying for years and years that Australian racing has to be internationalised ... so you won’t hear any complaint from me about the fact that eleven of the thirty-two runners currently standing their ground in the Melbourne Cup are from overseas stables.

It was an absolutely necessary progression that Australian racing needed to make so, in my opinion, nobody should criticise the international horses that come and compete.

It is good for the sport and the Victorian Racing Club should be congratulated for doing what they are doing in terms of internationalising the race to such a degree.

The only way that people in the northern hemisphere will fully appreciate the racing here is to see it and ideally have the added interest of watching their own horses competing in it.

Internationalisation of a race like the Melbourne Cup puts Australian racing on the world stage and there is no downside to that!

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All of the above goes to show the on-going power and underlying strength of the sport of horse racing in spite of the ‘off the field’ problems that continue to plague the industry.

Victoria itself is currently still confronted with trainer cobalt issues. You can add in the fact that their chairman has stood down, the resurrection of the G Ryan matter in New South Wales, riots on the track in Western Australia, other issues in Queensland ... but, for all that, the sport continues to roll along to prove that the sport is bigger than any individual.

This year again the carnival will be an outstanding success ... given good weather.

If the weather plays its part they are probably going to have to shut the gates!

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I’m closer to eighty than seventy and still working ... and it is not hard to see why after suggesting the Winx was beatable last Saturday.

If I were a bookmaker I’d be doing a runner, well and truly, by now.

Suffice to say, Winx is obviously a very, very good racehorse who now goes to the paddock with her extended unbeaten sequence firmly intact.