DOOMBEN 10 000 ISSUE WILL TEST THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADMINISTRATORS AND STAKEHOLDERS

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Racing Queensland’s CEO Dr Eliot Forbes was quite forthright about his focus when addressing a trainer’s meeting at Eagle Farm back in September.

“After (previously) working in a split integrity model for the last six years, I can tell you that it is a model which allows for a determined focus on the commercial aspects of the business of racing,” said Forbes.

“When RQ can begin to deliver commercial success, that is when we can accelerate and improve industry returns.

“Changing from a governance organisation to a commercial one, one that takes full responsibility and is fully accountable for its commercial performance, requires a whole new set of skills, a whole new set of capabilities and a whole new mindset within RQ.”

For ‘whole new’ read ‘change’ and there can be no question that while some of the proposed changes in future will be sweeping, necessary and welcomed, other aspects of any proposed shift in thinking will be challenged and will have to be carefully weighed up before being implemented.

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For one, take the idea being mooted of taking the Doomben 10 000 away from Doomben, changing the distance from 1350m to 1300m and shifting it to Eagle Farm in a reshuffled pack of feature races for next year’s Winter Carnival.

That, it can be argued, is very much in keeping with Forbes’ ‘determined focus on the commercial aspects of the business of racing.’

It does beg a major question though about whether that decision, if taken, would disrespect the tradition and lower the standing of the race whose list of winners boasts names from Bernborough to Takeover Target.

As mentioned previously on HRO, tradition is one of horse racing’s greatest allies.

HRO has also preciously conceded the fact that, for racing to maximise its profile and returns, change and tradition have to merge together where they can ... when they can ... for the greater good of the cause but, on occasions, there will be roadblocks standing in the way of that targeted harmony which will have to be handled with care.

The Doomben 10 000 issue is one such example and it would be folly for administrators to simply lay the blame for the initial, strong resistance to this proposed change to the 10 000 at the feet of die-hard traditionalist ... which is often the first port of call for those advocating change.

It is more a case of a legitimate, larger, general, genuine concern for the safeguarding of the Racing Queensland product in which the Doomben 10 000 has been entrenched as a rich asset for so long.

It ticks a box where there are still a lot of empty boxes waiting to be ticked in racing in Queensland so the current question is, why mess with a winner?

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That said, it should be remembered that Racing Queensland has been falling badly behind on all fronts in recent years largely because of its lack of financial resources.

Therefore any plan to improve that situation deserves due consideration.

To be taken any further that plan would have to incorporate intrinsic merit, substance and a clear-cut projected benefit which ideally would be accurately and adequately communicated to stakeholders for their due consideration and their reasoned feedback.

While commercialism rules in this day and age as an arguably necessary evil, the test now for administrators is whether they can, while pursuing admirable, overall financial goals fully understand and stay true to the fact that they are still, in the words of Eliot Forbes, ‘in the business of racing.'

In many ways ‘the horse’ has already become lost on race-day, and it would surely be counter-productive for ‘the race’ to follow the same path.

Some will say with the decision pending on the future of the Doomben 10 000, we are perilously close to have that happening. That is up for debate.

In that same address to trainers back in September, mentioned in the opening paragraph, Forbes stated, “Neither I, nor RQ, has got the monopoly on ideas and how to succeed in this new commercial landscape, we are going to need to work together.

“I know that I need to listen carefully because stakeholders are the hub in the centre of our industry, who have the financial risk and exposure and who you are reliant upon the effectiveness of RQ’s performance” (for their well-being).

That was well said but, in truth, only actions will count.

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It that context, the issue raised by the Doomben 10 000 switch proposal is not just about the Doomben 10 000.

It is about finding out exactly whether administrators, both at the Racing Queensland authority and at race-club level, will in fact listen to stakeholders ... ‘the hub of the industry’ ... and, as importantly, whether stakeholders can play their part in a constructive creation of a better future for racing with a studied, measured input, rather than an emotionally driven response.

To date, the response of stakeholders to any tampering with the Doomben 10 000 has left little to the imagination.

Suffice to say, the majority are very much against it.

Neville Bell, the Chairman of The Brisbane Racing Club, which will host the 10 000 at whatever track it is run next year, has said, “we are in an era of evolution of racing in Queensland and we have to look at all these options.”

No argument with that in principle ... just so long as Racing Queensland and the Brisbane Racing Club know that what happens next, via the Doomben 10 000 decision and the way in which that decision is reached, will send a clear message to racing’s stakeholders about just how much weight their voice carries, how far their opinions are entertained and how much their experience and knowledge ... gained right at the coal face of the industry ... counts in these matters.

Similarly, the behaviour of stakeholders will send a clear message to administrators about their overall commitment to long term cooperation.

It is not a question of giving ground. It is a question of getting the right result.

It could be a watershed moment for both the new administration and stakeholders if they could reach a reasonable conclusion from responsible discussion.

Wishful thinking?

Absolutely, but it sure beats the alternative which racing has suffered from for years.

Either way, once the dust has settled at least we will have a far better idea of what direction this ‘era of evolution’ will take.

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