MY CALL: RACING VICTORIA'S OWN MEDIA ARM IS CAUSING ADDITIONAL DRAMA WITH ITS METHOD OF REPORTING
By David Fowler | Tuesday, December 20, 2016
David Fowler is the principal thoroughbred caller for Radio TAB. David, who is a keen form student and punter, has enjoyed a lifetime involvement in the racing media. His personal blog, ‘My Call’, appears exclusively on HRO.
Media must be independent and unbiased.
News, good or bad, must be reported factually.
This is not happening with the Victorian racing industry.
Racing Victoria's boast of having it own media arm is causing additional drama to the already established list of woes that beset the industry.
Once an industry relies to report on itself, a red light begins to flash.
The facts can often be sanitised or spun to suit the organisation's purposes.
The David Moodie situation was a classic example.
The media release that emanated from the RV bunker was that Moodie had left the building on good terms and was not the source of the leak to Peter Moody about cobalt irregularities with the O'Brien and Kavanagh stables.
This was not the case and forced Racing Integrity Commissioner Sal Perna to right the record the following day.
Running media from your own backyard will always create suspicion from the mainstream outlets and this itself often becomes a story within the story.
It has happened once too often in Victoria when they least of all need it
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How could anyone suggest last week's protest at Eagle Farm should have been dismissed?
And I take on board highly successful former bookmaker turned punter Dominic Beirne was in that minority category.
Much was made that Mark My Word shifted in and made the first contact. That's not disputed.
But Tempete Rouge's reactionary shift out was so abrupt (at least five horses) that it more than out weighted the long head margin that she held on the line.
Most, not all, just shook their heads at the controversial result.
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Winning Rupert is no Black Caviar.
My editorial on Radio TAB's Press Room came in for a lot of discussion that I was "off my head" comparing the two.
I'm sure some of my critics prefer to believe what they want to hear when I talk rather than what I actually say and, in this case, and on more than one occasion, I was not attempting to dress Winning Rupert in Black Caviar's clothes.
The point of the exercise was to compare the pair at the same stages of their careers (fourth start) of which I drew the conclusion Black Caviar had done nothing more special than Winning Rupert.
I seriously believe Winning Rupert is a sprint champion in the making. Many would agree.
Will he win 25 from 25 like "Nelly"? No, but you haven't seen a more exciting prospect since her departure.
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Speaking of good horses, Tumbler is a quality mare.
Monsieur Gustave is no slouch but she made him look second rate, sprinting a brilliant 33.5 second last 600 metres at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.
Looking forward to seeing her at Eagle Farm on December 31
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Merry Christmas to all. See you next Tuesday
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