FROM THE SHERIFF'S DESK: THE MAGIC MILLIONS CARNIVAL HAS GROWN AND GROWN AND GROWN

By John Schreck | Wednesday, January 11, 2017

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.

The Magic Millions carnival has grown and grown and grown ... to the point where it has become a very significant week in the racing calendar in Australia.

It does surprise me that it has got bigger and bigger every year but there can be no doubt that the people running Magic Millions should be applauded for focussing national attention on the sport at what could otherwise be a very dull time.

It is obviously very well promoted in general and the way they bring in international high profile people to help further the cause works very well.

I remember very well the first time an international, high profile person attended a feature race day in Australia. That was Jean Shrimpton at the Melbourne Carnival and it generated front page news everywhere ... and it was front page for that reason.

So using international stars as an important part of the promotional plan has been a clear winner since those days. I think having personalities at the race track, whether racing people or not, can do great things for the sport, given the public’s infatuation with celebrities.

Not that Magic Millions has had a clear run since it left the starting stalls.

The original idea of a sales company race-day did not receive a warm welcome.

In those days racing was controlled throughout the country by what you called the Principal Clubs. That model was doomed to fail in the long run because it was too exclusive an organisation but at the time they were in control and they were vehemently opposed to the concept of restricted racing.

Similarly, when there was a big push for some of those races to be Black Typed, again, the opposition to that happening was very, very strong ... because of the restriction clause which meant all horses could not compete.

And there have been other criticisms ... some constant which tend to spring up on an annual basis and then go into hibernation for another twelve months.

Some of those points are petty, others arguably have some validity but the overriding bottom line is that, through it all, those running Magic Millions at this time have kept their eye on the ball and continue to reap the rewards of their strong focus and firm commitment.

It is very clever the way they go about doing things on the Gold Coast and I think they should be congratulated for what they are doing!

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The topic of jockeys riding under a stay of proceedings, as more than one jockey will be doing at the Magic Millions race-day, is always a point of debate.

In my opinion, while everybody obviously has the right of appeal once they have received a suspension, a stay should not be a forgone conclusion as some people might think to be the case given the many examples that arise these days.

In my day a stay was not a ‘given’ thing on appeal ... and I don’t think it should be today.

A stay of proceedings, in my view, is granted to those who have a genuine belief in their innocence. For example, there was a recent case in Queensland where a jockey pleaded guilty to the charge levelled against him but was still granted a stay of proceedings.

I don’t believe that a stay of proceedings should be granted to anyone who pleads guilty to a charge ... particularly an experienced person ...because, by doing so, they themselves are acknowledging their guilt. It is very difficult to justify a stay in those circumstances.

A stay of proceedings for somebody who believes they are genuinely innocent should always be seriously considered because at the end of the day that particular person might very well be cleared of the charge levelled against him.

I strongly believe there is a clear-cut distinction between these two scenarios which should be recognised and acted on.

Certainly, the granting of a stay of proceedings should not be automatic.

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The other aspect of this subject to which I am vehemently opposed is the nine day deferment of penalty. It is just crazy, in my view.

Certainly deferred suspensions should be used to allow riders to fulfil their rides on mounts for which they have been declared ... not for which they have commitments, but for which they have been declared!

No argument can be mounted against that. It protects connections, punters etc ... but I cannot agree with a general deferment of suspensions for nine days.

That option was clearly designed to minimise appeals but it is highly debatable whether it has had any positive impact in that regard.

Also, as I’ve said before, one of the reasons you penalise somebody is to deter them from offending in a similar way in the future and you also hope that the deterrent effect aspect will prevent others from so offending.

While you have this nine day deferment rule in place the deterrent aspect is minimised which is counter-productive to the original goal.

Much like the guidelines for a stay of proceedings, maybe the nine day deferment too should be revisited.

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HRO Comments:

The start of it all. In 1965, Jean Shrimpton, who helped launch the mini skirt and who was one of the world’s first supermodels, made a two-week promotional visit to Australia, sponsored by the Victoria Racing Club, and a local synthetic fibre company. She was reportedly paid a fee of £2000, a huge sum at the time.

Reports indicate that Shrimpton ‘caused a sensation in Melbourne, when she arrived for the Victoria Derby wearing a white shift dress which ended 5 in (13 cm) above her knees. She wore no hat, stockings or gloves, and sported a man's watch.’

Many have taken up the running since then and the added value of linking the celebration of the celebrity with a feature race day has never looked back!

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