FROM THE SHERIFF'S DESK: NEW TECHNOLOGY WILL TURN UP THE HEAT IN TERMS OF RACING CONTROL

By John Schreck | Wednesday, August 2, 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. Schreck’s personal blog, ‘From the Sheriff’s Desk', appears exclusively on HRO.

The introduction of new technology in relation to the control of racing is very interesting in general and the recent step taken in Victoria is likely to be of particular interest to stakeholders.

Harness racing in Victoria has started to use drones for surveillance purposes.

They have already implemented that policy ... the drones are being used ... and the quality of the pictures they can get is quite amazing which means that the drones provide a very effective surveillance option and therefore a serious deterrent to those who might be participating in or considering any wrongdoing.

In the past if any such person saw a car arriving or there was a knock on the front door they would get warning and be able to stop what they are doing but there will be times where those people will not even be aware of the drone. It can sneak up on them and, as I say, the quality of the pictures they produce is terrific and I was terribly impressed the results they have achieved with it.

It would be foolish not to make use of what is available. Technology advances are happening in all sorts of spheres so it has to happen in racing control.

There is clearly a place for this as there will be for further technical advances in the future and I think the days of a lot of the older, old fashioned procedures are numbered and they will give way to improving technology for the betterment of the sport.

***************************************************************************************************

The independent report by Dale Monteith on the Eagle Farm track is still keenly awaited.

There appears to be mixed opinion as to whether the report will be released in full to the media and the public.

I would have thought that, given the seriousness of the situation and the impact it is having on racing in Brisbane, that, for the good of the sport, the entire report should be issued ... provided of course that any details contained in the report does not impact on any further investigations or matters that might end up before a court.

If it was to impact on anybody in terms of them being unfairly treated then those details should not be released ... but for any reason other than that I can’t see why the entire report should not be made public.

It is a very big deal really ... both because of what has gone before and because it is still now going to take a long time to rectify the track.

Whatever decision is made regarding the release of the report, the wait for the issuing of the report should soon be over and then the focus will switch to Racing Queensland to see how they take it on from there.

**************************************************************************************************

Jeff Lloyd’s winning of the Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership for the second successive year deserves special mention.

He won multiple premierships in South Africa and been very successful in other countries around the world, including Hong Kong but he has also had numerous falls and a well-documented serious health issue which occurred before his first Brisbane Premiership ... but he returned to become Brisbane’s leading rider and win back to back premierships in his mid-fifties.

In the season just ended, while jockey premierships in Sydney and Melbourne were going down to the wire, Lloyd trounced his opposition finishing on 137 metropolitan winners, no less than 62 winners clear of the second placed Jim Byrne, whose own total represented a very good season.

Lloyd must look after himself very, very well so far as diet and exercise and those sort of things are concerned and his focus and desire to do better clearly has not diminished over the years.

Nobody criticises his style anymore. I used to when I first saw him but no longer. If you go back in time the late Jack Purtell and Jimmy Johnson, and even Keiren Fallon ... some of the really great riders ... don’t look terribly fashionable but they must be good with their hands and have wonderful balance.

Lloyd is very up and down in the saddle but he has to be going up and down in rhythm with the horse. If he was not in sync with the horse he would be messing up its action, but the opposite is true. Most horses will find something extra for him.

These jockeys who are successful with unusual styles are seldom copied because they do have a special talent.

It is to Jeff Lloyd’s great credit that he can be called a very successful racehorse rider without any fear of contradiction.

He is a true professional.

More articles