MY CALL: OVERREACTION THE ORDER OF THE DAY WHEN A QUIET WORD WOULD HAVE BEEN A FAIR RESOLUTION
By David Fowler | Tuesday, December 5, 2017
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.
I reckon South Australian barrier attendant Vince Dunlop wouldn’t want a fuss.
A former jumps jockey. A horseman. A knockabout.
Regularly performing a job that doesn’t find any sort of limelight yet regularly requires expertise in a short period of time.
And the financial return certainly isn’t lavish. But it’s a job and someone has to do it.
Vince Dunlop acted in self defence when he struck Justify That on the head as it attempted to bite him on more than one occasion before the third race at Morphettville on the weekend.
Herding 500 to 600 kilogram animals into a barrier is the primary task at hand. Added nasties are simply part of the package.
Stewards took interest in the incident and confirmed the action was in self defence and no harm was afforded to the rising 11-year-old.
No-one would argue that animal welfare in racing has had a flashing light on it for sometime.
A quiet word to an old hardhead like Vince seemed a fair resolution.
Not so according to the TRSA stewards’ panel on the day.
Vince was “pinged” a grand, stood down for the rest of the day and his future employment would be determined by TRSA management.
“Overreaction” is an extremely kind way of describing it.
And I imagine it would have been an ordinary drive home for Vince!
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Two points worth making on the Doomben track at the weekend.
First-up, the general buzz of the wonderful recuperative powers of Doomben hid the real reason for the rating upgrade.
And let me state, at this point, I have been a long term Doomben cheer leader on many fronts.
But was the morning rating of a “soft 7” marking the track condition too hard?
I’ll be blunt. The track was probably in the good 4-soft 5 range when the meeting started.
Why be so coy about the rating? It’s something those in charge should be proud to proclaim.
And I can’t possibly subscribe to the theory that it was difficult to make ground from back in the field that many suggested.
Often the best horse, who coincidentally was near the lead, won the race. Read Pretty Fast, Pierata and Monsieur Gustave.
Run on horses won as well. Read My Guiliano, Mishani Phoenix and Doubt Defying.
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Will Grace Grace retain her position as Racing Minister when the new ministry is announced?
Some seem to think the factional make-up of the elected party could see Grace on the wrong side of the fence when Cabinet posts are decided.
Labor’s most powerful pledge to the racing community was of continuity if returned to power.
While that primarily applies to Racing Queensland, surely we don’t have to start all over again with a new Minister?
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The Queensland Winter Carnival is well acknowledged as a spring board for future stars.
And the Summer Carnival is following in the same vein.
I’ll be mightily surprised if Pierata doesn’t reach loftier heights after what I saw on Saturday disposing of the Winning Rupert Plate field.
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