MY CALL: SOLIDARITY IN RACING HAS BEEN HARD TO ACHIEVE BUT IT HAS NOW BEEN DELIVERED IN SPADES
By David Fowler | Tuesday, October 23, 2018
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.
The number 1 said it all.
There it was, shining like a beacon amongst lines of type on the RISA site. I must admit I looked at it time and time again.
One digit serving as a metaphor for years of Queensland racing frustration that spectacularly erupted three weeks ago.
The talk had been talked. Yesterday the walk was walked.
One nomination for Doomben on Saturday. And it came from south of the border.
Solidarity in the racing industry is a tough gig to achieve yet yesterday it was delivered in spades.
There have been questions asked of the industry's strategies in these last three weeks and they are legitimate.
Is a strike the most effective tool? Who does it affect most? Did the alliance group "jump the gun" last week when declaring it was "strike on"?
But whatever the level of their legitimacy, the collective sense of anger and long-term frustration supersedes them all and any others posed?
As every day passes without word, it's now the racing nation that focuses its stare on the Queensland State Government not just its upset stakeholders.
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It's worth repeating one comment from my remarks on Radio TAB's Press Room yesterday.
There are three key players in this now on-going saga, the State Government, Racing Queensland and the state's stakeholders.
One of those is united and decisive in their actions.
Two are not.
And don't expect those two to have the same body politic after this issue is resolved.
You can bet in it.
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A word on the harness and greyhound industries.
Their stakeholder organisations BOTRA (harness) and QGBOTA (greyhounds) haven't been approached by the thoroughbred lobby to my knowledge in regards to the strike proposal.
But don't think that means they are in a cosy relationship with RQ or the Government.
Far from it.
The $20 million infrastructure promise for these two codes from the Government's POC revenue wasn't greeted with any particular enthusiasm.
They've heard it time and time again and, frankly, don't believe a word they hear.
Simple as that.
Alternative harness and greyhound sites to Albion Park are still a blank page.
Notwithstanding the Albion Park harness club and the controlling body are currently in litigation.
And if recent correspondence seen between the QGBOTA and RQ is any yardstick of the pair's relationship, things are grim.
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GRAPEVINE: Is there an issue between Racing Queensland and race clubs regarding their licence agreements?
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