NEWS: JANUARY 1: WELFARE ISSUES, A DESERVING HONOUR, PLAYING BIG BROTHER ... AND MUCH MORE

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, January 1, 2020

MOODY MOOTS AN INDUSTRY KNACKERY PLAN

Peter Moody has put forward the idea that the racing industry should consider operating its own abattoir facility so it can oversee and ensure a humanely managed process when all other prospects for rehoming or retraining horses have been exhausted. "Why not have an industry knackery, for want of a better description, to manage and handle horse’s welfare as humanly as possible. "RSPCA puts down thousands of animals each year," Moody said.

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AN INEVITABLE ENDING FOR SOME. A HOME TRUTH THAT HAS TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED

John Schreck, arguably the most respected steward ever to officiate in Australia, spoke to HRO shortly after the ABC’s infamous 7.30 Report back in October 2019. With Peter Moody’s call for a horseracing authority-controlled abattoir (see above), Schreck’s words of wisdom are well worth repeating here.

“It’s sad … but it is a fact of life that, for a number of horses, there will be no alternative but for them to be euthanised at some stage. Racing can’t possibly care for every racehorse from when it is born until its natural dying day. That can’t be done anywhere in the racing world, anywhere on the planet. It is just a home truth that has to be acknowledged.

“Given that inevitable ending for some, the first priority then has to be to ensure that when any stock (and I mean any livestock) go to an abattoir it must be incumbent on the people who operate that facility to treat those animals in a humane and dignified way.

“It is the same in other livestock areas. We all know a dairy farmer might give all of his cows’ names and he will know them individually and he will give them a pat and away they go, but, at the end of their productive life, you know and I know where those cows go. That’s just the way that it is.

“So, the real question then becomes … how far can horseracing go to protect ex race horses?

“To this end, different protocols exist in different states at this time but this is a national problem which needs to be dealt with by rules and protocols that have to be adhered to on a national basis. Even with more money and improved systems though, the hard fact remains we will always be up against achieving anything close to a one hundred percent success rate in that regard.

“In fact, I would say that is probably mission impossible … but that doesn’t mean we should limit our endeavours to meeting that goal.”

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EQUINE WELFARE TAKE-OUT PERCENTAGE DOUBLED IN VICTORIA

Starting January 1, two per cent of prizemoney distributed by Racing Victoria will be directed to equine welfare initiatives, doubling the one per cent allocation which was introduced in 2017.

"We've expanded our equine welfare task force to deliver the action plan and commenced audits of racing stables and horse sales to validate retirement data and ensure we support the right programs that benefit retired racehorses in need," RV integrity boss Jamie Stier said.
“Over the months ahead our equine welfare taskforce will be making announcements about programs and initiatives aimed at furthering the welfare of thoroughbred racehorses, particularly in retirement, and we look forward to sharing those with the community.”

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RIGHTFUL HONOUR FOR PAM O’NEILL

Trail blazer Pam O'Neill, whose persistence and determination in championing the rights of female jockeys when they were not an accepted part of the racing landscape, has been handed her rightful honour with a new Winter Carnival race to carry her name on Doomben Cup day.

It is a very different racing world now, part of which Pam O’Neill helped to create, and she remains a tireless advocate for all jockeys in her role as a director of the Australian Jockeys’ Association and secretary of the Queensland Jockeys’ Association. The honour could not have gone to a more deserving person.

*David Fowler, writing on HRO, called for Pam O’Neill to receive this honour back on September 14. Read that column here IT IS TIME TO GIVE PAM O'NEILL LASTING RECOGNITION FOR ALL SHE HAS DONE FOR RACING

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NIKOLIC’S RIDING LICENCE APPLICATION TO BE GIVEN CAREFUL CONSIDERATION

Queensland Racing Integrity Commissioner Mr Ross Barnett has confirmed that Danny Nikolic has filed an application for a riding licence in Queensland and that ‘careful consideration’ would be given to the matter. Nikolic was banned from riding in 2012 following a long running saga with Racing Victoria stewards.

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CONFIRMATION OF 2020’S $3.8 MILLION JUMPS RACING SEASON SCHEDULE

Details of the Racing Victoria’s 2020 jumps racing season shows little change from the 2019 fixtures. The first meeting of the season will take place on 12 March at Warrnambool and the season will conclude with the Grand National Steeplechase race-day at Ballarat on 23 August. The five-month season will offer over $3.8 million in prizemoney being spread over 61 jumps races, with a breakdown of 39 hurdles and 22 steeplechases.

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TABCORP’S MOVE INTO ‘BIG BROTHER’ TERRITORY

Tabcorp’s planned, pending rollout of the cameras in over 400 TAB outlets across Australia, reportedly as a method for detecting and preventing underage gambling in their stores, has been met with some scepticism by punters.

While strictly policing underage gambling is a laudable cause, the question has already been asked if the use of these cameras has less to do with underage gambling and more to do with profiling punters, so Tabcorp can stop syndicates or regular winners betting with cash who would otherwise be restricted on their online products.

There can be little doubt as to how the odds would be framed on this market!

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SMERDON LIFE BAN STANDS AFTER APPEAL IS REJECTED. VASIL AND WEBB’S SENTENCES REDUCED

Robert Smerdon has lost his appeal against a life ban and a $90 000 fine for his involvement in the Aquanita scandal. "Mr Smerdon has shown no remorse or contrition for his conduct. He should not return to racing," VCAT deputy president Heather Lambrick said in her judgment. Smerdon has been given until June 2020 to pay the fine.

Along with confirming Smerdon’s penalty, Lambrick also announced that disqualifications for two other trainers involved in the Aquanita episode, Tony Vasil and Stuart Webb, had each been reduced to eighteen months. Vasil's ban starts immediately. Webb, who was stood down in January 2018, had now completed his period of disqualification.

Liam Birchley, who was also initially banned for a year by the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board in regard to the Aquanita matter, has already been successful in overturning his ban.

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FEMALE JOCKEYS RULE AT EMERALD

Female jockeys rode the card at Emerald on December 31. Kudos go to Hannah English. Tasha Chambers, Elyce Smith and Sonja Wiseman (who rode a double) for their collective efforts which gave the ladies a clean-sweep of the five-race program.

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REQUEST DENIED

Trainer Adam Trinder and owner Wayne Roser’s request for a key summer carnival race to be brought forward a week to suit their star runner Mystic Journey has been denied by Tasmanian racing officials who refused to reschedule the Sky Stakes on January 29. It has been reported that Roser has written to the chairman of Tasracing asking for the decision to be reviewed.

“I don’t know of any jurisdiction that would move a race, if there are other options available for the horse, just for the horse,” said Tasracing CEO Paul Eriksson, who also noted the obvious point that any late change in moving the Sky Stakes from January 29 would not be fair to other stables who had aimed their horses at the Sky Stakes and were setting about priming them for a race date that had long since been cemented in the Tasmaian Racing Program.