BEN'S BEAT: ACKNOWLEDGING COUNTRY & PROVINCIAL RACING'S ESSENTIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE INDUSTRY

By Ben Saunders | Friday, January 17, 2020

In this edition of Ben’s Beat, the personal blog of Ben Saunders, Ben gives everybody a well-timed and arguably very necessary reminder of the importance of country and provincial racing in Queensland, from the role it plays in nurturing trainers and jockeys to its relevance to the local economy in many country areas … and so much more. Coming off the back of the high profile and much hyped Magic Millions week Ben’s commentary takes a step back from those bright lights and acknowledges the hard-core participants, that are the lifeblood of the industry, who are so often left lost in the shadows. This is Ben’s Beat, which appears exclusively on HRO, a website that itself is a great supporter of country racing.

Country racing might be far removed from all of the razzmatazz that we have seen at the Gold Coast during the Magic Millions Carnival … but it remains a vital part of racing, as always making an essential contribution to the overall makeup of the industry.

While it has to play second fiddle to the major meetings on carnival occasions which, quite justifiably then take centre stage, the importance of this contribution should never be underestimated and, as the sun sets on the Magic Millions Carnival for 2020, this is as good a time as any to reinforce that fact.

City racing in Queensland wouldn’t exist as we know it without country racing. I think more so than the southern states because of the fact, I would say, that they have a bigger city population or a bigger city spread. In Melbourne, for example, if you go to Packenham it is still accessible by rail. It is virtually a suburb, whereas if you travel to a country meeting in Queensland that is not the case.

Country racing and provincial racing outside the city in Queensland would have at least three times the number of trainers as there are city trainers, probably more.

As such, and as runners and riders progress through the ranks, country racing and provincial racing are great providers of trainers, jockeys and horses to the city … Brisbane’s leading trainer, multiple premiership winner Tony Gollan and the city’s current leading apprentice Baylee Nothdurft are fine examples of this … and therein lies a delicate balance that has to be maintained from the lowest rating races to standard metropolitan meetings.

We need to maintain the quality of country racing as much as anything else. That is an important feeder groups to the provincials. The provincials then, in turn, feed horses, jockeys and trainers up, what I call the ladder, to city racing and it is imperative that the amount of horses hold their numbers on all of those levels if we are to have a healthy industry.

That can only be done if each of those levels gets a fair allocation when funding upgrades are announced.

It is often stated that betting turnover is the lifeblood of the industry and that bigger field sizes are vital to attracting turnover. Well, on that basis, the city, out of carnival time would not have the field sizes to generate a reasonable turnover without the support from those climbing the ladder which I mentioned.

The success of the industry in Queensland is built on that ladder.

That funding upgrades in terms of prize-money for provincial racing will have certain city trainers looking to plunder that prize money. The leading trainer in Brisbane even had a runner in the Cannonball Series this season and that is the right of the city trainers as they look to expand their businesses.

That will probably only take place on a limited scale though, so if reasonable prize money is there, it is largely for the taking by the provincial and country trainers.

QTIS prize-money has been great for all trainers to chase. The Magic Millions country initiatives have helped a great deal.

In terms of promoting racing with real feel good stories, so many really good stories have come out of the country and provincial racing ranks. It happens often … and I think that is also where Queensland is also slightly different to down south in terms of the loyalty trainers show to their riders, not always, but more often than not.

Take Toowoomba trainer Tony Webb’s win with Clockwise in the $250 000 Magic Millions Country Cup at the Gold Coast at the start of the year. Webb kept Nathan Evans on board, who had ridden Clockwise in his two previous starts, resisting any temptation to replace him with a more high-profile jockey.

Down south, I think many trainers in that position …. If they had the likes of Hugh Bowman sitting on the bench … would have made a different call. Webb’s decision was a credit to him and to the Queensland provincial racing fraternity who look after each other where they can.

Charlotte White and Bubba Tilley’s run with Spurcraft is another fine example of a trainer and jockey working together and sticking together.

Country and provincial racing obviously also finds importance in the fact that it is the active training ground for the new apprentices coming through.

It is just unfortunate that, at this time, probably around ninety percent of the bush riders are new apprentices which means, that while they are picking up some race riding experience, the important part of the learning process that comes from riding with better, more experienced jockeys is missing … so, they have got to make the provincial scene to be able to take the next step.

So, again, country and provincial racing then becomes a big point in educating our next crop of jockeys.

But it has much bigger value than I have discussed.

If you take a broad overview of the country and provincial racing scene it is not only the trainers and jockeys and horse owners that it serves, it also provides employment for so many others … from stable hands, to strappers, to truck drivers, to farriers … to what it means to business’s like feed merchants etc … which brings us back to the need for racing authorities to support country and provincial racing with suitable levels of prize-money and to recognise that city racing would not be sustainable without a healthy second tier part to the industry.

There is simply no question that, in essence, it is the huge efforts of the ‘battlers’ that keep the industry going.

If you have any doubt about that pick a random jockey or trainer and log the distance they cover over a season. That figure will show, literally, just how far they will go to help keep the sport alive.

All of the above is my opinion on which I take a very form stance. That opinion, as always, is mine alone and I don’t profess to talk for anyone else … but this is a reminder that believe needs to be put out there to, at very least, provide food for thought.

I enjoyed the hype of the Magic Millions week like everybody else … but country and provincial racing in Queensland must not be forgotten.

It simply can’t be forgotten.

I will always do my best to make certain that is the case because, as you might have guessed, I am very passionate about country and provincial racing.

I make no excuse for that!

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