MY CALL: STILL WARY BUT GROWING IN CONFIDENCE

By David Fowler | Tuesday, April 7, 2020

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.

It is a delight to write with increased hope and confidence about any topic.

My weekly musings about the covid-19 pandemic and the racing industry has largely been based on a guardedly hopeful and confident approach.

A faith of sorts in the right measures being employed and a 100% willingness by those involved to observe those measures so racing could proceed.

The Mark Zahra potential positive scare a fortnight ago was an unwelcome hiccup and Tasmania’s racing shutdown last Thursday sent a shudder through the mainland participants.

But as the country has cautiously turned a corner in regards to the health crisis in the last few days, I believe it’s taken the racing industry with it, albeit indirectly.

Positive test case numbers are falling. The curve is flattening.

This is not wishful thinking. Government and medical advice supports it.

The racing operation is now in its fourth week of this extraordinary situation and in the first fortnight it tiptoed along on a day-by-day basis with every meeting run seemingly a bonus.

But as every day passed without an alarm bell ringing, there was a touch more confidence the show could keep rolling along.
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As the mood on the national front is changing, so is the mood among racing officialdom and participants.

But, like the rest of society, it’s can’t be case of dropping the ball because there’s a sliver of light. What’s currently in place must stay in place in racing’s landscape.

It is these very measures that have kept our infection numbers and deaths at a very low level compared to other countries.

Nothing is going to change anytime soon.

It’s less than a month into these unprecedented times yet racing’s economic model on so many fronts been trashed.

Prizemoney reductions, staff cuts and carnival cancellations have happened left right and centre.

They were always likely casualties and those lists haven’t necessarily been ruled off.

But the country is in a better place than we were a week ago and so is the racing industry.

It might still be day by day but, as I write with increased hope and confidence, I’m sure racing’s participants will be living it.

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