CHASING CHANGE: TIME TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED

By Robert Heathcote with Graham Potter | Friday, May 29, 2020

There have been negative comments about the whole QRIC set up from the very moment the arguably flawed MacSporran report was implemented. MacSporran’s brief was to look into the ‘Live Baiting Grey Hound scandal’ and yet his report resulted in the whole racing industry, including horse racing, being turned on its head. Many good, experienced people were lost to this state’s horse racing industry as a result.

It was never going well from the get go and the negative talk within the industry has been particularly rampant for the past couple of years. This, amongst other things, has only served to erode both internal and external confidence in the industry and once confidence is lost, everything is lost.

That talk within the industry, not just from many trainers and owners, but even some racing officials, current and former, is that confidence with Integrity in racing is at an all-time low.

Even the morale from the stewards is as low as I have ever seen it, (a directive will probably go out now for them not to talk to me) but it is there to plainly see. It seems their hands are tied by this organisation and it seems to me that the current systems and situation have severely diminished both the authority of the race-day stewards and the respect they need to be shown to be able to do their job properly?

I accept there will be those that do not believe or accept this is that big an issue or as rampant as I suggest, but in my 23 years in racing I have never seen it like it is now. As I said on RSN, this current situation is an epic fail.

The success rate of successful prosecutions by QRIC against alleged rule breakers has been appalling. What that says about the effectiveness of the integrity system others can decide for themselves but, in my opinion and the opinion of many others, the system does not work and has not come close to the Labour parties mandate upon QRICs implementation of putting Integrity up on a pedestal.

I know that it is the view of many participants that decisive action has to be taken to eradicate the flaws in the system to restore confidence in the fact that racing is as clean as it can be.

I say as clean as it can be because yes, invariably there will always be those who try to cheat and gain an advantage but that should not in any way deter the efforts of QRIC to stamp out malpractice all together and the best way to even get close to that goal is to have the best integrity tracking system and team in place.

For example, pre-race testing has to be a priority, yet, particularly over this past year, we have seen a serious decline in pre-race testing. Pre-race testing simply must be done yet stewards reports from the past five months clearly show that in many cases, NO PRE-RACE swabs were done for entire meetings! That is appalling and this has happened at many race meetings around the state.

Obviously those who do not pre-race treat their horse would certainly be in favour of seeing the TCO2 levels published and I simply do not understand why QRIC will not do this when the previous administration did it and it was often a huge talking point to the degree where peer group pressure could evolve to work as a deterrent.

Again, it gets back to integrity and confidence. You simply can’t get away from these key issues.

We all know wagering is the fuel which drives this industry and without the threat of getting caught for pre-race treating of horses, the confidence levels in the industry will be, and have been, seriously tarnished. A whole new system and strategy must be implemented on a consistent basis to deter cheating. A rigorous, regular pre-race testing regime would be a good start. Whilst initially costing more, in the long term it will save the industry plenty and restore confidence.

The cost of running QRIC is often brought into the same conversation concerning QRIC’s effectiveness. It is reported that QRIC costs many millions of dollars to run. That’s not an issue for me as long as the quality of stewarding, detection of rule breakers and successful and stern prosecutions is commensurate with those costs. I do not believe this is the case currently.

Most of us have taken a serious financial haircut because of the covid-19 crisis and fair to say, as reported by the media, public servants across the nation have not had to have their pay trimmed but, again, in saying that, I believe there should be no expense sparred in ensuring Integrity levels are always kept to the maximum. Again, all that counts for nothing if the integrity system that is put in place does not work … a case in point being current appeals process.

I fully acknowledge that catching cheaters and convicting them are two different things. Even when stewards bring in a guilty verdict the appeal system is so laborious and wrapped in red tape it can take literally years to resolve. Again, this needs to change and I think this argument is best left for those with legal expertise to set up a prosecution system that works.

Peter Boyce has stated it is possible to do so and he has submitted a proposal to government to that effect. We all have to get government to listen … because what we have now is nothing short of a joke.

QRIC operate within the Queensland’s racing model in which all three codes are incorporated into one body. This is a despised by the greater number of horse racing participants who feel the codes should be separated and run under their own authority

I’m not sure why we have to so different from the rest of the nation with our racing model? I think it stems back to the times of former Racing Qld Chairman Bob Bentley who wanted the three codes under the one control body. I didn’t like the idea then and I hate it even more now.

The analogy has been used many times, could one control body run the AFL football, the NRL rugby League and the Australia Soccer federation? Of course, they could not … so why are three distinctly different racing codes with totally different demographics all under the one umbrella.

This has to change for the betterment of each of the codes.

I am always stunned that we, here in Queensland always seem to take such a vastly different path to the southern states for arguably little gain. Sure, geography is part of the reason. The large number of race clubs in the state and the over-bearing political influence on racing is stifling.

Racing in Queensland is the eternal football which gets kicked about so much … in fact it is often kicked out of bounds! Just have a look at the list of Racing Ministers we have had over the years. It must be the short straw portfolio in the cabinet room.

And please spare me about the MacSporran report. He wrote a report with 23 recommendations which, in my opinion, have simply failed and, for the record, I know of no one in the industry who has ever met him or consulted with him on these recommendations.

In any event, that is now a five-year-old report in which many flaws have been exposed. The Racing Minister Stirling Hinchliffe referred to the MacSporran report when quoted in the Courier-Mail earlier this week. Hinchlifef stated, “As the MacSporran Review in 2015 made clear, the racing control body could not adequately deal with welfare or integrity issues properly.”

Surely a flawed five-year-old report is due for review anyway … particularly because it is not as if the alternative has done any better. Can I say it any louder … IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE!

Surely, we can do better!

I say we can … but will racing be allowed to do better?

The current government is going to stick to their guns even though many believe the model is flawed. Betting closed on that outcome long before Hinchliffe at last admitted, in that same Courier-Mail piece, that there was no chance of racing integrity switching back to the auspices of Racing Queensland while the government was in power.

I have never been a supporter of Socialism and I fear racing in this state is heading down that path along with the ideology of the labour government and that this administration spends too much energy appeasing the governments wishes instead of what is indeed best for the industry to flourish.

Just recently QRIC have arranged for a survey with many questions on their performance and this has been sent State wide to racing participants, owners etc. I would hope this administration show to the industry the full and non-redacted results of this survey?

For all of my criticism, my sincere hope is that, while we are stuck in the present circumstances, QRIC can indeed ‘lift their game’, restore confidence by doing all that can be done to make racing a level playing field.
Yes, I do want to see structural governance changes in the way racing is run across the three codes but, according to HInchliffe, it will take an election and a change of government for that to happen.

That doesn’t mean we should back off and accept our mission as a lost cause, particularly on the word of a politician.

Strong, INDEPENDENT industry leadership to administer a system that works … that is what is needed.

I would love to see the industry appoint Peter V’landys, at very least, in a consultant role, to advise on how best to set the racing structure up and to indicate what should be changed to have a much more independent working relationship with the government of the day.

That would probably have some people scrambling for cover but that is exactly the type of strong, goal-focussed, leadership that Queensland racing industry needs.

Without that type of leadership and appropriate systems in place, sadly, as we have all found out and know too well, the ship will simply flounder.

Whichever way you look at it, it is time to set a new course!

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