THIS NONSENSE HAS GOT TO STOP

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, July 20, 2022

This nonsense has got to stop!

Ipswich today became the latest race meeting to join a particular list of unhappy, abandoned meetings in recent times which have all been called off far too late in proceedings to save participants and racing’s customers the time and money that is lost by travelling to the track for no purpose.

Let’s clear this argument up at the outset. As is so often correctly stated, safety for the horse and rider trumps any other consideration and there will always be valid, out of human control circumstances which will lead race meetings to be abandoned … BUT …

This is not about the reason for a meeting being abandoned. It is about the way an abandonment, such as we saw at Ipswich today … and Warwick before that … and Quilpie before that … is managed.

Line up these facts. The Ipswich track rating all morning was only listed as a ‘soft 5.’ The preview went out on Sky Racing late morning as usual … it all looked good for the eight-race card … yet people arrived at the track only to be told the meeting had been abandoned. (incidentally, the Racing Australia website still had the Ipswich meeting as being on with all fields posted and a soft 5 rating shown an hour after the meeting had been abandoned).

Everybody who walked through the gates at Ipswich had some sort of reaction to the news that the meeting had just been called off.

Some were absolutely dumbfounded. Others were disillusioned … and others still were either outwardly angry or trying to curb their disbelief and disappointment.

What they all had in common is that they were wasting their time.

Which begs a series of questions.

Where was the due diligence from authorities in terms of vetting the surface of the entire track … IN GOOD TIME? Surely, there had been no change in conditions from 7am.

Why no early decision? In these days of instant communication surely the club track curator and racing stewards should always be on the same wavelength? Can there really be any excuse?

Where was the respectful treatment of the participants (trainers, jockeys, owners, strappers, float drivers etc … as opposed to submitting them to real inconvenience. Being shown due respect for their situation and endeavours should be a common courtesy and the participants basic right given the core, essential contribution they make to the industry?

That care factor seemed to be non-existent.

Where was any sign of the lessons that should have been learnt from the similar episodes that had previously played out in the same way?

Another apparent non-existent entity … or, at very least, any lessons learnt had yet to be put into practise. If that was the case … the follow-up question is ‘why not?’

And lastly, and right now most importantly, given all the perceived shortcomings mentioned above … what are authorities going to do about it NOW?

Putting in place new measures in this regard … ones that work … needs to be an absolute priority.

The bottom line is that everybody in racing wants the same positive outcome on this issue ... and they want it quickly.

You have to believe that, given that it is not really a complicated matter, an acceptable resolution for all can now be identified and implemented sooner rather than later, which would bring some much needed harmony back into the fold.

Following today’s Ipswich meeting abandonment, Cameron Partington, from the Queensland Branch of the Australian Trainer’s Association, has released the following statement:

‘The ATA has been working extremely hard with RQ & QRIC over the last few months on the long-standing problems and concerns around track preparation in Qld. We thought after many recent discussions and meetings the worst was behind us. As recent as a trainer’s meeting yesterday we were assured the failures of the past had been learnt from and measures were in place to ensure instances like today at Ipswich couldn't happen again.

‘To say trainers are disappointed or dissatisfied is a gross understatement. Horses from today were not accepted for Gatton Friday and Doomben Sat as they all were heading for a Soft 5 today at Ipswich, a number that certainly would give you no reason for concern and make you accept elsewhere. We are not blaming the Club here directly, the recent weather events have made track preparation difficult.

‘The major concern is ensuring RQ track experts are on the same page as both the Club curator and the Stewards (who ultimately decide if a track is safe or not). Attention to this issue should have been brought to all parties yesterday, and that's when a decision such as today's needed to be made, which would have made it a little more palatable for the industry to accept and offer more options for connections.

‘The only positive from this fiasco today is that finally it might force RQ & QRIC to acknowledge the importance of getting this right and take appropriate action.’