The year of racing came to an end almost a month ago and race fans have shifted their attention to the upcoming spring meetings, starting with this weekend’s Group 1 Memsie Stakes.
Despite this, the annual award ceremonies for racing in New South Wales and Victoria were not held until last week. Should we not follow the lead of AFL, NRL and Cricket and have these awards as close to the end of the season as possible?
The trainers and jockey premierships were close this year and created some good marketing buzz. Yet we wait three weeks to host industry only award nights.
Also awarded last week were the respective Horse of the Year awards. Victoria was restricted to Victoria only races and voting by a panel of administrators and media. NSW had a pretty convoluted points system that is always going to reward quantity over a single stand out performance.
With Dissident taking out Victorian HOTY and First Seal taking out the NSW HOTY, what do we think of their merits?
The most interesting thing for me is that both the stallion and mare are now part owned by the China Horse Club.
I was watching the live telecast of the NSW Awards on Sky Thoroughbred Central and was intrigued to see the China Horse Club Chairman Teo Ah Khing speak after winning multiple awards, saying “that this was on behalf of all the 60 million China Horse Club members”.
I am not sure of all the membership benefits attached to the China Horse Club but this certainly highlights the presence of Chinese ownership and potential for Australian bred thoroughbreds and racing in general.
Unfortunately Racing.com was not telecasting or webcasting the Scobie Breasley Medal, Racing Victoria’s version of the Brownlow.
Damien Oliver collected his eighth ‘Scobie’ while leading trainer Peter Moody publicly snubbed the awards and new Racing Victoria Chairman David Moodie scooped the owners and breeders awards. The Fred Hoysted award for training was awarded to German trainer Andreas Wohler for winning the Melbourne Cup.
And so onto the awards for Racing Queensland. Oh wait they have been cancelled or can’t get sponsorship from new wagering partner UBet. Or some other excuse from a political organisation that trumpets a $28M black hole without backing up with any financial information and has refused all requests to an interview or disclosure of any financial information.
They are now recruiting for an independent Chairman and three independent board members that can’t have been a member of a race club or a horse/dog owner for two years. They are advertising on Seek! For those interested, salary comes in at a maximum $50,000 and $30,000 respectively. Go figure?
Racing participants in Queensland should not have to put up with this ineptitude. (That’s my raspberry if you could not pick it!)
So what about the Australian Horse of the Year? Is this something that racing should be coveting and using as a key plank for the marketing of racing heroes to the masses?
The award was a pretty big deal when Black Caviar managed to win it three years in a row, becoming just the second horse, alongside Sunline, to win three years in a row. Lankan Rupee won last year’s award but was unable to take the chocolates from Dissident for the Victorian title this year despite a superior international rating.
So when and where are the Australian Horse of the Year Awards. We went to Racing Australia to find out – but they don’t run the event and don’t have any information. Racing Victoria run the event and use it as a launch for the Victorian Spring Carnival. October the eighth at the MCG.
Surely the recently formed Racing Australia will take charge of this event and look to showcase this as soon as possible after the end of the racing season. Does this mean Sydney will host the awards in 2016? But what if Channel Seven want to broadcast the event for racing content?
Here at The Roar we have been interested in the debate surrounding Australian Horse of the Year since May.
And I wrote about the season’s defining performances just before the end of the season, back when the awards should have been held, throwing my vote towards Delicacy.
So it will be interesting to see whom is nominated for Australian Horse of the Year and who wins.
Does Protectionist poll well after one of the most dominant Melbourne Cup wins? Or does his disappointing autumn hurt his votes? The points system that gifted First Seal the NSW awards is not used for the national awards and I don’t think she will gain too many votes.
Michael Steel
Roar Pro
Reseach won the 1988/89 horse of the year ahead of Vo Rogue. A 3 year old filly she won the Flight and Wakeful Stakes, VRC and AJC Oaks and AJC Derby. Sounds impressive and it is, but they all races for 3 year olds. Vo Rogue was beating horses such as Super Impose who never finished ahead of Vo Rogue in any race, and I love Super as much as i love Vo Rogue.
michael steel
Guest
Your article highlights what an ordinary bunch of horses we have at the moment if Dissident and First Seal are the best we've got. As a Queenslander I still haven't forgiven the powers that be for picking a quickly forgotten three year old over Vo Rogue for horse of the year. Dissident and First Seal are in the category of very good horses but they are already forgotten. Unlike the great Vo Rogue. As for Brisbane racing this year, Boban and Pornichet were the two memorable horses from the carnival, nothing else.
michael steel
Guest
My comment is not about your article but I am disappointed that Horse Racing is now in the "More" section. Because I was a sports addict as a child my grandfather, a proof reader , said to me 'When it comes to sport you have to know three things, Football, Cricket and Horse Racing" the rest are unimportant. I believe he is still right.
Nathan Absalom
Roar Guru
I think that expenditure in 2013-14 was on a new facility, although I am not across the details in Queensland, but prior to 2013/14 they were only spending 30-40k year. I was under the impression that the $1.6M was announced as funding ongoing improvements to welfare, mainly through GAP, so hopefully there'll be a bit of transparency from Racing Qld soon.
Jason Cornell
Expert
In 2013/14 Racing Queensland spent $2.5M on a Greyhound Adoption Program In contrast Greyhounds Victoria spent $1.2M. Revenue for GV $77M . Revenue for RQ Greyhounds - $20M Go figure
Nathan Absalom
Roar Guru
Thanks for the information, Jason. I don't know anyone that wants all three codes under one administration, they are many more differences than similarities between the codes. Breeding structures, international competition, attendances, the list goes on. All that happens is that difficult decisions for one code get rationalized as unimportant and things don't get done. That information from Racing Qld is very light on detail. In March they cut prizemoney levels for the greyhounds and set aside the money for an animal welfare fund, $1.6 million annually. In the discussion paper, there is a section on animal welfare, but it talks about issues such as what temperature a trainer should be allowed to scratch their greyhound without penalty. Nowhere does it talk about what it is going to do with that money or even mention that it exists. I can only guess they have either already decided where that money will be spent or they'll cut the fund. If it's the former, it would be nice of them to tell us, if it's the latter then that's just boneheaded stupidity.
Nathan Absalom
Roar Guru
I guess one thing that was unique this year was that the big three races in Melbourne went to imports that only won one race each in Australia for the year.
Jason Cornell
Expert
ok here is the response from Racing Qld http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/racing/pdf/racing-reforms-discussion-paper.pdf Its a pretty funny way of disclosing part of the information. Need to see full financial year results. http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/racing/pdf/racing-reforms-discussion-paper.pdf But certainly they are saying that the Tatts deal (only inked on June 27th 2014) did not support the almost immediate across the baord increases to prizemoney. Thats the topline issue and everything else is pretty minor. The paper and consultation asks a lot of questions but leaves the big elephant out of the room "Why keep the three codes together under one administration" . Nobody wants it - Vic and NSW show and advocate that it does not work. Especially as coming from a thoroughbreds perspective that has more than 75% of betting turnover, large employment and breeding industries that are more closely linked and with interstate competition than trots or dogs. Why the motivation to keep all three together? It seems like they are committed to following with the werunasone market platform - the absolute worst marketing strategy and implementation of a racing jurisdiction I have ever seen. And they still keep it alive at http://werunasone.com.au/ - have a look for some amusement and hopefully a Uni marketing guru will do a case study/paper This type of consultation looks great from a KPMG/Deloittes consultancy background - but is slow and caters to the conservative of any committee decision. But it needs a leader, a spruiker whom can instil confidence and rally around participants. That should be the CEO - somebody who knows how to market racing. The board - well it just seems a joke when they want an independent Chairman - who has not owned or been a member for 2+ years - when once again consider NSW and Vic with leading owners and breeders Messara and Moodie as Chairman
Tristan Rayner
Editor
I wouldn't have said I understood how a German trainer winning the Melbourne Cup (and nothing else) wins Victorian Trainer of the Year, but I suppose that race carries a huge significance.