THE worst kept rumour in northern racing is that Townsville’s Turf Club chairman Kevin O’Keefe will resign at the AGM next month.
Under the club constitution only four current committee members are eligible to nominate. There is a requirement for nominees to have served two years on the committee.
Nominations closed on Tuesday and at time of writing not one had been received to replace Mr O’Keefe, who has indicated a desire to step down, citing health reasons.
He was a very active chairman of the TTC since taking over from Alan Parry five years ago. He was, according to former Racing Queensland CEO Darren Condon, responsible alone for the new Cluden track, rated by many jockeys as currently the best track in Queensland.
According to Condon it would never have happened without O’Keefe’s input. “He was on the worksite daily, hard hat and all, and on the phone to RQ every night with a list of demands. If he hadn’t there would be no new track, believe me,” said Condon.
RACING was booming in Australia long before the Arabs, the Irish and the English studs came and virtually took over the breeding industry. Certainly long before the corporate bookmakers flew in and changed the betting landscape. And long before the creation of Australian Racing Board (ARB) and SKY with all its shortcomings.
Frankly this country would have been better without them. Bloodstock prices, potential stallions and their offspring are governed by the prize money available. Does the average punter – the forgotten mainstay of the industry – care if the Melbourne Cup is worth $1m or $10m?
No, but the breeders do. And they have had far too much influence for far too long. A more equitable distribution of prize money might result in a less dominant role by the overseas breeding giants. A more realistic sale price for bloodstock might result and racing could be enjoyed by a majority, not an elitist minority.
THE fumbling, bumbling and dictatorial ARB is to lose its CEO Peter McGauran. It might as well close the shop as well.
It completely bungled the whip rule which if anything has become a financial bonanza for various racing associations, with jockeys being fined at almost every meeting for violations of the rule. (By the way, where does the money end up?)
Frankly I wouldn’t care if the whips were banned totally, and I am sure eventually it will happen. But the current ruling is wrong and every steward I have spoken to agrees. Simply it is not working.
The whip rule, however, is just one of the contentious decisions of the ARB. The banning of anabolic steroids is another that was done without proper consultation with the industry. From my experience the anabolic hormones were essential and harmless to the older geldings racing in the climatically harsh country areas.