LEADING Darwin trainer Gary Clarke passed the imposing $500,000 mark for prize money earned this season when Toowoomba owned Handsome Tycoon – formerly with Peter Moody – won the Pioneer Sprint at Alice Springs on Saturday.
Clarke, originally from the central west of Queensland where he rode with great success before moving to Darwin 25 years ago, has saddled 40 winners this season. It is a sterling achievement and ample evidence that racing in the Top End is leaving its Queensland neighbours for dead.
Obviously racing in the Top End is thriving on the back of the corporate bookies. The NT is where they are all based and licensed – a phenomenon that surely cannot last if federal pollies have their way. But while it does, the local racing industry is the beneficiary.
The absurdity of this situation was realised last week in Darwin when a mere five runners contested races that ranged in prize money from $14,000 (Class B, mind you) to an $18,000 weight for age sprint.
Last weekend’s Alice Springs Cup carried prize money of $100,000, the same offered by Rockhampton and Townsville. The big difference, however, is there was no $700 acceptance fee as required by the Queensland clubs.
Darwin Cup this year is $150,000 (with a $500 travelling rebate) while the upcoming (acceptance-free) Scone Cup is worth $200,000 and this week’s Wagga Cup is $140,000 with prize money down to 6th placing and a subsidy for all other unplaced runners.
It is certainly getting harder in the sunny state and there is not a smidgen of hope of things getting better.
There are many racing folk who believe country racing is heading the same way as the trots. They recall that almost every major town in Queensland from Cairns to the Gold Coast boasted a trotting track 10 years ago.
How many remain? And what is the future of the once great spectacle of night trotting?
Last week the chairmen and CEOs of all TAB clubs in Queensland were summoned to Brisbane for a meeting at RQ headquarters. You might ask: Why not a video link in this cost saving era?
The visitors were told there was to be a change in the distribution of funds or subsidy to each club. The clubs once received $300,000 and a percentage of the off course turnover.
It is now proposed to give the clubs a basic fee and a percentage of the Ubet tote winnings. But what if Ubet loses on a meeting – and there are no guarantees with fixed betting. And further, fixed betting turnover is far greater than the tote, and growing.
RQ couldn’t answer that. Nor would it or Ubet release performance figures so that the clubs could get a guide.