Queensland Racing Board meetings are pretty strained these days.
Chairman Bob Bentley and Director Bill Andrews will shortly face each other in Court.
Andrews is suing Queensland Racing claiming its election process to elect the new board was incorrect.
Andrews was not included on the short list of candidates.
Press reports are saying court documents claim Queensland Racing had an improper input to the selection of the candidate.
Another claim is leading businessman Dick McBruther during his interview was asked such irrelevant questions as, “Are you a practicing Catholic ?” and “What school did you attend?”
It is also going to be alleged that the interview process was incorrect to include the names Neville Stewart and Wayne Milner on the short list as they were ineligible for selection as they were Committee members of licensed clubs when nominated.
Bob also has had plenty of headaches in his other job as CEO of Australian Racing and the controversial whip rule.
The whole industry including jockeys, owners, trainers and breeders were in uproar about how many times a jockey could use the whip in the final stages of a race.
The problem was what would happen if a horse won a major race and the jockey struck the horse more than the allotted number of times and could the connections of the second horse protest as the race result could cost owners millions of dollars in prize money and stud value.
There were even suggestions of a “no confidence” vote in the Chairman.
An uneasy compromise was reached to allow the use of the whip in the final stages of seven strokes.
A further meeting saw the sensible solution of giving the jockey permission to use the whip as many times as he wished over the final 100metres.
Bart Cummings has produced a colt with the quaint name of So You Say.
Won first up in a canter and went for a spell. Returned from a spell and gave top colt More Than Great four or five lengths start up the rise at Randwick.
Sprouted wings and failed by a whisker to run him down and they broke Grand Armee’s track record.
Heaven knows what time he ran his last 600 metres.
He then did a lot wrong before winning the group three Gloaming Stakes.
Just a big baby and immature.
Bart now has to decide whether to stay in Sydney for the Spring stakes which he would win with a leg in the air or head to Melbourne for the Caulfield guineas and run into colts like Denman and Trusting ( both group one winners ) and a heap of other top-class three year-olds.
We think he is a Derby horse and absolutely a group 1 in the making but probably next prep. We’re sure Bart will make the correct decision but write the name down.
Two Blokes in a Pub. First Bloke: “These are hard financial times. Have you got any ideas to to save money?”
Second Bloke: “Yep. Wait until you get to work to go to the toilet. Not only will you save money on toilet paper you’ll also be getting paid for the time you’re in there.”
How to back a winner. Former jockey and now radio tipster John Letts had a good punting story last week. We all read of tennis queen Serena Williams’s outburst at a lady linesman saying she would stuff the tennis ball down her throat and kill her. A punter noticed a horse Sarena in a mid-week race would be wearing a tongue tie. Punter took it as an omen bet, threw on $20 for fun. Up it got and paid $21 dollars.
Some “experts” were disappointed with Denman’s run on Saturday. We weren’t. Peter Snowden is a top trainer who looks after his horses, so there is no doubt after he won the Group 1 Golden Rose a few weeks ago, normally he would have sent the colt for a spell.
Probably under instructions from the owners he has kept the colt in work trying to win the Caulfield guineas as victory in that race would see his value as a stallion probably treble.
He will improve after Saturday’s win and ridden off the speed will finish strongly and don’t let a wet track put you off.
He is a swimmer and gets the giggles when he hears rain on the roof.
“I’m a bit worried,” Rather Rotund Resident of Baker Street confided to drinking partner. “The Doc gave me these little pink pills and I said, ‘are you telling me these little pink pills will cure all my ills?’ And he said, ‘I assume so. No one has ever come back for more.’”
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