If there is a change of government in Queensland next month, one wonders will it continue on with the current situation where Racing Queensland, headed by Bob Bentley, controls the three sports gallops, harness, and greyhounds? During Bob’s reign there have been several controversial decisions and legal battles.
Under Mr Bentley’s reign, the three codes were united but there were legal challenges as to the conditions involved. The greyhounds and harness racing were threatening legal action.
Track improvements were a controversial issue. Sunshine Coast handed over 89percent of its assets to QLD Racing. Rockhampton 50percent. Toowoomba argued and finally succeeded in not having to hand over its assets whilst the Gold Coast was also refusing to sign off on a deal where most of its assets would have ended up belonging to QR, but recently Premier Anna Bligh came up with a grant of $35 million without any strings attached.
According to press reports it could require new legislation to change Mr Bentley’s tight control of the industry. The same report claiming he has not had to face an election from 2002 to at least 2014.
Many in the industry are claiming he has wasted large amounts of money on failed schemes and legal action instead of increasing prize-money.
The last upgrade in Metropolitan prize-money was in December 2004.
With prize-money stagnant the costs of racing a horse in Qld has risen every year and now many owners are seriously considering shifting their horses interstate chasing the much superior returns.
Apologies folks for this one, but we cracked up when we heard it. Reckon we know a couple of these golfers.
If a naughty joke offends skip to the next article.
Four older blokes were playing their weekly game of veterans’ golf and one remarked how nice it would be to wake up on Xmas morning, roll out of bed and without an argument go directly to the golf course, meet his mates and play a round. All his mates chimed in and said, “Let’s do it. We’ll make it a priority.
“Figure out a way and we’ll meet you here early Xmas morning.”
Months later, that special morning arrives, and there they are on the golf course.
The first bloke says, “Boy this game cost me a fortune. Bought my wife such a diamond ring that she can’t take her eyes off it.” The second bloke says, “I spent a heap too. My wife is at home planning the cruise I gave her. She was up to her eyeballs in brochures.” The third bloke says, “My wife is at home admiring her new car, reading the manual.”
They all turned to the last bloke in the group, who is staring at them like they have lost their minds.
“I can’t believe you all went to such expense for this golf game. I slapped my wife on the bum and said, ‘Well Honey, Happy Xmas. It’s a great morning - intercourse or golf course?’ and she said, ‘Going to be hot. Take your Hat.’”
Gee it’s hard to feel sorry for some of the big Corporate Bookmakers.
Some are offering to pay the best tote odds to punters to try and take their business from TABS and other Bookmakers, yet scream like stuck pigs when a punter does nothing illegal by backing other dogs in the race on one Tab.
With such small pools in a greyhound race a punter can place large amounts at a TAB on all runners except the dog he wants to back to win thereby artificially increasing the dividend for the dog he wants to back with the Corporates betting best tote odds.
According to press reports a couple of weeks ago, a punter invested a total of $20,000 on two dogs to run a place in a race at Horsham with four Corporate Bookmakers who advertise that they will bet you best tote odds. He then backed the other four runners on a Tab. The dogs ran first and second and the punter should have collected $150,000 but the Corporate Bookmakers refused to pay the full amount.
Of course, if the dogs had got beaten nothing would have been said but because they ran first and second all hell broke loose.
The solution is simple. Don’t try to entice punters from the Tabs and other Bookmakers by advertising you will pay the best tote odds.
“Wives can be smart Alec’s,” Rather Rotund Resident of Baker Street confided to drinking partner.
“She was trying to get the dog to sit on command, and I said, ‘You’ll never get that dog to obey you’ and she said, ‘Nonsense all it takes is patience, I had a lot of trouble with you at first’.”
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