F*** NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NIKOLIC SAGA NOT OVER YET???
It’s stating the obvious, but the Danny Nikolic saga is still a long way from the finishing line. The two year disqualification handed down by the Victoria Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board surprised no one. If Nikolic had been exonerated or even warned, it would have made Chief Steward Terry Bailey’s position completely untenable. The next instalment of the saga will be played out in the Victorian court system when Nikolic’s appeal against his two-year disqualification is heard. And, in light of their previous experience of winning an appeal for Nikolic in 2010, you would think they would be a tad bullish about history repeating itself.
“Yes, that’s my new lawyer. Why?”
In the meantime, the image and integrity of racing and the public confidence in the industry lies in limbo. Rome is burning while Nero fiddles. It’s a very sad state of affairs. While allegations, rumour and innuendo thrive, the battered image of racing in Oz as a crooked sport can hardly sink any lower and anyone who still doesn’t see this or wish to get it must be related to Tommy, that deaf, dumb and blind kid who once played a mean pinball. Just think of the “star-studded lineup” of goons who have made a mockery of the sport- and those waiting on the sidelines to also see their names “in lights”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9WGIYjxzVU
From a racing perspective, what really is unacceptable is the ludicrous delay in another saga – Race Fixing. There are four races being investigated and yet no one can tell us when charges, if any, will be laid. It’s a classic catch 22. The Victoria Police unit investigating race fixing is the Purana task force, the unit which was set up specifically to investigate and solve the gangland wars. Purana has taken over the Les Samba murder investigation, and literally stumbled across the race fixing allegations through intercepts. And inevitably when one domino bites the dust it generally has company.
From Purana’s perspective, their prime task is to solve the Les Samba murder. It would be reasonable to suggest that the race fixing allegations are of a lesser priority. If Victoria Police had a dedicated task force or even a Unit with match/race fixing as part of its brief, this whole sad, sorry and protracted saga would have been before the courts with charges laid or there would have been a simple “No case” to answer type outcome.
It again comes back to how vulnerable racing is to being infiltrated by organized crime and to criminal behaviour by its own. The absence of a dedicated Police task force, at a time when sports betting is close to overtaking racing as a wagering medium, and through the glaring examples of match fixing both in Australia and globally, it is mind numbing to think that the combination of a complacent State and Federal Government and Sporting and racing Governing Bodies have not pulled their collective fingers out of each others arseholes and tackled what could blow the integrity of many sports in Oz- including racing- completely out of the water.
It’s really pathetic that in the racing scenario, there are so many brick walls preventing the sharing of information between the Victoria Police and Racing Victoria. How in heavens name could the integrity of racing be expected to be upheld when there is such an obviously and apparently insurmountable hurdle? And why hasn’t Racing Victoria screamed out loud and publicly about the State Government’s siesta about doing something about it? All we hear from Racing Victoria is about their so-called frustration and how they have continually asked the State Government to legislate to make it happen. Not good enough. If the pleas are falling on deaf ears, then why not turn the blow torch on publicly? Too scared perhaps? Finding a brave man or woman in racing is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. And this is why hardened and successful organized crime infiltrates racing, with no fear whatsoever. It is why criminal behaviour by racing participants appears to be getting out of control.
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YOU ARE A BLOODY DISGRACE, ALAN JONES!
Ageing Sydney radio broadcaster Alan Jones is better known in many other incarnations other than racing. He is, to use an old school term, a “shock jock” in radio, a failed Federal Liberal Party candidate, a successful national rugby union coach, and much, much more. Google him and you will find a rap sheet as long as the Pacific Highway, detailing a colourful and tainted history as a broadcaster whose extreme and provocative and totally insensitive and inflammatory commentary has hurt and angered a conga line of many decent Australians. Jones’ lowest common denominator of taunting public figures has resonated with a growing minority of his ageing demographic of listeners, who, like him, have difficulty comprehending the very basic standards of decency that separates a mature society from one which still lives under the shelter of primitive rules.
So what has Jones, whose appalling and shameful outburst linking the death of Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s father with the shame he had suffered as a result of his daughter’s public life, and which has triggered a tsunami of community protest, have to do with racing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCmbbk5WAJM&feature=related
Alan Jones is a business partner in a large slice of the racing empire of Racing NSW Chairman and Arrowfield Stud principal John “The Messiah” Messara. Through these connections, he is a major player in the Hunter Valley breeding and racing scene. It is believed Jones has significant interests in some of “The Messiah’s” stallions at Arrowfield with some of Messara’s mates.
The online petition to sack Jones from his 2GB radio gig is dangerously close to exceeding the capacity of Australia’s biggest sports stadium – the MCG. From a racing perspective, we like so many are ashamed that this man has a link with racing. We particularly find his utterances about the role of women in society and their unbelievable contributions across every endeavour in every aspect of familial, communal, social and commercial life to be precious, valuable and irreplaceable. We abhor, loathe and despise misogynist commentary directed at women, gender based discrimination against women.
Australian racing has been enriched by the contribution of women, across all levels of the industry. It would be impossible to measure the enormous contribution that Gai Waterhouse has made to racing, not just in Australia but globally.
Gai’s global footprint would be incomparable with Alan Jones’ local footprint in his dinky little backyard in suburban Sydney. Where Gai is relevant and contemporary, Alan Jones is irrelevant and outdated. And wouldn’t know a tweet from a twat.
A tweetheart.
A twat.
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GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, MELBOURNE RACING MEDIA!
We were in Melbourne last weekend to cheer home the mighty Sydney Swans in the AFL Grand Final. We also took in a great race meeting on Sunday at Caulfield, which was a far superior race meeting in just about every respect to the pathetic card dished up at our forgotten race track – Rosehill.
The Rosehill card served up unacceptably small fields, ridiculously short priced favourites and was as exciting as watching Anthony Cummings waddling across from the mounting yard to the horse stalls. Not a good look.
“Lovely hair, innit, mate?”
As part of the preparation to attack the bookies, we took along the Melbourne Sunday Herald Sun form guide along with a bunch of mates for a brilliant breakfast in the salubrious, toffy suburb of South Yarra. It almost gave us a dose of indigestion. Reading the commentary by Nick Quinn, who we have never heard of, was revealing. Nick clearly had not done his homework. His commentary about the Peter Moody trained Mumbeilly in race one included the line “Shapes as the main danger to Excluded”. Puzzled, we thought it might have been the big night previous celebrating the mighty Swannies. There was no fucking Excluded in the race! Nick had clearly confused Excluded with the short priced favourite Practiced, raced and trained in the same interests. We had a bit of a laugh. We’ve all made plenty of mistakes.
“What’s that wretched smell? Did I break out into a f**ing sweat when I waddled over here?”
We can forgive Nick, but what really gets under our skin is some of the commentary on Melbourne radio station Radio Sports National (aka Sport 927). How the Melburnians put up with the likes of Ray “Hukka” Huxley and Matty Stewart and assorted media hack is jus beyond our comprehension. “Hukka” is way past his use by date. Just listening to his market prices and form talk should you make you eligible for some sort of an award. He can sure get things wrong, like including horses which have been scratched in his selections and prices. And then you’ve got Matty Stewart.
“You’ve got Matty? Did he say anything about me?”
Apart from his hideous jackass laugh, his meaningless waffle with trainers is so grossly irritating you could be forgiven for kicking the nearest cat and for no acceptable reason. Last Sunday’s interview with Cindy Alderson was riveting. It was more about Cindy’s fucking hairdo the previous Saturday than her runner. That’s The One, a major player in the Group One Rupert Clarke Stakes that afternoon. Matty who gives a rat’s about Cindy’s fucking hairdo. She is unlikely to make the finals of Australia’s Next Top Model anyway, so who gives a toss? Perhaps you’d like to be her hairdresser, you candy-coloured clown they called the sandman!
“Yes, they’re my bestest hairdrssers.”
This is one of the major problems facing horse racing. Twats like Matt Stewart and our own Richard Callendar, has-beens like “Hukka” and an assortment of similar racing media types, dressed in their “op shop” type garments, who do more to turn people off racing than on. It’s like racing is still in its own time warp with moronic-type commentators screaming at you in their own bogan based lingo. It’s downright embarrassing. It is why the savvy Gen Y put their designer runners on and do a Usain Bolt to run as far away from racing as they can.
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SMALL FIELDS AND BEATEN FAVOURITES: JUST ANOTHER MAJOR RACE DAY IN SYDNEY
Last Saturday was not one of Sydney racing’s best days. Beaten short-priced favourites, some taking the quick way home along the rails and abysmally small fields, regrettably and embarrassingly are becoming par for the course on Saturdays.
It was clear from watching the replays and talking to trainers that the rails was not the place to be last Saturday at Rosehill. So why did Fat Al and Strawberry Boy, both ridiculously short priced favourites, finish up there? These are just two examples from a myriad of beaten short-priced favourites, form reversals, questionable rides that continue to pose questions that don’t generate satisfactory answers. And please don’t come up with the “he needed the run” bullshit. It was a much weaker race which Fat Al was entitled to be a short priced favourite – not the $1.40 or whatever punters were stupid enough to take. And to make an even greater mockery of his run and price, here he is lining up on Saturday in a Group One – the Epsom as being the well supported favourite! On his last run, he should be 10’s or better. Figure that one out The early odds market and all the hype some are paid to drum up is now being sung for too long by the same tired voices and it’s got broing and transparently obvious.
The deterioration in field sizes meanwhile continues unchecked. And Racing NSW, to no one’s surprise is clueless in coming up with a workable solution. Last Saturday’s card was simply woeful with less than eight starters in a swag of races. Considering the generous prize money, you would expect more competitive racing and field sizes in excess of ten starters. Perhaps Racing NSW should revisit their Saturday city prize money levels.
There is a clear disconnect with field sizes and quality. They may be better off going back to the old $70,000 and put the savings into a proper marketing campaign to get more owners into NSW racing so there is a greater spread of racehorse ownership and not just the usual suspects and their wanky nouveau riche mates who would like nothing more than to keep NSW racing on its path towards elitism.
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