The Good
The rise and Swan dive of Isaac Heeney against GWS on Saturday topped off a great week with the spirit of racing booming in the outback plus Your Song, mine is Sweet Caroline always resplendent at the Sydney Cricket Ground, playing a role.
As usual the Swans were heart attack material but Heeney takes you to the clouds even more so than Tom Berry on Buckeroo, outfiring Nash Rawiller, a Goliath in a finish, on Hinged at nearby Royal Randwick.
Perhaps I was many kilometres away at Mendooran, out west, to a non-tab meeting, peopled by families having a day at the races with landed gentry including the McGirrs and Renshaws. Malcolm Johnston, the former great jockey, made a guest appearance in Mohawk mode. Johnston calls a close friend “Ronnie Roundhead”, who, unfortunately, wasn’t there on Saturday to suggest Miracle Mal looks into a mirror.
Being transported there in a McLaran, more spaceship than motor vehicle, with Winedot Michael at the controls was an experience. Considering Donald Campbell’s land speed record was challenged, it was unforgettable, but surpassed by Heeney’s feat observed on television.
Mudgee, of course, followed Mendooran with the Max Walker 70th. Birthday, the title of the major race the following day.
A mainstay of Mudgee races with wife Colleen, Walker held a soiree at the Love Shack, near the track, for family and close friends: 400 were well fed and watered. Included in the party goers were Barbara Joseph, Jo McKinnon, Mick Cronin, and Lindsay Davies, the once longtime racecourse manager, who still retains his Sydney Turf Club vehicle number plate. Davies was comfortable away from bleats of Randwick bias favouring front-runners on Saturday. Rail out six metres, good surface? I’ll reserve my opinion. Hopefully irrigation isn’t suggested solution.
The following day featured Where’stheprofit, a five-year-old gelding, debuting in the Maiden. Where’stheprofit was picked up out of a paddock of mainly neglected stock horses suspected of being a thoroughbred. Tuned by Cameron Crockett, endowed with the dynasty horse sense, the gelding only notched Mudgee Maiden but promises to make Highway grade.
While the progeny of American Pharoah, All Too Hard and Dundeel were doing their best in $12,000 Mendooran events, Your Song, a sire who stands for a negotiable $5,500, was showing his worth the $120,000 Highway at Randwick.
Melody Again was an impressive winner by Your Song while another by the stallion, Atmospheric Rock, was an eyecatcher in the same event. Both should make their mark in better races.
Your Song stands at Gooree Stud, Mudgee, which also produced Manhattan Glory, successful in the Group one Moir Stakes. Manhattan Reign was the last foal of Crown Glory, when she was 21.
Alas, as anticipated, the Group One Moir wasn’t as strong as the Group 3 Concorde at Randwick, taken by I Am Me from Bella Nipotina who should have scored but struck a traffic snag at a vital stage, confirmed by the wonder of television that allowed absence from Randwick and the Sydney Cricket Ground for bush racing and hospitality.
The Bad
Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, regarded as the world’s most experienced and successful racing administrator, emphasised the plight of the industry with the “aged audience” demographic at the recent Asian Racing conference in Japan.
“Those 55 or above represent 43 per cent of racing customers and account for 52 per cent of total racing betting turnover,” he explained.
“We face economic challenges with high inflation and interest rates; increased competition from other forms of digital entertainment offerings, which had grown massively during COVID; we see a massive growth in illegal and offshore wagering; we see significant changes in customers-consumer behaviours and, as a consequence, we see a decline of income in many racing jurisdictions as an outcome.”
Only 23 Aussie breds in the 123 nominations for the Melbourne Cup in November could be inferred as also Bad.
However, it just continues to trend towards the international influence where mainly stayers from abroad are superior and more cost effective than those being produced and developed here.
The overseas influence has been described as the “saviour” of the Big One. Sadly, with them has come the hellish breakdowns of those that are suspect on Australian conditions.
Once the Melbourne Cup was an Australian race with a strong New Zealand influence but now is more international. I prefer the former.
The Ugly
Obviously, the referral of Jamie Kah’s ride on Let’sfacethemusic in the McNeil Stakes at Caulfield on August 31 to the Victorian Racing Tribunal comes into the ugly category.
Kah is charged by stewards with not taking all reasonable and permissible measures to secure the best possible placing on Let’sfacethemusic, who finished fifth.
The VRT will hear the case on a date to be fixed. Being what is regarded as a “a serious breach” the Victorian Racing Act requires the matter determined by VRT, not by the stewards.
Back in the Australian Jockey Club era the AJC committee heard appeals and one of the “jury” always maintained the stewards were the professionals at deciphering responsibility and who was he to change their decision?
No doubt it will be argued that outstanding jockeys of any gender can have an “off day” or bad ride. Perhaps the VTC will be more receptive to it than the professionals.
Kah is faced with “Let’sfacethemusic” for this one.
