The Corner with Garry Chittick

I gave The Corner a miss last week. After all, how could I compete with the expose Mike Guerin published in the NZ Herald. Let’s be fair, I am sure the two of you who regularly digest my rantings, as against his readership of double that, let’s hope there was only double. After all, not doubting the veracity of the article, minimum exposure surely would have sufficed. Still, to be fair, he only raised many of the thoughts of the esteemed author of The Corner. Critiques of those running racing fairly common. I should know, my spell as Chairman of the Racing Board resulted in increased subscriptions of the Friday Flash, my resignation, leaving no vehicle for the critics to publish their thoughts, resulted in the demise of the rag.

However, the Guerin article sends a message to any potential new racing or breeding participants, wow, why would I do that. To be fair, that’s been happening for some time now; our matings are the lowest I have seen in my 50 years of breeding.

So, is there an answer. Well, with my family’s involvement, I would like to think so. We are currently represented by Entain, the TAB, NZTR, and NZ Thoroughbred Breeders – surely there is enough collective imagination among that lot. But wait on, what about the respective Chief Executives, the six new General Managers. Now I know we old-timers could run the industry with only the back of a matchbox as our notebook, but then our values were based on common sense. Our clubs were considered a privilege to be part of. When Chairman of Manawatu Racing Club, I was appointed to the NZ Racing Board. At the finish of a Board meeting, a highly qualified Board member asked how many committee members I chaired at Manawatu. Sixteen, I replied – she burst out laughing with the view that was ridiculous. Well, I said all bar one are successful self-employed businessmen (something she hadn’t been), the other was a professor, all gave their time for nothing. All took pride in the club, most dragged in a race sponsor or two. A number said bugger all but always turned up. How many should I have I asked, eight? well I said the chances are half of the eight may be the quiet ones, leaving four really active. At least a dozen sponsorships would be lost. The rural members of the committee, who never hesitated when asked to support track staff with farm machinery, would be missing in action. More importantly, the camaraderie would be lost.

Times have changed. Reading the article, I thought how little importance was accorded to the enthusiasm of the clubs. We now have floated the concept of One Racing, somehow a central administration running both codes. Why? Supposedly, cost savings. Where would our Thoroughbred Code be advantaged, more importantly, we are good-natured competitors. The collective ownership of both codes asserts that, unless there is an underlying plan to sell, which may be possible if legislation enables the dismantling of club assets, I cannot see it being a plus. Let me know when the Auckland Racing Club throws their jewel in the crown in the pot. In my privileged term as Chairman of our Racing Board, I attended many meetings and race days with the three Codes; they were poles apart in their needs and aspirations.

So, we are left with a deal that leaves us with half our gross wagering profit (sure, we were paid for it), a desired One Racing model, the confiscation of the club land.

Do you really believe the promoters of this way forward will be around after we have sold the family silver. Will there still be racing communities contributing to assets their community no longer owns.

I am a horse breeder, therefore an optimist. As such, I believe we still have something to offer. Sometimes you need to go slow to come solid.

Who knows.

Wallah!!! Well, if the two of you are as perceptive as you should be, you will have worked out I penned my Corner early in the week. I am confined to barracks for another month, hence plenty of spare time, having just put this Friday’s edition to bed, I received the communique sent to the Codes Clubs. Guess what, ALL OF THE ABOVE apparently do not have the nous to address with any immediacy the issues they were appointed to solve.

No, it is a newly appointed Reform Programme group of eight who will be ordained to devise a new combined Code model. Now, you know my view on a one Code model. Without returning to the subject, I will tell you that any of the findings or recommendations of the Reform Programme Group are non-binding.

If this wasn’t true, it would be comical, a new faulty towers. I will let you sit back and dwell on why we are going backwards.

There is only one source of funding, STAKES; all of this top-heavy cost is the owners’ reward watered down.

The proposal to push forward with this abrogation of the existing Board’s responsibility may hit the wall; all four of the above have to agree.

It will be interesting to see who, if any, has the required intestinal fortitude to stall yet another passing of the buck.

Cheers,
G

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