** Kindly supplied by the Western Australian Racing Trainers Association

YORK TRACK

York Racing has gained sufficient funding from the Wheatbelt Development Commission to reconstruct the track surface ready for the 2010 winter season, according to RWWA Thoroughbred Racing Manager David Hunter.

Work was due to commence in October under the guidance of curator Geoff Murphy.

Use of York in 2010 is expected to see more racing opportunities for unproved horses, including maidens. However a suggestion from the WA Racing Trainers’ Association that more use be made of the Toodyay track was not favoured by RWWA. “That track is only prepared by the club for their annual Cup meeting and because the track layout limits the number of starters it will only be used for additional meetings as a last resort,” Mr Hunter said.

NOMINATIONS

With Saturday metropolitan acceptances moving to Wednesday, trainers have suggested that closing of nominations be brought forward to Monday. A suggested timetable incorporating Monday nominations for Saturday metro meetings is:

Nominations close 2 pm Monday
List of nominations released 4 pm Monday
Extended nominations close 9.30 am Tuesday
Weights released 12 pm Tuesday
Acceptances close 10 am Wednesday
Final riders close 12 noon Wednesday
Ratings for the preceding Saturday metropolitan meeting will generally be available on the CRIS website on Sunday afternoon. It is intended that ratings for the preceding Sunday meeting will be available by 10 am on Monday morning. It is not proposed at this time to amend closing times for any other meetings.

ANOTHER BLOW

Sit back for some hard times ahead!

As Racing West was explaining actions taken to retrieve some of the $25 million paid out in product fees in the last 12 months, racing in the east was under siege as news broke of Tasmania’s offer of a tax-free refuge to on-line and corporate bookmakers.

The move poses a direct threat to funding levels to racing throughout Australia. The three major TABs provide some 75 per cent of income to the industry which in turn provides much, if not all, of the stakemoney paid out by clubs.

Tasmania, already hosting Betfair which employs about 120, now wants to pull in other on-line and corporate agencies and the employment they will bring. Some of the biggest bookmakers in Australia are prepared to base their operations in Tasmania where legislation was recently passed eliminating taxes for on-line bookmaking in favour of an annual fee.

Owners in the east say Tasmania is “ripping off” other States. “It’s a bit like the old SP days when the bookies paid nothing to support the industry,” said one.

PRODUCT FEES

Meanwhile, RWWA has revealed in hopes to recover $10 million from interstate wagering operators when the WA Government passes legislation to enable it to recoup product fees for betting on WA racing.

On August 1 RWWA cut racing industry funding by 4 per cent taking full year funding to $105.2 million and it expects to make significant reductions to its own operating expenditure in the coming year, including staff reductions.

An indication of future trends came in the following: “The review of RWWA’s processes highlighted that many are manual when automation would deliver a more cost effective and sustainable outcome.” Chief Executive Officer Richard Burt added: “Any proposal to transition to automated services would be gradual and be communicated to industry stakeholders in advance of changes implemented.”

MATURE HOOP

Kevin Bohorun doesn’t look like the fresh-faced apprentice rider about to start his career in racing. In fact, he isn’t. He’s been about the traps for a while, including a stint as a trackwork rider in England for a couple of years and a period of work for Vern Walsh in Bunbury.

After taking out his Australian citizenship, Kevin looked at a riding career and took up his indentures with top Perth trainer Lou Luciani. Since then he has completed his obligatory trial rides before riding in his first race at Toodyay on October 4. Six days later he had three rides at Moora for two placings and a win aboard Danarazi which has earned Bohorun a $200 Apprentice Encouragment Award jointly sponsored by WA trainers and Bio John.

Apprentice Riding Master Laurie Millington has been impressed with Bohorun’s ability. “He’s got all the basics and on top of that he’s a thorough gentleman and I hope he goes a long way in his career,” Millington said.

HI GAINS AWARDS

A “temporary trainer” and some of the State’s best mentors are among recent winners of weekly Hi Gains awards chosen by racing expert Ernie Manning. They included:

Dual Cup Success: Adam Durrant has added Reverend Lovejoy to his impressive record with success in the Coolgardie and Boulder Cups during the annual Goldfields Racing Round. He took over training the horse last year and won a string of races with him leading into the $110,000 Boulder Cup on September 13.

Deserved Win: Leading pacing-reinsman Mark Reed had a big return with one of the few racehorses he has trained when Gondorff won the $150,000 Kalgoorlie Cup on September 20. The former Victorian galloper had little success in that State before travelling west and the Cup win was compensation for close seconds to Reverend Lovejoy in the Coolgardie and Boulder cups.

Taylor-made: Jimmy Taylor added to his growing strike-rate reputation with a winning treble at Belmont on September 26 with nine-year-old Star Laser, Top Gun and Shock Value. At that stage Taylor led the winning trainers’ list by eight wins with one of the best strike rates in Australia.

Landor Races: Few in racing had heard of Lucy Brownlie until the October 3-5 race meetings at Landor when she trained four winners with one horse, Ticky Ticky Tembo. Brownlie, who held a temporary trainer’s license for the meetings, hails from Yakabindie Station, via Leinster. She won her first race on the Saturday by a neck with the eight-year-old gelding over 800m, following it with a 10-length win over 1400m. On the Monday, Ticky won over 1400m by 12 lengths, finally winning the 800m dash by just under two lengths. He carried 72.5 kg in his first win, gradually earning penalties until the final impost of 77kg. Ticky Ticky Tembo was an ex-Victorian galloper who ran a few places in Kalgoorlie before heading to Landor.

Beckett Again: Guildford trainer Alby Beckett, who has spent 40 years in the top bracket of Perth trainers, was in the news again when Megatic won his second successive Northerly Stakes at Ascot on October 17. Beckett had to nurse the galloper back to racing after he developed back problems on a trip to Sydney last year.