The Brisbane Racing Club's decision to close Doomben to training has sent shockwaves across the Brisbane thoroughbred community. Today Justracing advises both sides of the debate - via the club's Media Release and the opposing view from a trainer - and Justracing even advises the club how to swiftly rectify the problem.

It seems the Brisbane Race Club’s decision to change the location of the goal posts for trainers using their facilities has not been well received by either the trainers involved, or the public–at-large.

The Media Release that was issued last Friday by the Brisbane Racing Club dropped a bombshell on many thoroughbred trainers who have between one and four horses in work. Those persons, which according to the club’s Media Release number the “remaining 20 trainers,” as opposed to “the Top 40 trainers” have effectively been told that if they want to continue training one to four horses, as of 1 August, they’ll have to go to Deagon to work their horse/s.

According to the Brisbane Racing Club Media Release “RQL (Racing Queensland Limited) has agreed to offer the unsuccessful trainers (that’s the ones the Brisbane Racing club wants to get rid off) permission to train at Deagon.” Well have they? That was nice of them, now the Deagon crew will be up in arms at having another “20 trainers” sent there to work their horse/s, so why wasn’t the Media Release issued jointly, if indeed Racing Queensland Limited also wants this change to happen?

Why the hell should a person who has lived in the Hendra area for nearly as long as the Doomben racetrack has been in existence, suddenly have to drive all the way to Deagon to work a racehorse? May I respectfully suggest that most of the “top 40 trainers” have plenty of slugs in their stables, that they could get rid of, which would allow the “room” for the “remaining 20 trainers” horses? I would even be happy to assist the “top 40 trainers” with the names of some of the “slugs” within their walls to help get their numbers back to a reasonable level. All I’d need is the names of all the horses currently either in their care - or out spelling - and within about 10 minutes I could name the said “slugs” for the relevant stables. Furthermore the service would be free.

The Brisbane Race Club states that a trainer wishing to train at their hardly state of the art facilities must have a “minimum of 26 starters in the previous 12 month period,” but it doesn’t specify if those “26 starters” had to be “starters” at one of their tracks at Eagle Farm or Doomben, or at any registered racetrack within Australia. If the “26 starters” have to be appearing at Doomben or Eagle Farm well there is simply no guarantee - giving the attrition rate of racehorses - that even if a trainer had half a dozen horses in work that they’d get cumulatively “26” starts in the next 12 months, even though that may well be the intention of the trainer on Day One of the suggested 365 day timeframe. In any event, a trainer within the BRC’s “top 40 trainers” ranking would have no guarantee on any future date as to how many horses he or she would have in work, due to a) the attrition rate referred to earlier, b) horses spelling, c) horses from the stable that don’t shape up and are bushed within that 12 month period, d) owners leaving the industry etcetera.

By effectively banning the little person who has one of two horses in work, the Brisbane Racing Club would have effectively banned Takeover Target from working at their track had Joe Janiak lived at Hendra – and not Queanbeyan – when the only horse in his stable was the subsequent world champion sprinter. In recent weeks, the trainer of new Australasian sprinting star Hay List, John McNair, has stated publicly he will be training the “one horse – Hay List – 24/7,” so whatever you do, don’t move to buy a property at Hendra John, or you’ll have to drive to Deagon to work your worldbeater when oxygen thieves that can’t get hot in a Maiden at Beaudesert are welcomed with open arms to work there, simply because they are trained by one of the “top 40 trainers,” - the very same people who, from my experience, constantly complain that they are “eating paint off the walls.”

I make no secret of the fact I’m 55 years old, as I’m a firm believer that with age cometh experience. It has been my “experience” in life that a man named Neil Strong is no dill with a racehorse. We’ve never met but I’ve seen him be highly successful at training both thoroughbreds and pacers. In his halcyon days, Neil Strong was so talented he actually won a metropolitan thoroughbred trainers premiership. He could also head off to the Albion Park harness racing track and win a race there under lights. What is his reward now after supporting the racing industry during his lifetime? He is unceremoniously told to go to Deagon and work any thoroughbred he has in his care. Does that sound like a fair go to any rational thinking Australian humanoid? Not from my “experience” it doesn’t.

One person in racing that I admire is Tony Erhart. He’s nearly a decade older than me and I think he’s an amazing athlete for his age. As a jockey he and his racehorse trainer wife Lorraine have been part of the Brisbane racing scene for decades. What’s Lorraine Erhart’s reward after a lifetime spent supporting the clubs at Eagle Farm and Doomben? Put simply “go to hell we don’t need you, or want you here” would be the message she is getting loud and clear now I would think. I’ve never spoken a word to Lorraine Erhart in my life, as our paths have never crossed, but from my “experience” in life, I reckon to now make her drive from Doomben to Deagon – when she, figuratively speaking, can throw a cricket ball from her back yard to Eagle Farm is disgraceful.

It is also possible that the trainer with say two horses in work may have 10 different part owners in each of those two horses, so it is fair to assume that those two horses may cumulatively attract 20 part-owners to the races, each time they go around. How are those “20 part-owners” going to feel about walking onto Eagle Farm or Doomben racecourse if their horse is banned from working there, when the trainer lives 100 metres from Doomben’s front gate?

I acknowledge it is totally understandable for the Brisbane Racing Club to want to cut costs, as they have a business to run - just like I do - but surely to goodness there must be some fat on the meat from some aspect of their operation, possibly with something as simple as their present wages structure, which could result in a similar saving? If the Brisbane Racing Club charged an extra $4 public admission price for each of their two big days of the year – namely Brisbane Show holiday and Melbourne Cup day – which have a cumulative crowd of around 50,000 people, haven’t I just solved the $200,000 training problem?

If the Brisbane Racing Club only has “35 float parks” and “tie up for 240 horses each morning,” well surely given the vast acreage that Eagle Farm encompasses, we can build a few more “float parks” and increase the “tie up” facilities. Again maybe some of the alcohol profits from the Brisbane RNA Show holiday meeting, or the Melbourne Cup meeting, could be used for this purpose. Why not implement what I suggested here in this very column some years ago and “open up both Eagle Farm and Doomben on Melbourne Cup day” and use the increased profit to put into improving facilities for trainers with one to four horses?

From my “experience” I’ve seen enough in-fighting within the Brisbane racing ranks over the decades to last me a lifetime. We don’t need this current issue, particularly when the people that are the “victims”, if you like, are the very same people who are supplying the product that allows the industry to continue and hopefully prosper.

The Brisbane Racing Club Media Release last Friday reads:

Media Release

2 July 2010

BRISBANE RACING CLUB CHANGES TRAINING AT EAGLE

FARM & DOOMBEN

The Brisbane Racing Club (BRC) has reviewed its training operations and is making various changes.

The principal change is to centralise all “day to day” training at Eagle Farm.

The following is relevant:

• The cost of providing a second “day to day” facility to train 4% of starters is a loss of $200,000

• Centralising “day to day” training will reduce BRC’s loss on the subsidy of training from $700,000 to $500,000

• Currently, about 55 floats are in use at both tracks, but Eagle Farm can only provide 35 float parks

From 1 August 2010, the following will apply:

• All “day to day” training will be centralised at Eagle Farm and training hours will be extended to 8.30am

• Doomben will continue to be used for “special purpose” training such as barrier trials, jump outs and grass gallops (the cinders track will be decommissioned)

• All current BRC trainers must reapply to train at BRC each season

• Trainers that are approved to train at BRC will be granted a 12 month permit to train, and must make application by 1 August each year

Trainers wishing to train at BRC must meet the following minimum criteria:

• Minimum of 26 starters in the previous 12 month period (or demonstrate plans to prove they can generate 26 starters in the next 12 months)

• Agree to be charged for a minimum of four horses per day, irrespective of the number of horses in work

• Agree to direct debit of track fees

BRC Chief Executive Stephen Ferguson said, “We will be working with trainers to minimise any impact and RQL has agreed to offer the unsuccessful trainers permission to train at Deagon.”

“All trainers have been provided with applications to train; decisions will be finalised as to the final trainers list after 14 July.”

“The economies of scale achieved by centralising “day to day” training are too great to ignore,” said Mr Ferguson.

For all media enquiries please contact:

Brisbane Racing Club

Stephen Ferguson, Chief Executive – 3268 2171

or

Pru Harris, Marketing Manager – 0451 124 159 or pharris@brc.com.au

I have also received correspondence from a registered thoroughbred trainer Kerrie Johnstone and that minimally edited correspondence is reproduced here.

Saturday 3^rd July, 2010

Hi Justracing crew,

I am sending this letter in the hope that a group of owner/trainers, or trainers with small numbers in Brisbane have their voices heard.

Yesterday we opened our mail to the news that Doomben was being closed down and as of the 1^st of August, we no longer had this training facility available to us, so that’s less than a months notice. No worries, you might think, we will just go across the road to Eagle Farm to train our horses……WRONG! To be able to train at Eagle Farm you must meet a certain criteria, and that criteria is:-

1. Minimum of 26 starters in the previous 12 month period
2. Agree to be charged for a minimum of 4 horses per day, irrespective of the number of horses in work
3. Agree to direct debit of track fees

If this is not a form of dictatorship at its best, then I don’t know what is. I would like for someone to explain to me what happens to those of us who train only small numbers? Not everyone can be professional horse trainers. However the 30 to 50+ trainers that the BRC are discriminating against are people who genuinely love the industry, who have a passion and determination to train the elusive “champion”. Furthermore we are no less capable of this than the “big” trainers. Like myself, you will find the small time trainer up at 3am in the morning, going to track work, doing everything from cleaning boxes, travelling to the track, working the horses, feeding etc and they have to be off and ready early, so they can be home and ready to get themselves off to their full time work, to be able to afford their chosen sport/hobby. Maybe some are like me and have to work two jobs, just to be able to meet the costs involved with training one or more thoroughbreds.

Can I also put to you that should we be shoved out of this industry, as the BRC seem so hell bent on doing, what will happen to the farriers, feed merchants, truck  carriers, canteen lady, track work jockey, strappers, chiropractors etc? If the BRC was really smart, they would realize it is us who pay these people on time, in cash and without credit. If BRC think for one minute that all the professional “big” time trainers are going to pay their ever increasing track fees on time, then they are even more stupid than I give them credit for.

Upon arriving at the track this morning, there was just a total feeling of shock and dismay. People were completely gutted, as they faced the real possibility of having to give up the sport which they love and have a real passion for. No one in their right mind would get out of bed at 3am in the morning for something they didn’t have real heart for. We all stood around consoling each other in our shared devastation, trying to think of ways in which we can continue to train horses. Some have just thrown their hands in the air in despair, knowing full well that this part of their life is over. Can someone PLEASE explain why this has to be?

A little over 12 months ago, after the merger of the BTC & QTC our fee’s escalated from $60 per horse per month to an average of $175 per horse per month. This alone was outrageous in my opinion. Not to mention, no reason was ever forthcoming. And yet those who even then had to question their ability to sustain the costs of a small stable, dug their heels in, swallowed their pride and paid the money, just so they could continue to train. Let’s not forget that for the last few months Doomben trainers have been down a sand (training) track, because in their wisdom, they (BRC) are putting in a Polo field. The crossing is rock hard due to trucks going backwards and forward each day, but have the track fees been reduced to compensate? Don’t be silly, of course not.

Now, the BRC seem to have finally caught us. Not only do you have to apply to train at Eagle Farm, but even if you meet their criteria, there is every possibility that you won’t be accepted and will be shipped off to Deagon. How will Deagon track now cope? Also, what about the people who train at Doomben that live south of the Gateway Bridge, and I am one of those people, how do we get on, being forced to travel even further? We already have the added expense of fuel and Gateway fee’s on an every day basis, try adding more time and travel costs to that.

These trainers have invested time and money into this industry and we are getting absolutely nothing back. They are making it as impossible as they can for us to survive, until they completely wipe us out.

I wonder do the BRC have any idea of the carnage which they are causing? I urge them to come down to the track and talk to the trainers, to get a feel for where these dedicated and committed people are coming from.

Only recently it was said on Racing Retro how amazing Queensland Racing is and how it is really going into a positive future. You have to be kidding me. How can an attitude of “like it or lump it” ever be a positive in anything?

Ponder also a very real question, that being “What is going to happen to the next generation of trainers”? How is anyone going to possibly afford to get started? Let’s also ponder the thought for a moment of all the older generation that have been full time trainers in their day and now keep one or two horses just because that is all they know how to do and because they love the sport? Does the BRC really have the right to turf these people out? If things continue along this road, there will be no “next generation” and racing will certainly be the biggest loser of all.

Our voice needs to be heard and this is why I write this letter. I urge you to air this letter as we must let people know what is really happening here. This sport is worth enough to me to at least try and get our voices heard.

Thank you for your time.

Kerrie Johnstone

Doomben Trainer