October
DecemberSet sling in stone
I was interested to read the piece "Unslung heroes" (27/11) and could sympathise with the writer who, for obvious reasons, wished to remain anonymous.
These people obviously love horses and love the job they do. But they deserve to be properly reimbursed for it.
I seem to remember that the trainers’ associations in all states had to be dragged kicking and screaming by the unions through the industrial-relations courts to pay their stable employees a fair wage for the hours worked.
With talk of all the "new money" washing through racing administrations through the bookmakers’ turnover tax it might be time for the unions to again push for a better return for the people working in the background who are essential to racing’s success.
I wrote about this to Winning Post in 2005. Here it is again.
(From the Rules of Racing of the Emirates Racing Authority, under the heading Distribution of Prizes)
"The following deductions shall be made from the amount won by the winner and lesser-placed horses where prizemoney (including any bonus) is offered:
(i) 10% for the trainer of the horse
(ii) 10% for the rider of a winning or placed ride
(iii) 5% for the stable staff of the stable at which the horse has been trained
Provided that, if a horse wins any bonus monies, such bonus shall be divided according to (i), (ii), (iii). Further, if in winning such bonus, a horse has been ridden by different riders and/or trained by different trainers/stables, such bonus shall be divided amongst those persons/stables in a direct relationship to the number (and value) of races in which they were involved."
This implies to me that VOBIS, BOBS, etc should flow on down to the riders and stable employees even after a horse has left a stable – sometimes years after it has left.
As the Emirates Racing Authority is a newcomer to international racing it is clear that it respects the work of stable employees and believes they deserve a share of a horse’s winnings.
It would not be hard to amend the rules of racing in Australia to accommodate this change. The Emirates Racing Authority could explain how it works.
Geelong West (Vic)