October
AprilNo integrity
How bad can things get? As if having to suffer the lunacy of comparing horses from different eras were not enough, the latest trick is to compare Black Caviar to Herb Elliott, Dawn Fraser, Usain Bolt, Nadia Comaneci and Bo Derek.
I’m glad I’m becoming more and more of a reculse. At least we can be grateful that Warney never rated a mention.
When you think of the race writers and broadcasters we have produced, all of whom concentrated on the thoroughbred and the great riders, it makes you wonder where the genre is heading.
If Black Caviar had been bred and raced overseas her owners would be household names as would her breeder and everybody associated with her, from the person who foaled her down onwards.
Our unimaginative writers and interviewers instead have a fixation on the exhibitionist, self-promoting trainers. Invariably the horses are referred to as being "their" horses.
If only the media people had the intelligence to realise that the vast majority of the (ever-diminishing) racing public is heartily sick of these eager megalomaniacs and their horse factories.
Thankfully they have had a lean time over recent carnivals so we haven’t seen much of their garrulous cavortings.
Otherwise, writers are giving us a whole lot of garbage about stallions and (mainly) big studs in lieu of advertisement.
There is a total lack of integrity in racing journalism in this country as well as a total lack of knowledge as what the public wants.
And things can only get worse. After the William Reid there is sure to be a comparison between Black Caviar, Wakeful and Sister Olive and/or Black Caviar, John L. Sullivan and Les Darcy — or, and you can back it in, Black Caviar and Liz Hurley.
Give me Paul Richards — at least he doesn’t take himself seriously.
Euroa (Vic)