October
FebruaryScapegoating
To punish Robert Smerdon for the common courtesy of doing a long-time mate a favour without asking any questions is a copout for racing — pandering to the public perception that someone had to pay because they went so light on Olly.
The incident takes me back to a Geelong meeting many years back. A connection of a horse who had just won a feature race interstate gave me a brick of twenties to give to the jockey who had ridden him.
Introducing myself to the jockey after a losing ride, I said I had a five-percent commission plus airfares for the interstate job. I followed him into the jockeys’ room and stood guard over the brick ($6500) while the jockey took a shower. How would it look these days — a bookie giving a jockey a lump sum after a losing ride?
The horse in question, a weight-for-age winner, won his maiden over a distance after 20-odd failures. Ah, but that’s another story — a plunge landed Australia-wide without any fuss.
Maybe Robert Smerdon should revert to the family tradition — say as little as possible to anybody (especially press) and let his training ability and horses do the talking.
Armadale (Vic)