Archive
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
Letter of the Week

It's an emergency

All runners who made an emergency for a race and do not receive a run, should be the first horse in the field the next time they nominate and accept.

The way the rating system is at the moment in Victoria, it is hard to plan your runs, to achieve your goal. This has been exacerbated by race meetings being cancelled.

No doubt the authorities will say that a very small number of meetings have been cancelled, but they forget one thing. A cancelled meeting puts you back in the preparation of your horse and adds extra costs to all owners.

The other week when Ballarat was abandoned, did the owners receive compensation? If they did, I have not received anything from it.

Coming up is the spring carnival and all tracks are pushing the running rail out, reducing field numbers. Why? Because clubs are saying your horse that is running today is not as important as the ones that will be running on their main day, more than likely their cup meeting.

The success of that future meeting doesn’t help owners or trainers whose horses are emergencies and miss out because field sizes are reduced.

When will the industry realise it? No owners, no racing.

John Hymet
Ivanhoe (Vic)
Today's Racing
Friday 29 March
Saturday 30 March
Sunday 31 March