October
JulyWe love a whinge
In my observation over several decades, Australian racing has three major problems.
It’s clear that one of them — the lack of a national administrative body — will never be fixed.
That leaves us with the other two: a strong tendency to whinge and pot, and a desperation to cling to tradition.
Both have been in abundant evidence in response to The Everest and the reshuffling of the spring carnivals.
Never before have so many whinged about the introduction of a self-funded $10 million race. (Even if it’s really only a $2.8 million race.)
The desire to cling to tradition is apparent in the speed with which a floated proposal to push back the Melbourne carnival by a fortnight was dismissed.
This would let Sydney have its fortnight of clear post-football air while gently nudging the Melbourne spring into slightly better weather.
But of course it’s all about the first Tuesday in November, so a good idea got shot down without a second thought.
Castlemaine (Vic)