October
NovemberRacebook rage
Over cup week at Flemington, possibly the only thing more annoying than K McEvoy’s ride on Governance was the racebook.
In recent times I thought the racebook producers had come to a reasonable compromise between focusing on the local meeting (covering it in full up front) and also providing decent form for all other meetings, in the handy chronological order that we diehard Victorian punters are used to (including repeating the local meeting form in the chronological section).
In Cup week, however, the VRC decided to serve us up, at greater cost than normal, a book that was plus quite a few advertisements but minus Flemington form in the chronological section, and the complete absence of many meetings including Perth, Newcastle/Kembla, Gold Coast, Toowoomba and NZ.
I was told by a source, who appeared to be well placed, that it is part of a deliberate strategy to ensure that as much on-course money as possible is wagered on Flemington (as opposed to other venues) as the VRC gets a bigger percentage take of such money.
Surely the VRC could not be so self-centred and short-sighted. 99 percent of the non-punters who invade Flemington for the carnival aren’t going to bet on anything other than Flemington (if they bet at all) regardless of how the racebook is set up, so the economic effect of this "strategy" must be minimal, yet alienating to the core punting population who support the sport throughout the year.
It appears to me to be another example of silly club-based partisanship at a time when the industry most needs a united approach and to be promoting the sport, and betting turnover, throughout the country.
I would imagine the authorities in WA would be particularly aggrieved. With their summer carnival ramping up, the Perth meetings on both Saturdays of the Flemington carnival were clearly the second-strongest meetings in the country, yet the VRC pretended they didn’t exist.
Then there’s the "Flemington TV" coverage on-course — no need to go into detail but it’s basically the same story. It really seems like they want the punters to stay home and bet on the internet with Betfair and the corporates.
• Reply: Our source at the VRC assures us $10 wagered on Ascot on the Flemington on-course tote creates the same commission for the club as a $10 bet on Flemington. "We could not fit all TAB meetings across Australia into the racebook, as the coloured feature component that focuses on Flemington races takes up a great deal of room," the source said.
Elwood (Vic)