There are big concerns about Sydney racing...Not that we haven't known for a long time that Sydney racing, and officialdom, is on the nose. In the Sydney Morning Herald, Chris Roots says: 'There was no zest to the Christmas fare served up at ATC meetings in the past couple of weeks, and the public won't pay unless that returns. The holiday crowds will never return to the levels of last century but the policy in Sydney seems to have been to give up on attracting them.'Gai Waterhouse is among the
There are big concerns about Sydney racing...Not that we haven't known for a long time that Sydney racing, and officialdom, is on the nose. In the Sydney Morning Herald, Chris Roots says: 'There was no zest to the Christmas fare served up at ATC meetings in the past couple of weeks, and the public won't pay unless that returns. The holiday crowds will never return to the levels of last century but the policy in Sydney seems to have been to give up on attracting them.'
Gai Waterhouse is among the disaffected. On her personal blog she complains that flagship races like the Villiers Stakes and Summer Cup have been reduced in prizemoney and do not compare with the riches on offer from sales companies for 2YO and 3YO races. Racing's best-known face thunders: 'Now how ridiculous is this? The Summer Cup is worth a paltry $125,000 yet the Thursday prior at Wyong, the restricted Magic Millions races for the two- and three-year-olds were worth $300,000 in total...The Carrington Stakes run on January 2, along with the Tatt's Cup, are worth $100,000 each, yet on January 21 the Inglis Classic for two-year-olds is worth $250,000!'
It's all about prizemoney levels for Gai - but the problem goes deeper. There's a malaise. The public is turning away from horse-racing, apart from major carnival days. The situation seems worse in Sydney than elsewhere. Bad programming combined with the public mood equals looming disaster.