QLD racing

I have been saying we shouldn't have a Brisbane APG sale for years (I think I have even mentioned this before on this forum). Did you see the last one? The overall quality of the lots were pretty dismal. There is the Redcliffe Sale people can put their horses in or pay the non-sale entry for the APG if the yearling warrants it. For years, anyone with any horses that they wanted to commercially sell they have sent to Sydney or Melbourne.
"Trail of destruction"? You're now looking for anything to drag down the name of Racing Qld. If that's your prerogative, fine, but the quality of the Brisbane APG sale has been (overall) quite poor over the years. The best yearlings are now being sold in the premium sale or Melbourne, then Sydney. You won't see too many interstaters (and certainly not Kiwis!) hanging around Brisbane sale!

All I'm saying is the APG sale in Brisbane has been going down hill for a long time. It's not like the pin has been pulled from a thriving Melbourne sale. That's all. :) The Queensland breeding industry has not set the world on fire in recent times, can't see that changing, Brisbane APG sale or not :)

G'day Flashing,

As I recall Ken White came over from WA and picked one up earlier this year :p but of course one warm day does not a Summer make.
You're quite right in terms of the overall quality offered, it has not been that good for a while now, but nevertheless it has thus far managed to hang in there.
Given the demise of the Brisbane APG there's very little if any doubt in my mind right now that recent events up there have played a very, very big part in finally killing it off.
To borrow from medical terminology, it may well have succummed to Renal failure but Racing QLD was the underlying Cancer, the causative agent.
Obviously Yearling Sales are all about the buyers present having a level of confidence in the future...and Racing QLD's actions have not instilled in buyers any such confidence in the future....instead serving to obliterate what little confidence there was.
In one instance I don't know why I get involved...things here in my home State of NSW could not possibly be better as far as the immediate and long-term future is concerned.
As I've said before, down here we're set to become the Greatest Harness Racing Show in the Southern Hemisphere.
On the other hand, I can't help but put myself in the shoes of others in this instance and thus I feel extremely downhearted on behalf of QLD based Breeders.
If things are already hanging in there by a string then the last thing any Breeder up there needs is an organisation that doesn't mind waving a Samurai Sword about the place.

I trust your exams are not too stressful. My advice is to keep the Coffee/Red Bulls flowing like rivers. ;)

No, they are very stressful - first assessment finished today, about the injustices of the criminal justice system. The COMPSTAT process in NSW is next week and rules of Evidence the week after!!! I normally don't have any coffee or Red Bull etc, but it is my trick when I need to stay away. I can't sleep a wink after one red bull even if a wanted to! But its great for cramming in exams! :)

Hello Hello,

I have to agree QLD harness racing is not looking good at the moment. As a seller for the last 5 years at the Brisbane APG sales I have seen the decline. After several bad sales I was going to make the decision to only sell interstate or not breed at all. I think that at times the Brisbane sale has been too late and most people had purchased elsewhere. Also sometimes bad timing with important interstate race meetings or sales on the same day have hurt. The Redcliffe sale has also had an impact.

Both Flashing Red and Triplev123 make valid points. Flashing Red is correct that Qld people travel interstate to buy however few if any interstate people or NZ people ever travel to Brisbane to buy. The last thing you want when selling at an auction is to see very few genuine buyers. With the uncertainty of Qld harness racing it is no surprise that buyers are holding back.

One of the best things about selling in Brisbane was the hope that they would be trained and raced in Brisbane as a passionate breeder it is such a thrill to attend the meeting and watch them race and hopefully win. Its never quite the same to watch them on the screen.

To give an example I sold a Courage colt at the 2010 Brisbane Sale which sold for $10,000. The purchaser a very well known and experienced owner who has years of purchasing high quality lots. In his opinion this colt would have made $30,000 in Melbourne. I then emailed the pedigree and pictures of this colt to a top class New Zealand trainer and asked for an honest no nonsense assesment of this colt. This gentleman attends all the top sales and has had great success with the Courage progeny. The feedback was a nice looking colt with a solid pedigree and if they thought he looked good in the flesh they would have put a price of $25,000 on him.

Its hard enough to break even or make a profit under these conditions. For me personally I think that the APG have gone out of their way to make it viable for me to sell interstate. With the travel subsidies and the insurance etc I think that they have pulled the right rein with this decision.

Hi Love of Courage

Just so i understand a bit more, the APG subsidies travel and helps with insurance does this increase if you travel further like to Melbourne or is it the same if you go to Sydney/Melbourne. It is a shame that there will be no APG sale in QLD but as Flashing has pointed out it has been going down hill for a while. I hope in the long run there is a change in the direction Racing in Queensland heads as at the moment it's on a down hill slide, maybe with a change of government and newly elected people to take controll of the industry racing might go foward and prize money go up and the sales return.

Poor gallops. Life must be so hard for them that they have to try and steal from the harness code then winge because they dont get there own way. Once again why should harness racing lose there major asset so the gallops can go forward. In a years time, fingers crossed we will have a new government and hopefully get some people running harness racing who are there to try and improve our code not just to line there back pockets.


IPSWICH Turf Club chairman slams Albion Park court action for stalling gallops development
IPSWICH Turf Club chairman Wayne Patch has fired a broad-side at the harness racing Supreme Court action which is frustrating moves to redevelop Bundamba as a three-code venue.

Patch told the QUEENSLAND TIMES: “It's a tragedy all-round that all these developments up and down the coast of Queensland are being frustrated by some legal impediment of an old racetrack in Brisbane.”'


Having been involved in sports administration for more than 40 years, Patch said the ITC redevelopment would be a massive boost for the city of Ipswich and Queensland racing.
He believes that was highlighted by last Saturday's latest Ipswich Cup, which attracted 21,000 people in tough economic times.

“It's pretty hard to excite me these days but Saturday afternoon I was pretty chuffed,'' Patch, 55, said. “The economic climate was such that we were prepared for a bit of a hit but it just didn't happen.:'

Having been ITC chairman since 2001, Patch believes redevelopment and a major post-Ipswich Cup meeting are realistic goals.

He just needs decision-makers to put progress ahead of politics.

The progressive administrator told the QUEENSLAND TIMES he would like to see the temporary marquee city assembled for the Ipswich Cup meeting stay intact to host an extra race meeting or even a carnival.

“I'm passionate about pursuing other opportunities to use those facilities,'' Patch said yesterday.

“Whether it be by way of major race meetings or other things, we're always open to suggestions.''

With a $30 million redevelopment proposal on the table for the Ipswich Turf Club, Patch is eager to press ahead with his post-Ipswich Cup plans.

“They (the marquees) are up a week before and there would be no issue whatsoever in retaining them for another week,'' the chairman said.

Patch believes the 20,000-plus Ipswich Cup crowds can grow comfortably by another 5000 in a redeveloped turf club.

After another successful Cup meeting, he is anxious to see ITC upgrade plans proceed swiftly, regardless of the issues surrounding Albion Park.

“We do need an improvement in facilities but our hands are tied,” he said. “I think it's an absolute nonsense that these things can be held up.”

Queensland Treasury has previously allocated at least $30m to a world-class redevelopment proposed for Bundamba. That includes provision for harness and greyhound racing.

However, a starting date for work is in limbo due to the ongoing legal controversy over the sale of Albion Park. “We have this wonderful development sitting on the books, with Racing Queensland endorsement,'' Patch said. “We're desperately keen.”



STORY SOURCE: QUEENSLAND TIMES - AUSTRALIAN PROVINCIAL NEWSPAPER GROUP

Wow interesting reading, Patch must have his head right up Bentley's ass by the sounds of it. What Patch should understand is that the $30 mil he was promised is at the demise of A-Park. I can't understand for the life of me how these small minded gallops people really are. I do hope Harness Racing Queensland win the court battle and as there driving off please don't forget to flick the bird and Bentley and his boy's.

...by the time the LNP are done with RQLD old mate will be lucky if they let him empty Campbell's waste paper basket.