02 November 2016

The Guardian | Melbourne Cup 2016: Our compulsory day of distraction

WE'VE got our first piece up about horse racing for The Guardian...
AUSTRALIA'S compulsory day of distraction is again upon us as they line up on Tuesday for the 156th running of the $6.2m Melbourne Cup, the world’s richest handicap and in recent years the subject of scandal, intrigue, tragedy and even feminist fanfare. Once-a-year punters are scouring the form guide, pins poised, hoping to fluke another 100-1 pop like last year’s Prince of Penzance. The professional punters meanwhile are prepping for their most lucrative payday of the year, when the huge betting pools are awash with mug money and “the overs” are theirs for the picking.

 Read the full article at The Guardian

15 September 2016

ABC Online: Racing on notice: will racing go to the dogs?

The thoroughbred industry has watched on in horror as the greyhound industry failed to reform and paid the price.
In the 1990s, when the NSW TAB was privatised and floated, all three codes of racing negotiated deals with the then Carr government to become self-regulating.
Now Premier Mike Baird has shown there is no going back; his government will shut down rather than re-regulate.
Baird will actually forgo wagering revenue rather than put a cent into enforcing existing animal welfare laws.
They will see businesses and clubs close and jobs lost before they will ensure bodies like the RSPCA, with a statutory duty under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, have enough resources to do more than just rely on public complaints and covert media footage.