Racehorse TALK

Our Trainers and Figure Heads
I find it interesting that some trainers can charge ( and justify ) charges as much as $130 per day plus extra's and  that they still have clients and how from a financial point of view the owners justify it to themselves. For example how come (trainer abilities aside for a moment) that one trainer can get $130 per day and another can charge say $30 per day. Now sure the $130 per day can (supposedly) train and some would say the bloke charging $30 p/day would be ordinary. But this is a massive difference allowing even for staff and box and workers .
Then we have some trainers ( some very well known) who 1. Organise to run the horse up at a sale and get kick backs then charge a sales commission then sydnicate it . Then they charge $130 plus a day plus extras, then they take 10% of prizemoney- then they take a sales commission when they sell the horse. SUrely this is the best rort of all time and does nothing but ensure the cleint has below 0.0001% chance of actually making any money. We also have one well known trainer who also gets clients to sign a contract that says failure to pay training fees they forfeit their share or the horse. Someeven charge the owners a "appearance fee" .Then their are trainers instead of charging 10% they charge 15% on all prizemoney won.
We also have sydnicators who do the above but then add on their cut from the training fees, charge a monthly fee and then are taking their own percentage of all prizemoney and this increases when Black type is achieved.

Our Administraitors
We then have our "administraitors" who are mostly ancient administraitors or young University people who whilst they have plenty of experience or have learnt plenty from a book - are simple too far out of "touch with " the regular racing person ( who help drive the industry ). For example we are seeing the latest trend is to promote everything except the racing to get people to the track, in which you end up with a  heap of 20 something's who half wouldn't know that the horses where racing or what we are racing for. This helps boast the crowd figures in the short term but what happens when the 20 something has a family - he isn't going to come back to racing - because a) he cant afford the stupid entry and food prices and b) he has never really had any genuine interest in the horse racing as it is .
The "greatest" thing we have had from our admistrators is to think out having a "rock band at the racing- fantastic stuff !!. Most CEO's or board members are aged over 65 who in any other business would have been pensioned off in any other business. Sure alot of these people have a great deal of experience but lets face it they haven't really had a positive effect in improving and promoting our industry. The young University type graduates at the other end of the scale seem to have no real knowledge of racing . A classic example was the AJC advising 2ky racing channel that they wouldn't be advertsing with them as their audience wasn't their target audience- !!!!

The Facilities and Rules

At a time when when alot of people are doing it tough we still charge amazing fees to enter the course. We then have the crazy situation that the person going to the races has to mingle with a typical Pub Crowd or pissed idiots or b) has to pay crazy "members" fees and for that you get the privledge of having to dress up like your going to a wedding .
The facilites at most tracks are below standard as it is - We are dished up cold or stale or tastless food when peopel go to the track and then charged astonishing fees to eat this crap ( of which very little if any of these monies go back to the actually racing industry )

The Scavengers

We then have magots like the TAB and corporate book makers who simple free load off the industry . Sure the TAB pays a amount back - however we continually get offered "great service" and pathetic infrastructure from a provider who makes more out of racing than racing gets back.We then get the fantastic serviceof the QLD bookmakers putting up and closing their books at 140%.

Is it any wonder the industry is being Canabalised and continually shrinking? As a potential new entrant where are you a ) a chance of making any money or B) a chance of having a cost effective good time ?

Racing it seems doesn't seem to be the answer unless some major changes occur and occur FAST