Trainers want answers on coronavirus-enforced changes to spring carnival and quickly
The clock continues to tick as trainers wait on a final decision to how the spring carnival looks this year. Russell Gould reveals there is a sense of anxiety given the program is normally locked in by March.
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Tensions are rising over continued delays in confirming the spring racing calendar.
The financial benefit of having crowds attend and extra wagering by racing away from the shadow of AFL finals could defeat tradition in determining how the spring carnival looks this year.
A 30-person working party, formed to oversee all elements of racing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will meet again on Thursday, when plans for a revamped calendar will take a big step forward.
While many trainers support a plan to push the Caulfield Cup, Caulfield Guineas and Toorak Handicap meetings to November, after the Melbourne Cup, not all are on the same page. There is a sense of anxiety given the program is normally locked in by March.
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Racing Victoria has the final say, but nothing has been confirmed for the new season, which starts on August 1.
“They have been waiting to see if they can get crowds, what’s happening in Europe, but we’re almost at the 11th hour,” one insider said.
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“Some are saying go with it, others are saying no. It’s a bit of a dog’s breakfast.”
Australian Trainers’ Association chief executive Andrew Nicholl said the “very latest” his members needed to know was the second week of June.
An RV board meeting on Tuesday thrashed out the proposed new calendar, which keeps the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup carnivals in their traditional spots but moves the Caulfield Cup to November 28, but no resolutions were made.
“We have consistently stated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic that we will wait until June to give ourselves the best opportunity to make the most informed decisions possible about the carnival,” an RV statement said.
Stakeholders including the ATA and Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners’ Association will be briefed when the working party meets on Thursday.
While the Victorian spring racing calendar is set for a revamp, the entire Australian program is also under review.
Racing Australia last week announced it would establish a working party to initiate a “strategic review of the Australian pattern”.
The inclusion of new races such as The Everest in Sydney, which was independently added by Racing NSW, and continued clashes between states’ big-race dates prompted the move.
Chief handicapper Greg Carpenter and deputy chairman Mike Hirst represent RV on the working party.
It will assess the timing and rating of all Group 1 races, the structure and relevance of the Australian racing pattern, and look for room to innovate.
A final report will be filed to Racing Australia by July 31, with the potential for changes for the 2021-22 season.
russell.gould@news.com.au
CARNIVAL SHAKE-UP GETS HUGE TICK OF APPROVAL
Planned changes to the spring carnival should be permanent according to Melbourne Cup winning trainer Danny O’Brien amid a groundswell of support from trainers for a proposed overhaul.
Confirmation of date changes is expected next week after the proposal to move 14 meetings, including the Caulfield Cup, Caulfield Guineas and Toorak Handicap to late November, was revealed by the Herald Sun on Tuesday.
The plan, formulated by the Melbourne Racing Club, was sent to all clubs and put to the Racing Victoria board at a meeting on Tuesday.
Trainers have demanded a decision sooner rather than later as spring contenders return to work.
The MRC chairman Peter le Grand, while adamant nothing had been confirmed, said moving the Caulfield carnival to after the Melbourne Cup, in the hope of crowds attending, was a “no-brainer”.
"We think there's some huge advantage if the Caulfield Cup was run later,” he said.
"Just imagine if we had a Caulfield Cup with no crowd, that'd be absolutely shattering for our members."
The move has the support of Victorian racing minister Martin Pakula and RV, which has the final say on the racing calendar, confirmed “nothing was off the table”.
“The Melbourne Racing Club have already publicly stated their wish to move the Caulfield Cup Carnival to November as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Naturally, it is one of the many options under consideration,” an RV spokesman said.
O’Brien, who won last year’s Melbourne Cup with Vow and Declare, made a strong argument to make a permanent shift to a later carnival, which currently runs from September to early November.
He said the big races were being run too early in the season, which starts on August 1, and horses were peaking as the current carnival finished.
“I am in favour of the general principle of holding some of our better racing at the end of November or early December,” he said.
“From the perspective of a horse conditioner, they come out of winter and start to do really well about early to mid-November, and that’s when we wrap it all up.
“It would give all the younger horses time to mature and develop too.
“In Europe they don’t hold any major races in the first four months of their season. We do that in the second and third months.
“I can’t see any downside moving the Caulfield Cup. The bigger gap we have from winter the better the horses generally are.”
Other leading trainers including David Hayes and Mick Price have also thrown their support behind the move.
Ciaron Maher, currently leading the Victorian trainers premiership, confirmed he was asked by the MRC for his thoughts on the calendar change and said it could be a good time for a “revamp”
“It would be ideal if all the clubs came on board and put the whole carnival back. If it was back further, it would be fine,” Maher said.
“It’s just how the programming is done. It might be a little bit disjointed … but it’s all management. As long as there is some thought put in to races that marry up.
“The racing pattern has changed a lot over the years. It might be due for a bit of a revamp.”
HOW FITNESS GURU MOLONEY SURVIVED ISOLATION
By Russell Gould
Patrick Moloney rode an exercise bike “like I was on the tour” during 14-days of isolation in a Docklands Hotel.
Forced home from a highly successful stint in Singapore after a COVID-19 shutdown of racing the 26-year-old, who was holed up with his girlfriend, needed special permission for two 15-minute walks outside during that two-week stretch.
They couldn’t even go in to the hallway, but fitness videos on YouTube and the exercise bike ensured the self-confessed gym junkie would be as fit as possible when allowed to ride again.
That permission was granted last week but amid an influx of jockeys, with interstate borders shut and other international hoops coming home, rides have been hard to come by.
Moloney scored just one at Flemington last Saturday, for a close second on Rich Charm, and then two on Sunday at Ballarat.
Rides have been hard to score in a packed marketplace but Moloney, who has scored two at Ballarat on Thursday, is up for the challenge.
“It just shows how competitive it is over here at the moment.” Moloney told the Herald Sun.
“There are so many riders, it doesn’t matter where you go, ans so many good trainers who are willing to run their horses everywhere so good jockeys are happy to chase them and ride wherever they can.
“I came back here pretty open minded. Over there I wasn’t going to get any financial support to stay, even though things were going really well.
“Every jockey wants to be riding on the Wednesdays and Saturdays, but you have to be a realist with the environment.
“I have been away a while, lost some connections and I’m hoping to rekindle them as much as I can.”
Moloney has been riding as much track work as possible to rekindle those connections as well as working in a massive daily fitness program.
On Monday morning he rode trackwork, did the 1000-steps in the Dandenong Ranges, a 5km run and a long bike ride.
“I’m just doing a lot of track work, as many jumpouts as I can. Giving trainers no excuse not to put you on. If you don’t do the work, there’s an excuse there,” Moloney said.
Moloney said he wasn’t sure if he would return to Singapore and would tough it out in Melbourne for the foreseeable future.
“I realise it’s a tough environment, but I love a challenge, That’s why I went over to Singapore to up my game. I think I am riding as good as I ever have,” he said.
“You’ve got to make the most of your opportunities and hopefully things flow on from there.”
Originally published as Trainers want answers on coronavirus-enforced changes to spring carnival and quickly