Peter Gleeson: Racing industry must tell animal activists to get stuffed
When our major racing bodies start getting into bed with animal liberationists, it’s a safe bet it will all end in tears. The activists won’t stop until all racing is banned, writes Peter Gleeson.
Opinion
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At 3pm on April 13 last year, for a few exhilarating minutes, Australia held its breath.
It was the last race ever for the legendary thoroughbred, Winx, and she was aiming for 33 wins in a row in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Randwick racecourse was a sea of blue as kids as young as five jumped onto their Dad’s shoulders to get a glimpse of the champion mare.
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Of course she won, sending the country into unbridled joy and for those who were lucky enough to be there, it created a sporting memory that can never be erased.
That’s what racing does. It brings people together. It is part of our national character. The annual cup day is the glue that holds many smaller communities together.
It is also big business, with thoroughbreds alone worth $9bn a year to the national economy and is responsible for about 70,000 jobs.
Throw in another $3bn for the harness and greyhound industries and it’s not hard to understand why they are such an important part of our Aussie culture.
Those billions of dollars don’t factor in the tourism benefits of major carnivals in capital cities, not to mention the joy and exaltation attached to seeing horses like Winx, Black Caviar, Kingston Town, Tulloch and Phar Lap, who raise the spirits of a nation with their equine wonderment.
So why would Racing Victoria start getting into bed with the very people that want to close the racing industry down?
Animal liberationists are not people who negotiate. Earlier in the week, Racing Victoria said it believed “that the only future use for the whip is to protect the safety of horses and jockeys’’.
Racing Victoria officials say they are prepared to go it alone with gradual reductions in whip use if their interstate colleagues don’t comply.
Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys has told them to go fly a kite. He knows exactly what game is being played here.
To the cynics among us, it’s worth exploring the timing of Racing Victoria’s sudden epiphany on banning the whip.
In the early hours of the morning a week or so ago, the hapless Victorian Government pushed through its six month emergency powers extension.
It came with the support of a number of minor parties, including the Greens and the Animal Justice Party.
Now, the Animal Justice Party is part of the cabal that not only wants to ban the whip, but close down greyhound, harness and thoroughbred racing.
By making concessions on the whip, Racing Victoria has emboldened the animal welfare zealots, who as sure as night follows day, will now set their sights on banning jumps racing.
Once that is achieved, it will be about banning greyhounds and trots and then it will be the Holy Grail itself, thoroughbred racing.
When former NSW premier Mike Baird banned greyhound racing in 2017 it came off the back of an ABC television report into live baiting practices in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
After a savage media campaign against him, Baird blinked and ultimately reversed the ban but the damage was done and he soon departed. Did that disappointment deter the animal welfare lobby? Not a bit.
This time last year, the ABC ran a similar hatchet job on the thoroughbred industry, showing sickening video footage of ex racehorses being killed at knackeries.
V’Landys us suing the ABC for defamation. The fact that the racing industry is implementing the most stringent animal welfare protocols in the world right now to ensure the rehoming of former racers is irrelevant to these people.
This is about the end game – banning racing altogether. For Racing Victoria to jump into bed with these animal activists is a sell out.
Why would Racing Victoria boss Giles Thompson be so enamoured with banning the whip, without industry consultation?
He always consults the industry. That’s his job. Could it be that Mr Thompson was influenced by an outside party?
There are senior figures within Victorian racing wondering about such a cosy concession when RV has much bigger fish to fry right now – like a Spring Carnival without spectators.
Banning the whip seems the least of RV’s worries. The rest of the national racing industry should be put on notice. If Victoria caves in on the whip, get ready for a sustained campaign to close the industry down.
Here’s a tip. The animal welfare zealots will never give up.