Jockey Club jumping at shadows when it should be flat out

IF back-peddling were an Olympic sport, the leaders of the South Australian Jockey Club should be looking at gold, silver and bronze in Rio in 2016, says Craig Cook

30/08/2014 Morphettville races, Irish Day. Race 2 Irish Steeple won by King Triton ridden by Gavin Bedggood . Pic Mark Brake

THE nationwide firestorm the South Australian Jockey Club generated over public announcements jumps racing is over at Morphettville racecourse has come at a cost to its credibility, and inancial damage could follow.

SAJC chairman Tony Newman led the charge over the first hurdle saying jumps racing “didn’t generate anything positive” and had “significant negatives” for his club.

However, it was only last June the SAJC chairman told a crowd of 250 members his club would await a review of all matters at the conclusion of the jumps season on Irish Jumps Day (last weekend) and abide by the decision of the controlling authority, and “umpire”, Thoroughbred Racing SA.

It is possible the SAJC chairman has forgotten that speech but one speech he would do well to forget is his gee-up to the Labor Government before the Adelaide Cup in May.

Minister for Sport, Leon Bignell won’t forget that Cup lunch; he nearly choked on it.

Newman, previously thought to be a Labor backer, chose this moment to castigate the government for, in his mind, its lamentable contribution to racing.

Some say you could literally see Bignell’s ears turn red as he and his party got both barrels.

As he fawned over leader Stephen Marshall, the chairman was clearly punting on the Liberal party winning the state election.

He lost that bet big time and the consequence is the SAJC is decidedly “on the nose” with the Labor government.

It is 10 years since the Jockey Club board voted to sell Cheltenham racecourse but despite securing a whopping $85 million, issues still remain.

The club is desperate to re-establish its gaming rooms — with 40 poker machines bringing in around 800,000 a year — at its new venue on Cheltenham Parade but with council objections, there are serious doubts it will succeed.

This is occurring in the electorate of the Premier, Jay Weatherill, and wouldn’t it be handy to have him lending a sympathetic ear to your issues?

Then there is the SAJC’s desire to deposit some of its remaining $50 million from the Cheltenham sale with the Melbourne Racing Club and its highly profitable investment arm.

It’s probably bad timing, but MRC chairman Mike Symons is the man who has been leading the ire of those objecting to the SAJC’s anti-jumps stance.

In the space of a few months, the SAJC hierarchy looked like it alienated the State Government, the head of the Melbourne Racing Club, the Australian Jumps Racing Association, TRSA, and the Oakbank Racing Club, along with a significant proportion of its own membership.

Not good for a club soon to announce a significant loss for a fourth consecutive year.

Originally published as Jockey Club jumping at shadows when it should be flat out