THE BEGINNING OF THE END ??
Back at the end of December I posted an article on this page titled "MANY QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ANSWERED". The next day I removed the article as I felt that in typical Louie style, I may have gone off a bit half cocked! That is not to say that I didn't like what I had written but maybe I could have sought some answers prior to posting the questions. I also wrote that once I had done my homework, I would once again post the article.
As it turned out, in the first few weeks of January, I was able to do a lot of research and I was able to get answers to most of the questions which I asked. That is not to say that I liked or agreed with all of the answers I was given but at least I was able to have a clearer picture of where the racing industry is at the moment and where it is likely to be in the future. I have to say that neither picture is likely to win any award for excellence.
I have had concerns for a good while about various issues within the industry ranging from the likelihood of reductions in stakemoney levels, the funding of the industry and the maintenance of industry tracks and infrastructure being just a few of them. What eventually prompted me to post the original article was my concern for what I believe to be an industry in massive amounts of trouble. My concerns were highlighted by what I felt was a lack lustre carnival along with a number of bad financial decisions by P.R. during the carnival and a sense of apathy amongst the industry participants. The old adage of "she'll be right mate" may have worked for a long time however in my opinion, "she" isn't right and "she" is in trouble up past her neck! In fact as I see it, she is only breathing through a straw and the tide is still rising.
What I have read in the press over the past few days has done nothing to ease my fears nor erase my concerns. In fact it has brought them closer to the surface suggesting that if we don't act now, the industry is likely to be on a permanent life support machine just waiting for someone to come along and flick the switch off. If this all sounds a bit harsh or a bit melodramatic, then take a few moments to consider the following.
FACT.
On course turnover continues to fall.
Corporate bookmaker turnover continues to rise.
Stakemoney levels have been falling and will continue to do so in the short term.
The cost of maintaining Ascot as a training venue continues to rise.
The costs involved in repairs to the Belmont grandstand continues to rise.
The return to the industry from all turnover is in decline.
P.R. debt is close to being at an all time high.
NON FACTUAL BUT IN MY OPINION.
The cost to the industry of running RWWA is out of proportion to its worth.
RWWA in its current format is not working.
As I said, the pres reports over the past week or so have begun to highlight some of the problems we now face and the predicament we now find ourselves in. Should we sell Belmont? Should we retain it and spend more money there to bring it up to the standards expected in the year 2011? If we retain Belmont, are the funds available to improve the ageing facilities to last us another 20 or 30 or 40 years? How does P.R. rid itself of the massive debt it now finds itself in? Will the current financial structure and model of P.R. and RWWA take us into the next generation?
I could go on and on asking questions. As I said from the outset, I don't have all the answers. In fact I don't know if I have any of the answers. It would appear from what is happening in the industry at the moment that nobody else does either. We can go on and on blaming the effect the corporate bookmakers have had on the industry. History will show that racing has been down this path before. Invariably the industry somehow manages to kick and rise again out of the ashes. Remember the late 80's? Remember the late 60"s? What I will say is that the problems we are now facing have not just suddenly appeared. It has taken 5 or 6 years to get to the position we now find ourselves in. Perhaps those in charge didn't see it coming. Perhaps they have lost touch with where the industry is and what the industry is all about. At the end of the day we are in an entertainment industry and we need to take racing to the people. I don't believe that the industry is in the business of land development.
History and hindsight are a wonderful thing. If only our fore fathers had a crystal ball many years ago, I am confident that we would not be in the predicament we are in today. I say this on a national scale not just a state by state scale. Had our fore fathers decided years ago when they created the totalisator system, to make it ONE NATIONAL TOTE and get rid of bookmakers all together, racing in this country would be so flush with funds they would be the envy of every other industry in the country. Nearly impossible I know to think that each and every state in the country would agree on something but if they had done so it would have been heaven for both racing ind Government. We can't go back in time however we need to learn from the mistakes made over the years and create a model for racing which will take us forward at least 50 years.
To do that we must first look at the way the industry is financed and the model, if there is one, of how the industry is run. Only when those in charge get their heads out of the sand and realise how stuffed we are is any change possible. Then and only then we should draw a line in the sand and start again. We need a fresh approach with new financial plans for the future. Maybe those in charge can come up with new ideas or maybe they have run out of ideas and hence have lost the passion.
As I currently see it, it is not just a matter of should we drop stakes or should we sell Belmont. We have used up all the band aids in the box and we have run out of fingers to stick in the dyke wall. If this was any other comparable size industry in such a state of disarray, there is no doubt that the government would be rushing in to save it. Perhaps if the current government opens its eyes and its ears it may just realise what the state of play is. We need help big time and we need it now. Racing does not deserve to be used as a political football the way it has for so many years.
WHEN WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE SHOW SOME GUTS AND INITIATIVE TO MAKE THIS ALL HAPPEN?
As it turned out, in the first few weeks of January, I was able to do a lot of research and I was able to get answers to most of the questions which I asked. That is not to say that I liked or agreed with all of the answers I was given but at least I was able to have a clearer picture of where the racing industry is at the moment and where it is likely to be in the future. I have to say that neither picture is likely to win any award for excellence.
I have had concerns for a good while about various issues within the industry ranging from the likelihood of reductions in stakemoney levels, the funding of the industry and the maintenance of industry tracks and infrastructure being just a few of them. What eventually prompted me to post the original article was my concern for what I believe to be an industry in massive amounts of trouble. My concerns were highlighted by what I felt was a lack lustre carnival along with a number of bad financial decisions by P.R. during the carnival and a sense of apathy amongst the industry participants. The old adage of "she'll be right mate" may have worked for a long time however in my opinion, "she" isn't right and "she" is in trouble up past her neck! In fact as I see it, she is only breathing through a straw and the tide is still rising.
What I have read in the press over the past few days has done nothing to ease my fears nor erase my concerns. In fact it has brought them closer to the surface suggesting that if we don't act now, the industry is likely to be on a permanent life support machine just waiting for someone to come along and flick the switch off. If this all sounds a bit harsh or a bit melodramatic, then take a few moments to consider the following.
FACT.
On course turnover continues to fall.
Corporate bookmaker turnover continues to rise.
Stakemoney levels have been falling and will continue to do so in the short term.
The cost of maintaining Ascot as a training venue continues to rise.
The costs involved in repairs to the Belmont grandstand continues to rise.
The return to the industry from all turnover is in decline.
P.R. debt is close to being at an all time high.
NON FACTUAL BUT IN MY OPINION.
The cost to the industry of running RWWA is out of proportion to its worth.
RWWA in its current format is not working.
As I said, the pres reports over the past week or so have begun to highlight some of the problems we now face and the predicament we now find ourselves in. Should we sell Belmont? Should we retain it and spend more money there to bring it up to the standards expected in the year 2011? If we retain Belmont, are the funds available to improve the ageing facilities to last us another 20 or 30 or 40 years? How does P.R. rid itself of the massive debt it now finds itself in? Will the current financial structure and model of P.R. and RWWA take us into the next generation?
I could go on and on asking questions. As I said from the outset, I don't have all the answers. In fact I don't know if I have any of the answers. It would appear from what is happening in the industry at the moment that nobody else does either. We can go on and on blaming the effect the corporate bookmakers have had on the industry. History will show that racing has been down this path before. Invariably the industry somehow manages to kick and rise again out of the ashes. Remember the late 80's? Remember the late 60"s? What I will say is that the problems we are now facing have not just suddenly appeared. It has taken 5 or 6 years to get to the position we now find ourselves in. Perhaps those in charge didn't see it coming. Perhaps they have lost touch with where the industry is and what the industry is all about. At the end of the day we are in an entertainment industry and we need to take racing to the people. I don't believe that the industry is in the business of land development.
History and hindsight are a wonderful thing. If only our fore fathers had a crystal ball many years ago, I am confident that we would not be in the predicament we are in today. I say this on a national scale not just a state by state scale. Had our fore fathers decided years ago when they created the totalisator system, to make it ONE NATIONAL TOTE and get rid of bookmakers all together, racing in this country would be so flush with funds they would be the envy of every other industry in the country. Nearly impossible I know to think that each and every state in the country would agree on something but if they had done so it would have been heaven for both racing ind Government. We can't go back in time however we need to learn from the mistakes made over the years and create a model for racing which will take us forward at least 50 years.
To do that we must first look at the way the industry is financed and the model, if there is one, of how the industry is run. Only when those in charge get their heads out of the sand and realise how stuffed we are is any change possible. Then and only then we should draw a line in the sand and start again. We need a fresh approach with new financial plans for the future. Maybe those in charge can come up with new ideas or maybe they have run out of ideas and hence have lost the passion.
As I currently see it, it is not just a matter of should we drop stakes or should we sell Belmont. We have used up all the band aids in the box and we have run out of fingers to stick in the dyke wall. If this was any other comparable size industry in such a state of disarray, there is no doubt that the government would be rushing in to save it. Perhaps if the current government opens its eyes and its ears it may just realise what the state of play is. We need help big time and we need it now. Racing does not deserve to be used as a political football the way it has for so many years.
WHEN WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE SHOW SOME GUTS AND INITIATIVE TO MAKE THIS ALL HAPPEN?
posted by Lou Luciani at
8:46 am
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