JOURNAL Official Publication of the Greyhound Racing Authority of Qld Registered by Australia Post Publication No. QBP 3978 MARCH 2006 Volume 191 FASTEST DOG IN THE WORLD Ted and Joy Le Man with the Capalaba track record breaker Lincoln Stanley. Story Page 12 Kibble and Biscuits Available nowThe (March, from 2006) Journal your local Page stockists 1 Chair: Phil Bennett HEAD OFFICE Advertisers Note: Notification of cessation of advertising: The GRA Members: Kerry Watson Albion Park Raceway, Amy Street, Breakfast Creek requires one month prior notice, in Chris Williams (Office Hours Admin 8.30am to writing, if you wish to cease regular David Stitt 4.30pm Monday-Friday. advertising in the GRA’s Board Scratchings 7.30am) Editor and Advertising Journal. This is to be sent direct to MANAGEMENT DAVID BRASCH the Authority at PO Box 250, General Manager Darren Beavis POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 93, Nundah Albion, 4010. Failure to provide [email protected] PO Box 250, Albion, Q, 4010 Brisbane, Qld, 4012. this will result in the advertiser Executive assistant Ordet Lowe Ph: (07) 32666508 being sent an account for advertisements which appear in all [email protected] TELEPHONE E-mail: [email protected] Chairman of Stewards Danny Ryan (07) 3262 7800 (Office) subsequent Journals. [email protected] (07) 3262 7809 (Fax) Advertising Rates Investigations Daryl Kays (07) 3862 4437 (Fax noms) THE GRA advises that fees may Full Page $583 [email protected] 1800 851155 (Phone Noms, now be paid by EFTPOS, Half Page $302.50 Grading Panel Eddie Little, Mon-Fri 7am-8.30am) Bankcard, Visa and Mastercard. Quarter Page $170.50 [email protected] If you decide to pay by One-Eighth Page $99 Registrar Liz Murray Recorded Field Info 1900 95 7003 Bankcard, Visa or Mastercard, Classifieds $22/$44 [email protected] Faxed Field Info 1902 26 1004 you may do so by telephoning the (All prices are GST inclusive) Finance controller Abhendra Kumar E-mail address: [email protected] Authority on All casual adverts must be [email protected] Web address: www.graq.org.au paid for in advance. (07) 32627800. If you think dogs Darren Beavis can’t count, try putting three dog biscuits in your General Manager pocket and then give him only two of I WOULD like to thank all those licensees and interested parties who sent them submissions to the GRA on the grading received only TWO. policy. The Gold Coast club recently devised a THERE was much controversy over the Amazingly, when the GRA asked for submission form/questionnaire and the lack of a trophy presentation for the submissions in September last year, we GRA received 65 of these. winning connections of the recent Young But we also received another eight Guns series at Albion Park. individual submissions commenting on It is disappointing that the leading club different aspects of the grading policy. is not able to provide a trophy for a feature Of the 65 submissions, 28 believe their series which is worth $10,000 to the Sarah Pringle (07) 54264105 at should be no changes to the current system, winner. 31 want Novice races introduced and the All other clubs which conduct Young 600m event at Albion Park to become a Guns series make a trophy presentation to presents ... distance race, while six agreed with the the winner, at their own expense. COCKATOO LODGE proposed changes put forward by the It was claimed after this recent Albion Board. Park Young Guns that the series is “funded One of those six believed “if your dog is and put on by the GRA, so the GRA should good enough to beat the grader, you should be responsible for the trophy”. be entitled to”. Firstly I would like to point out that 98 The eight other submissions included percent of prizemoney paid out by the TOP CLASS PUPS suggestions such as: Brisbane Club is funded by the GRA three non-consecutive unplaced runs to through the Product Co distribution. drop a grade To me the claim the GRA should introducing the Victorian system provide a trophy for the Young Guns is GO WILD TEDDY X non-penalty events similar to those run disappointing. If the GRA provides 98% of in Victoria mid-week on city tracks for the Brisbane Club’s prizemoney, why then reduced prizemoney does the club provide trophies for all its GLEAMING SARAH The Board, at its next meeting, will other feature races? WHELPED SEPT 05 consider the submissions and make a It is hoped management at the Brisbane decision on what changes, if any, will be Club will see fit to provide a trophy and made to the current grading policy. presentation to fit the occasion of such a GLEAMING SARAH DAM OF GROUP 3 feature race. DARWIN CUP WINNER MR MONK, ALSO A MULTIPLE CITY WINNER OWNERS and trainers should take note ALBION PK AND ANGLE PK. SHE ... from March 1 the summer dress standard LADY regulations cease. HAS PRODUCED CITY WINNERS IN Handlers will be required to adhere to EVERY LITTER TO DATE normal post-summer dress standards as per GREAT LEGGY TYPES TRAINER GRA policy. IT is with regret that the Board recently 5 DOGS 4 BITCHES Has vacancies for accepted the resignation of steward Bob performed or maiden Watkins. Bob has been with the GRA for the past $2000 EA dogs - reasonable rates. 13 years and has commanded the respect of both the GRA and the industry in his CONTACT SARAH PRINGLE capacity as a steward. Ph Glenda Dart We wish Bob and his wife Margaret all (02) 66725314 the best in the future and thank Bob for the 07-54264105 input he made to this industry and his 0402 869366 position The (March, 2006) Journal Page 2 I’d like to answer some questions presented to the Board in recent times. Firstly, the GRA is a Statutory Authority answerable to the Queensland Government Phil Bennett and bound by legislation including the following Acts of Parliament: * Racing Act 2002 * Financial Administration & Audit Act 1977 GRA Chair * Financial Management Standard 1997 * Statutory Authorities Financial Arrangements Act 1982. In addition, the Authority is bound by various arrangement and agreements, such as The introduction of fourth prizemoney the Investigative Steward and owners and the Product & Program Agreement, the arose from the extension of First Four betting trainers who have assisted in formulating Intercode Agreement and various on TAB meetings and recognised that the earlier welfare policy documents. Statistics arrangements with Sky Racing and UNiTAB. connections of the fourth placegetter were The promotional committee is gaining the I will concede there have been people The Authority cannot therefore act outside providing a contribution to the Queensland views of persons involved in the media to look leaving the industry for a variety of reasons its charter and is required to consult and seek racing industry. at opportunities to further promote the code and there is a decline in the number of authority to carry out some functions. The Board resisted the payment of and tweak race programming to increase greyhounds being bred and these are a In the period 2001 to 2005, the annual unplaced prizemoney until the cost of fuel turnover and greyhound exposure. concern to the GRA. distribution received has increased by rose to such an extent there was concern some Race dates cannot just be changed on a By the same token there have been in $1,687,860.00 or 18.1% whereas the annual trainers may not travel to meetings. whim. The Product and Program Agreement recent years a number of trainers from prizemoney distributed by the SEQ Clubs As we are bound by agreements to provide to which the three racing codes are signatories interstate relocating to Queensland and increased by $1,830,551.00 or 37.3%. the contracted race meetings and obliged to sets out the timeslots that the racing bodies bringing teams to Queensland. The number of races would have remained maximise turnover, it was felt the reduction must provide product for. I am informed by GRA NSW there are basically static. of winner’s prizemoney to pay an unplaced They can be altered but require the numerous trainers in that State relocating to Administration runners fee was justified. approval of the three control bodies, UNiTAB the northern part of NSW which may impact The board is very conscious of containing The GRA is keeping records of the and most importantly Sky Racing. on the greyhounds available to the industry. costs, but it is necessary to employ staff and number of races where there are not full fields Sunday twilight has been considered but We are endeavouring to attract new to incur costs to carry out necessary functions and the clubs will be requested to ensure these there are penalty rates payable to staff which owners to the industry by making it easier to such as ensuring the integrity of the racing funds not paid out as a result will be used for make the exercise more expensive and the become an owner or to form a syndicate. product, the safety and well-being of the prizemoney purposes in other races. racing turnover on the meetings that we have The registration cost of a syndicate in racing animals and participants, the viability The Queensland industry needs to be held at this time is not as great as one would NSW is $250 whereas it is free in Queensland. of the racing clubs and the fair distribution of competitive with the rest of Australia. expect and would not justify the additional Unfortunately, the advertising of prize money to participants.