Racing Queensland Hosts Key Stakeholder Meeting at Cluden

The Townsville racing industry has been reassured by Racing Queensland a fix for the problematic sand track at Cluden Park is on its way.
Racing Queensland Acting CEO Lachlan Murray delivered the message in person at a stakeholder session between senior RQ executives and northern clubs and racing participants at Cluden Park on Thursday.

Mr Murray also outlined a collective effort by RQ and the Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns clubs to promote the Northern Cups Carnival to more parts of Australia.

Speaking after the stakeholder sessions, Mr Murray said RQ would be back on the road to conduct more meetings with regional industry members after the much-awaited Racing Review into the Queensland racing industry was released.

“This is the first session in Townsville. We try to have them in the regions as much as possible,” Mr Murray said.
“We’ve had different stakeholder sessions with greyhounds and harness racing and we’ve had a thoroughbred session in South East Queensland.
“And I want to see them every quarter or so around the state so we’re having that direct dialogue with our industry participants.
“It’s an opportunity to meet with people in the industry because we know that not everyone reads the newsletter and jumps on the website, so we can meet face to face with people and tell them what the issues are and also hear from them.
“Today has been very valuable to hear from the locals about what’s important to them.”

Key issues raised at the Townsville stakeholder session included the major impacts on owners and trainers from rising transport costs, ongoing problems with Cluden’s sand work track, and RQ’s requirement for horses to run in official barrier trials to obtain barrier certificates.

“One of the big issues today was the tyranny of distance and it’s clearly massive. Hearing from Tom (Button) it has a huge impact and we get it,” Mr Murray said.
“And it’s not just the float cost to get from, say, Bowen or Townsville to Cairns but it’s also every supplier has to put their own logistical costs into their prices as well.
“It’s absolutely a challenge up here compared to metropolitan zones and how we then address that is the big question.
“The terms of reference for the review – the first points – were how do we make the industry sustainable? And this obviously leads into this point.
“The second point is protecting country racing as well and ensuring we have the necessary infrastructure.
“Absolutely all of these things will be covered in the review.
“I think it also clearly illustrates that we have 120 clubs in Queensland, one third of Australia’s clubs. We’re a bloody big state and what works in South East Queensland doesn’t necessarily work in the regions.
“We also heard about the importance to find a solution to the problems with the sand track here at Cluden.
“We’ve got a collective working on it so this is not just an RQ project with us working in isolation. It’s important that we’ve got stakeholders on board, including locals in a working group, so we get this right.
“We want it fixed and it’s all systems go with it, it’s just a matter of determining what the resolution needs to be.”

Mr Murray said RQ was also working with clubs to build on the success of this year’s Northern Cups Carnivals.
He pointed to betting turnover, which was up across the board on all four cup meetings.
Turnover on this year’s Townsville Cup meeting was over $10 million.

“I was rapt with the Northern Winter Carnivals. We found coming out of the Winter Carnival in South East Queensland there was some growth of a few per cent, but to see the results with the Northern Carnivals – basically up 6 per cent year on year – was really pleasing.
“In fact, we had a session with the clubs earlier where we talked about how we get the message out to the rest of Australia about this carnival.
“It follows pretty soon after the South East, so how do we promote the whole of the Northern Carnival in its own right and not just sit in the shadows behind the Brisbane Carnival?
“We’ve got an idea and we’re talking to a potential sponsor about getting behind the whole carnival, not just the individual cups.
“The clubs are willing to cooperate and these sessions are important to show there’s a lot to be gained if they’re working together.”

Townsville Turf Club chairman Geoff Weeks welcomed RQ’s commitment to stakeholder engagement out in the regions.

“It’s so important to have Racing Queensland here, not just for the industry but also the members,” Mr Weeks said.
“As I said in the discussions today, we only hear whispers and this is the opportunity where people can actually ask the questions and put them on the spot.
“Our trainers are good people who ask good honest questions because it’s their livelihood, so to have them here is fantastic.
“This has not happened before and it’s very welcome that it’s happening now.
“In the meeting this morning with the club officials, they (RQ) gave an undertaking that Lachlan will come back to present to our region what the Racing Review involves.
“There are parts of the review that are just relevant to what we’re calling hubs, and we’re a hub, and I think Townsville has a very important role to play in the future of racing in the north.

“There were two very important issues for us that were raised today.
“The sand (work) track has to be fixed. We understand that they’re working on it and there is a process, but it’s been two years.
“I’ve got to call time on that on behalf of our trainers.
“It needs to be done as soon as possible – no more delays.

“The second issue – and our trainers raised it – the impact of rising costs.
“Something has to change, either in prizemoney or the amount of QTIS money coming up here.
“I think the opportunity for RQ to listen to the cost issues for our owners and trainers is really important, and they need to take that feedback away and come up with a response.
“Certainly in my role as chairman I’m going to follow that up. I don’t think it will be lost on them. I think we’ve got a very good person in Lachlan Murray as the acting CEO.”

Other issues raised by owners and trainers were the increase in Sunday meetings and the time and cost pressures it places on stables, and reduced prizemoney for regular Saturday TAB fixtures in Townsville.
Trainers also expressed concern over the new requirement for horses to run in official barrier trials to receive a barrier pass.
They cited the lack of official barrier trial days around the north, shortage of jockeys, and transport and logistical problems with trialling after race meetings.

Recently, a Mackay trainer was forced to travel four hours to Townsville with an unraced two-year-old to obtain a barrier certificate because there were no scheduled trials at his home track at Ooralea Park.

Mr Murray also gave stakeholders a detailed picture of RQ’s financials for the 2024/25 financial year.
RQ’s racing operations manager Ross Gove, industry policy and strategy manager Chris Weder, and jockeys’ representative Jim Byrne were also linked into the session and responded to questions.