Group One Members "Infuriated" With Victorian Industry

Friday, 04 October 2002 00:00

Victorian Racing officials need to get behind large member groups such as the Group One Racing Club and the Winner’s Circle if the industry wants new blood.

That is the opinion of Melissa Cockram, who along with her father Ted and brother Bill are in charge of the country’s most successful club formats which have raced a number of top class performers including Nina Haraka and last weekend's runaway Sandown winner Liberty Rose.

Cockram says the lack of interest shown by the Victorian industry towards their style of ownership was ludicrous and "didn’t make sense at all."

"Surely they are wanting new people to get into the industry," Cockram said. "But instead of treating our members like they are wanted, they got the complete opposite."

Cockram said the main issue that members had was the fact they had to pay to get into the track when one of their horses was running.

"Even on those non-features raceday and midweeks they forced our members to pay at the gate," Cockram said. "Don’t they realise that when they get people in the gate they are going to spend some money. They have to eat, many are going to buy books, there’s drinks and the rest."

Cockram said the Group One and Winner’s Circle members were being treated in a complete different fashion to the west of the border.

"It’s quite funny as our clubs are really embraced in South Australia," she said. "All of our members are always admitted free in the city and the provincial tracks."

Now instead of attending meetings in Victoria a number of their owners are staying home in their living rooms.

"A number of our members have gone to the extent of signing up with Optus or Foxtel and sitting at home and watching out horses instead of travelling to the races to see them," she added.

Resorting to have watch your horse run away from the track is a great shame. Anyone involved with having raced a horse would know the excitement of being on track when your horse runs and if it happens to win nothing can beat that feeling.

Nina Haraka, a Group winner and multiple Group One performer, has to date been the star of the five racing clubs which have been controlled by the Cockram family.

When that mare contested the Group One Caulfield Cup in Melbourne over 600 owners were at "the Heath" to cheer on their champion.

"And all 600 had to pay to get through the gate too," Melissa Cockram said.

Cockram said the stance of the Victorian industry left her hundreds of owners "infuriated."

"They couldn’t believe how they can all get in free in South Australia, but are charged in Victoria."

Cockram went on to add that a couple of clubs in South Australia gave members free entry even when their horses were not running at the meeting.

A decision as to whether the Cockram’s will establish another club to race a group of horses with the Lindsay Park stables is yet to be made.

"We have about six month to decide."

While officials around the country all seem to be harping on the fact of trying to get "new blood" into their sport, it is amazing that officials in the most exciting racing state in Australia are showing a lack of support which is proven in introducing previous racing virgins into the sport we know and love.

"We’ve tried over and over and now we’ve given up," Cockram said of gaining some leverage and support from Victorian officials.

Racing Victoria's General Manager of Marketing Danny Curran said the Victorian industry had been supportive of owners in recent years and felt their policies were sufficient.

"Over the past year or so our benefits to owners have improved greatly," Curran said. "Since the introduction of the owners card we now admit 20 owners for the day their horse runs."

Curran said officials in Victoria have to "draw the line somewhere" as to the amount of owners given raceday rights.

"Basically how long is a piece of string," he added.

Curran said Racing Victoria welcomed any sort of feedback or submission from an organisation like that of the Group One Racing Club.

"Nothing has been put to us in recent years since we have become Racing Victoria and we recommend they raise their concerns with us."

But if Curran's beliefs are shared by the other power brokers in the state it looks as though the wishes of Cockram and her group might fall on deaf ears.

"It's pretty unreasonable to expect with that level of contribution (of the racing club format) that people can expect the same amount of privilege as other owners."