Aussie racing queen Gai Waterhouse has slammed the ‘ratbags’ responsible for the sport in NSW and Victoria for creating a ‘tug of war’ that ruins it for punters.
Racing NSW supremo Peter V’landys has made it his mission in recent years to embark on battle after battle in his war against Victoria, often trying to clash with Australia’s most historic races by winning some of his own. to create.
He stated last year that the newly minted Big Dance would create “exactly the same experience” as Flemington on Melbourne Cup day, and has also shaken things up with the introduction of the $15 million Everest.
It has been an open war and trainers on both sides of the border often had to choose between two high-profile days of racing.
That happened again recently when two long-standing Group 1 races, the Australian Guineas (Flemington) and Randwick Guineas, were held within 20 minutes of each other on March 4.
Gai Waterhouse raises the iconic Melbourne Cup after winning with Fiorente in 2013. The Australian racing legend has criticized organizers for creating a public ‘tug of war’
She launched a thinly veiled swipe at Racing NSW supremo Peter V’landys (right at Ascot in the UK last year after taking part in the Royal Procession) for the public fray
Waterhouse reviews the form while in Flemington on March 25 for Australian Cup day while NSW held Tancred Stakes day at the same time
Waterhouse has been spotted in Melbourne lately, despite the NSW Autumn Racing carnival being in full swing – and despite being a proud New South Welsh woman, she’s not interested in any kind of state-vs-state struggle.
“Personally, I have no tug-of-war.
Personally I think the states should work together and it’s a great mockery what has happened,” Waterhouse said on RSN Radio on Tuesday, speaking from the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sales in Sydney.
“To think the Guineas are on the same day for both Victoria and NSW I think those in power would have to show some common sense.
“I think they’re ratbags at the moment because they don’t put enough thought into the programming to make the carnivals work.
“Why have two Group 1 classics on the same day, and that’s just one example.”
Waterhouse, of course, comes from one of Australian racing’s most famous and successful families.
Waterhouse is part of one of Australia’s most famous racing families. Husband Rob (center) and son Tom (right) are two of the country’s most high-profile bookmakers
One of V’landys’ favorite projects is Randwick’s $15 million Everest (pictured is Giga Kick winning the 2022 edition) in what has been a huge shake-up for racing
She is the daughter of Tommy ‘TJ’ Smith, one of the greatest trainers in history, and married to Rob Waterhouse, a prominent bookie whose father, Bill, was once the greatest bookmaker and gambler in the world. Son Tom is of course cut from the same cloth and still one of the most prominent voices in gambling circles.
So she’s clearly a big fan of the grand traditions associated with horse racing that seem to be slowly fading away from the fabric of the sport in Australia.
The winner of a staggering 145 Group 1 races in what remains a decidedly male-dominated profession, Waterhouse trained horses for Queen Elizabeth II and last year received a private invitation to attend her funeral in the UK.
And she said there the spirit of racing is still alive, well, and the tradition is still undisturbed when asked if she thought the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Ascot would continue to be celebrated as one of ‘s world’s top races.
“Well you now have the King (Charles) and his wife (Camilla Parker-Bowlers, the Queen consort) is a very enthusiastic and lover of the sport… and I think the tradition will continue and which is great it is,” said Waterhouse.
“How wonderful to think you can go to England, and the tradition there that we just don’t have in Australia, that’s what makes it so fascinating.”
Gai Waterhouse says there are two big problems with racing in NSW and Victoria right now – and she believes one solution is less time between races
This isn’t just a case of a trainer complaining. This is one of the most respected voices in racing in recent decades who said where she felt things had gone so wrong.
But the famously outspoken trainer has some ideas on how to fix the two main things wrong with racing in NSW and Victoria.
“I’ll tell you two things they’re doing wrong,” she said.
“They should start races earlier. They should have pony races for the kids first as that would attract families to the races and get them involved in the sport.
“They should have races every 25 minutes, like they do in the States. People bet more and the race meeting goes faster.
‘As my husband (Rob), who is a bookmaker, says, betting only takes place in the last five minutes…’
Racing this weekend will take place at Randwick as The Championships continue, while Sandown will play host to the Easter Cup meeting.