Mic’d and fined: Yendall furious over Warrnambool penalty
Veteran jockey Dean Yendall is unhappy after receiving a $3,000 fine for swearing at Warrnambool on Tuesday.
Yendall was waiting patiently in the barriers ahead of race five when the horse next to him, One Bound, became fractious.
He [One Bound] was removed from the barriers and eventually passed fit to run by Racing Victoria vets.
No such luck for Yendall’s ride on Shades of Stardom, which was scratched on vets’ advice. The kicker: Shades Of Stardom was a heavily backed second favourite.
There was some initial confusion given it seemed there might be an obvious injury to another horse near Yendall, but not his.
When Shades of Stardom was scratched, you could see on racing.com’s coverage that Yendall was less than impressed.
Here is when the different versions of events come in.
Yendall admits to swearing – but says it was not directed at anyone, just the situation. He remained of the view Shades of Stardom was fit to run.
But Racing Victoria’s staff obviously didn’t take Yendall’s spray that way – nor did chief Steward Rob Montgomery.
‘’We understand the pressures involved, but it is not appropriate for you to swear at our staff,” chief steward Rob Montgomery told Yendall, according to Racenet. “It was heard right across Australia. It’s not good enough.”
Yendall, we are told, would have understood if he had to cop a small fine for his poor choice of words.
But since when does a punishment become exasperated because a microphone is nearby? Considering the nature of the sport and what happens as they are about to jump, should Yendall be punished because at that moment, the mics were turned on?
Yendall, Betsy is told, was remorseful for his colourful language but the $3,000 fine means Yendall needs a big week in the saddle just to break even.
Of course, Yendall could count himself lucky – John O’Shea copped four months for his altercation with a vet.
Vet’s media watch in O’Shea saga
Talking of O’Shea, punters finally learnt the reasons why the top trainer was banned for four months for an altercation with Racing NSW vets.
It was an exchange no doubt that O’Shea regrets, and the vet staff deserved better.
You can read the exchange here.
But one part of Dr Carly Garling’s evidence caught our eye.
In complaining about O’Shea, she made the claim that media coverage of the spat somehow undermines the work vets do on course.
‘’I also think it’s important to note that his conduct on race day has resulted in two newspaper articles, which further undermines the public’s confidence in the veterinary decision making on race day, and I think his conduct is inappropriate and unprofessional for a licensed trainer,’’ she told investigators.
If anything, the saga illustrated her employers at Racing NSW support her work and the right to feel safe while she does it. Media coverage should be and needs to be irrelevant when it comes to how racing operates or deals with conflicts– if anything, the sport needs more debate and intrigue.
Racing is still a sport that at times, is light years behind other major codes that embrace controversy, debate and opinions. I am not suggesting that the O’Shea saga is a good look – but to suggest coverage reduced public confidence is ridiculous.
Everest to glow green?
Could arguably Australia’s best horse, Autumn Glow, be considered for for a crack at Australia’s best and richest sprint race, The Everest?
Betsy is told thought is being given to restricting her spring campaign to sprinting and that could mean a date with Ka Ying Rising in October with TAB leading the suitors.
Pub blow-up after Archer chaos
There is not much love between the two clubs in Rockhampton and it spilled over into a pub on Sunday night.
The Rockhampton Jockey Club run Callaghan Park around the year and present it to the Central Queensland Amateur Club for The Archer meeting.
Of course, Sunday’s meeting had to be called off because of an irrigation problem that caused wet patches to appear in the straight.
It is understood after a long day, representatives of the clubs exchanged more insults in the pub on Sunday.
The hard feeling might see the Amateurs looking to move the $1 million slot race down the road to Yeppoon.
No comparisons for this headline
This is not satire.
Weir a breath of fresh air
Taige Weir did a terrific interview with racing.com’s Matt Stewart after her emotional win on Wednesday.
Missing, of course, from the social clips posted from the interview was any reference to her famous father Darren, now banned from racing but who once dominated the ‘Bool.
To Stewart’s credit he asked the questions and referenced her dad, but the editing of the interview on social media somehow couldn’t fit the questions or a single reference of Darren. Coincidence, no doubt.
It’s the optics
The social media work of one executive has caught the eye of a few as they seek cost reductions across their part of the world.
