OK folks, I reckon it is about time I came out of hiding and began earning my keep with regards to my name being attached to the Breeders Cup. Planning for this was well advanced before Allan Sullivan told me what he had done. Allan is a fearless fellow but I am sure he delayed because he had a fair idea what my reaction would be. I was aghast but Allan would not budge - told me it was already a done deal and I had to wear it, whether I liked it or not.
I am not sure what form this letter will take or where it will end up but before I hit full flight let me present some wonderful words of wisdom. I hope they will hit home to all who read this and remain with you, just as they have stayed with me ever since I heard them.In 2008 Allan Murnane convened the Australian Sprint Racing Convention at Glenormiston in Victoria. It was an incredibly inspiring gathering. Tragically, it was also to be a lost opportunity.. One of the delegates sent by the racing industry in USA was John Andreini from California. In his gracious manner this very elderly gentleman urged us to put our personal feelings aside as we strive toward the common goal of establishing racing. He reminded us that we might not personally like some of the people with whom we will have to work but that should not be a consideration. He suggested that we just take on board whatever talents they can offer, so long as it furthers the cause, and overlook anything else.
Please take the time to ponder his words.
The horse world is fraught with fragmentation, back biting, jealousy and rumour – not too different from anything else I guess. It also contains some of the best people one could ever associate with, as well as those wonderful horses. It is a huge industry and if it were only possible for it to pull together, amazing things could happen. I have been involved in a couple of undertakings where it all came together and the results were astounding. Unfortunately, I have seen more lost opportunities brought about by negativity, selfishness and ego. It is a hard ask but for the sake of the running horse in this country can we take a deep breath and try to work in harmony, at least for a little while, to allow the consolidation of this small opportunity for growth.
The folk in north Queensland have achieved something that has eluded so many other endeavours related to the racing of short distance horses. I don’t believe it was planned but it happened, and without fanfare it slowly grew. I am sure their isolation was a benefit because the smartass element that has caused so many wrecks over the years did not take it seriously, if they even knew about it. I also know, as surely as I am sitting in front of this computer, that the slow growth has been a major reason why they are still racing 14 years down the track
Despite drought, flood, bureaucrats, small numbers, distance and lack of cohesion the racing people of North Queensland have chugged along for these years working within their own achievable boundaries. Interest has been steadily increasing and the time has probably come for a little step up to the next level - enter Allan Sullivan and his Breeders Cup initiative. It has taken me a while to get my head around how this all works but it seems to me that one of the major advantages of Allan’s concept is its long term strategy. There will be no quantum leap out of the comfort zone in the immediate future and that is a big consideration in my opinion. It will allow time for committees to adapt and they will in turn grow to accommodate it as things escalate.. This is fairly uncharted territory and there may need to be changes as unforeseen situations arise.. As long as these are beneficial to the racing that should surely be no big deal.
I need to pay tribute to those far-sighted stallion owners who, at a time of such uncertainty in this country have stepped up to support this concept. As was so often done by breeders in the early days throughout the entire Quarter Horse industry, when promotion was the name of the game, these owners have taken a gamble for which there might not be much return from their investment, but their eyes are fixed on a bigger picture – that of promoting the racing Quarter Horse and giving him somewhere to run.
This fragile little racing fledgling has been nurtured by so few for so long. It is now up to all of us who value the running horse, as well as those who realize the importance of speed to the entire Quarter Horse breed, to get behind them, to support these stallions, to respect those trainers and jockeys who have hung in there when the going was so hard, to support the lionhearted committees who put out such effort, and to support the sponsors who put up hard cash. We might not always agree, yet disagreement can sometimes result in progress if it is handled the right way, but we damn sure need to pull in the same direction to take full advantage of this opportunity.
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The above is my slant on things – some might have a different view and the benefit of social media is that anyone can easily have input. In a country as vast as Australia, where people with similar interests are often separated by thousands of kms this is a massive advantage. I hope that my thoughts will generate discussion, robust or otherwise. Allan has dobbed me in big time and about the only thing I can do to justify my name on the Breeders Cup, is to write stuff.
Adios, for the time being - Merrie Elliot
