KEY POINTS:
Robbie Waterhouse knows a bit about betting. Quite a lot actually.
Waterhouse, in New Zealand attending the Karaka yearling sale with his training wife Gai, was intrigued by the Herald story on Monday regarding the controversial watering of Trentham's track for last week's Wellington Cup raceday.
The high profile Australian bookmaker has strong thoughts on artificial watering of racetracks and how it affects betting and was keen to provide the submission he made in December to Australian racing authorities on the subject, when it was up for review. "It is helping to ruin racing," Waterhouse said.
The central issues of his submission were:
"The current TPP (Track Preparation Policy) can be summed up by the belief that tracks should be prepared with some give in the ground, erring on the soft side.
"It's often said: 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions'. Similarly, the current TPP is well intentioned but, in my view, very harmful.
"The arguments for the current TPP appear self-evident:
* Kinder to the horses.
* Produces a more sustainable product (by not breaking down horses).
* Produces bigger fields.
* Fairer to owners. "But I say these arguments are fallacious and the TPP is very damaging. The reality is, I say, that this TPP:
* Diminishes betting turnover markedly and consequently reduces revenue to the industry.
* Creates tracks punters are reluctant to bet on.
* Creates biased tracks which undermine punters' confidence.
* Is a disadvantage to breeders of tough, colonial stock.
* Makes racing bland.
* Undermines the integrity of racing.
* Costs the industry a lot.
* Diminishes betting turnover.
"With my bookmaking business, my turnover falls once a track is dead or worse. Punters won't bet as freely on affected tracks. My firsthand experience is echoed by all bookmakers.
"I am involved in a business taking exotics with various totes with about $50m turnover per annum.
"As much as possible is bet based on models with a view to maximising profit. These models reduce the turnover by about 20 per cent on affected tracks because firstly, the public turnover is smaller and secondly, the randomness makes it harder to find value.
"The senior partner of the world's largest punting syndicate told me they adopt the same strategy.
"Every punter I know dislikes dead and slow tracks. They know these goings are more random. Only racing could not realise its only customers are punters and force on them what they don't want.
"Of course, this drop in turnover causes a bigger drop in available prizemoney. I hope it is generally recognised that watering creates biases. The fence is often worse because of natural drainage.
"Irrigation inhibits root growth so parts of tracks give way. The man in charge of the gallops and racecourses at Newmarket (England) told me that irrigation of a galloping track reduced the type of grasses there from about 100 to three.
"It is noteworthy in the UK, when there is proprietary racing, course curators are sacked by track owners if they produce what punters hate - biased tracks. They know it attacks turnover and their profits.
"Our worst Sydney track for bias was Gosford. The course curator was sacked and God was placed in charge. Within a short period the track was perfect.
"Australian and New Zealand-bred breeding stock are disadvantaged by this TPP. Soft-boned imported stock are advantaged. Progeny of the imported stock have reduced racing lives in the UK - they have a handful of starts each year.
"The current TPP jeopardises our future breed. I think it will have a marked effect on racing in the future.
"We'll have a lot of horses, who can't stand up to racing. By denying racing on fast and good tracks we are robbing racing of its diversity."
WATERHOUSE WISDOM
* Artificial irrigation creates bias in tracks.
* It inhibits root growth leading to damaged tracks.
* It reduces betting turnover when punters don't trust track conditions and lose confidence.
