Racing: Wheeler offers support for Oakbank

John Wheeler is giving South Australian racing one more chance.

The New Plymouth trainer who has the greatest record of all at the rich Oakbank carnival, is going back at least this one last time.

It's not Oakbank's fault - Victorian jumps racing is possibly teetering on the brink of destruction - and the question remains whether South Australian can survive on its own.

John Wheeler doubts it.

"I'm attacking this year, but if it's a catastrophe, I'll pull out.

"The horses I'm taking are capable of being sold to the United Kingdom and if that's necessary that's what will happen.

"I don't know if it's going to be economical to do it next year."

Wheeler has been a sensation in jumping circles in Victoria and South Australia in the past decade and a half. He holds the record for wins in the Great Eastern Steeples at Oakbank.

"It's terrible what's happened, I'd say 50 per cent of the jumpers in Victoria will be put down and the other 50 per cent will end up as hunters and the way these protest people are going they'll be banned shortly as well."

South Australian Racing is committed to jumps racing and has assured its supporters the famous Oakbank Easter carnival will continue this year and well beyond.

While Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) has committed to jumps racing this season, and next season if the number of falls and fatalities in 2010 can be kept to a minimum, SA Racing intends to press on regardless.

"South Australia is not going to give in," Philip Bentley, chairman of Thoroughbred Racing SA, said this week. "We are going to be reliant on Victorian interests to keep the show going. Unfortunately, this year there are no Victorian jumps races on before Oakbank. I find it appalling that there are no jumps races [in Victoria] until April."

In the recently announced re-vamped Victorian jumps programme, the first three of 64 races in the state will be held at Warrnambool on April 6, the day after the Great Eastern Steeplechase and Yalumba Classic Hurdle are run at Oakbank.

To ensure horses are sufficiently prepared, Oakbank Racing Club chairman John Glatz said the club would hold extra trials, both flat and jumps, on March 1 in addition to the jumps trials on March 29.

Each year, 110,000 people flock to the Adelaide Hills town for the two-day Oakbank carnival.

"We believe it is our responsibility to support the stake holders in the industry. Jumps racing people are stake holders of the industry and that's what directors are put on boards for," Bentley said.

"I also received a phone call from the Minister for Racing. I indicated to him I wouldn't take any notice of him and, if necessary, I would criticise him in the newspaper.

"That didn't eventuate but his call to suspend jumps racing was ignored and we will continue to ignore that.

"We have talked closely to the political parties in our state and neither of the major political parties have any issue with jumps racing and do not regard it as a political issue.

"I hope that jumps racing can get over this hurdle, excuse the pun, but it is quite a hurdle when you think about it.

"We've had indecisive decision making which has, obviously, caused investors to delay decisions which will initially affect the number of horses that are available.

"Almost as if it is a back-door method to bring things to an end, but do not give in because South Australia is not going to crumble.

"But we will not give in to the so-called do-gooders who wish to try and tell our industry, which they don't have one cent invested in, how to run its business. We will continue to programme jumps racing for as long as there are available horses and riders to nominate."

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AAP