Greyhound racing faces doom in NSW – could horse racing be next?
HorseBetting.com.au’s resident tipster and racing lover, Daryl Curnow, has his say on the elimination of greyhound racing in NSW and what similar thinking could mean for horse racing.
BY now most racing fans are aware that greyhound racing in New South Wales has met its end, shut down by Mike Baird’s NSW State Government.
Within the negative spin and misinformed opinions being spread in the wake of that decision, there is a much bigger threat on the horizon.
Australians love racing. That’s what we’ve been told since birth and it’s a part of our fabric. It’s also one of Australia’s biggest industries and not only does it generate millions into our economy, it also provides thousands of jobs.
Make no mistake, after the decision from the NSW Government and because of the justification used to make it, thoroughbred racing is now under threat.
The horse racing industry is the next target for animal activist groups and some individuals in the government which believe racing is cruel to animals. Whilst there have been a few bad eggs over the course of history, we can’t have an entire industry be painted under the same brush. It simply doesn’t make sense.
Sense doesn’t play a large part in the activists reasoning to ban an industry in which its participants are, in most cases, animal lovers. There are consequences to bringing down a whole industry that couldn’t have possibly been considered.
Banning greyhound racing in New South Wales will cost around 2700 hard-working participants their jobs and eliminate $336 million for the New South Wales economy. Why does this happen? Because it is believed that racing greyhounds is “unfair” and the dogs that aren’t racing are considered as “wastage”.
Wastage is the key word which is being spread around like the flu. We can’t vouch for certain people who have mistreated animals in the past, but you can’t punish an entire industry for their actions. There are countless organisations which re-home retired greyhounds, which make for great pets.
Greyhound and horse racing participants are first and foremost animal lovers. That’s what must be projected in the media to the misinformed readers. No one races these animals for the sole purpose of making money – it’s their life, it’s their passion and taking that away from them is an injustice.
The fight to save greyhound racing is on in NSW – we hope it is a successful one.
What would happen if horse racing was banned next?
The impact of banning the horse racing industry in Australia would be catastrophic on many counts. There are currently over 250,000 people invested in the horse racing industry, which funds roughly 77,000 jobs. Banning the industry would create an impossible situation for everyone involved.
Trainers and jockeys have spent most of their lives dedicated to the sport. Seeing it end at the hands of activists which have had no part in the industry would be an insult to Australian culture.
It would also have a devastating impact on the economy. Gambling on horse racing alone is a big government asset and over $14 billion was wagered in the 2009/2010 season. It’s also the third most attended sport in Australia behind AFL and NRL.
Most importantly – what happens to the horses?
There are approximately 30,000 horses in training in Australia and the protesters seem to believe these thoroughbreds would be able to find a home if racing was banned. The harsh reality is caring for horses is an expensive business and having to find homes for 30,000 horses is unrealistic.
All this talk about wastage is counterproductive. Banning racing would only see this wastage climb to an all-time high as trainers wouldn’t be able to afford the upkeep.
Supporting the ban on horse racing will kill horses which could have lived a lengthy and luxurious life. These ramifications are not being presented by certain media outlets and a world where an industry can be shut down by radicals is no place to call home.