Uproar as race changes to WFA

A RESPECTED FNQ trainer has branded the decision to change the Cairns Newmarket from a handicap to a weightfor-age event “disgraceful”.

The change has caused uproar in the north Queensland racing community with some believing the move goes away from decades of tradition, while others think the switch will favour a select group of top horses.

Weight for age races have set weights for horses depending on their age and sex, while handicap racing allocates weights based on performances and tries to make the field perform evenly by giving more weight to the best horses.

Cannon Park trainer Trevor Rowe, who lifted the Cairns Cup in 2016, wrote to the Australian Trainers Association earlier this week to voice his displeasure.

Rowe is not alone in his concerns, with trainers such as Rodney Miller, Ricky Ludwig and former leading jockey Ronnie Ryan all expressing their disapproval.

“I strongly believe the Cairns Newmarket changing it to a WFA is nothing short of disgraceful, it has been a handicap for ... for more than 40 years at least and to change it is simply wrong,” Rowe stated.

“There would only be a very limited amount of horses that would genuinely be WFA horses in the north ... it’s tough having a very good horse but if they are that good in the north and get very big weights (we) take them south instead of bringing the southern horses north where, let’s be honest, the class of horse up here is not the class of horse in the SE corner.”

Cameron Partington, the ATA’s State Executive for Queensland, is confused by the decision.

“I suggested to Racing Queensland they should also change the Stradbroke Handicap and Melbourne Cup to weight-for-age as well,” Partington wrote to local trainers.

The switch to WFA caught several by surprise and feeling that if other regional Queensland cities, such as Rockhampton, Townsville and Mackay, do not have WFA feature races, why does FNQ?

In making their decision on programming the Cairns Cup carnival in 2020, Racing Queensland pointed to Mr Attitude, trained by Ricky Vale, and Peacock, who won north Queensland sprint races earlier in the carnival in previous years before being handed big weights by the time they landed at Cannon Park.

“With no Northern Crowns this year – and feature racing consolidated to an eight-week period – we have taken the opportunity to turn the Cairns Newmarket into a weight-forage race in a bid to encourage as many horses to campaign from start to finish,” an RQ spokesman said.

“As a handicap, we would struggle to see the best Central and North Queensland sprinters make their way through to Cairns, but under weight-forage conditions, there is more incentive for them to continue to campaign.”