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SARGA.CO - Queensland trainer Lachie Manzelmann was guaranteed to saddle the winner of an Australian race on Friday, 23 October, after accepting all 11 entries for an open handicap at Mackay Racecourse.
Scheduled as the sixth event on Mackay’s seven-race card, the Ladbrokes Mega Multi Open Handicap was set to feature 11 horses initially, but Contemporary was scratched, leaving 10 runners.
All 10 were trained by Manzelmann, who had secured a winner simply by having a runner in the field with no other rivals. Despite the unusual advantage, Manzelmann did not celebrate, as he described the situation as a poor reflection on the sport.
Raetihi Delivers on Race Day
The 1,300-metre race itself was won by Raetihi, a seven-year-old gelding by Savabeel, ridden by Samantha Pointon.
Starting at around 9/1, Raetihi defeated stablemate Upstart Legend by 0.4 lengths in 1:16.35, with Our Missile finishing third 0.2 lengths behind.
Upstart Legend and Our Missile had started as favourites, so Raetihi’s win was a surprise within the stable, even though the trainer had been assured of having the winner before the race began.
A Wider Concern for Australian Racing
Manzelmann stressed that he had not prevented other trainers from entering horses and said there was no restriction on the number of runners that could be nominated, yet the race attracted none from other stables even after nominations were extended.
“I think it’s terrible for racing,” Manzelmann said, as quoted by the Racing Post. He was also concerned that such a one-sided field could discourage betting.
This situation is not an isolated case, since earlier in the same week, Queensland trainer Tanya Parry supplied the entire field in two six-runner races at Mount Isa.
As such, the repeated occurrences have raised questions about participation levels in regional racing and the ability of open handicaps to attract a competitive mix of stables.
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