Save Italian racing

Italian racing has been in serious trouble for years and now with the economic woes of that nation, racing is going to be hardpressed to survive.

Nobody that races or deals with bloodstock in Italy can be surprised, because in large part, the Italian have brought this situation upon themselves with some deviour and corrupt practices.

Say what you want about any shortcommings of racing in SA, but compared to Italy, it is the most pristine game on earth.

From the Guardian

The future of horse racing in Italy appears to hang in the balance as protesters are set to target the government in Rome this week in an attempt to secure increased funding for the sport. Jockeys, trainers and breeders, as well as racing officials, have called for protests outside the Italian prime minister's office on Thursday.

No racing has taken place in the country since the start of the year after strikes were called by all sectors of the sport in protest at dramatic cuts to the prize-money budget and funding for racecourses. Although not as well known as racing in Britain, Ireland and France, the sport has been popular in Italy since Roman times and there are more than 40 racecourses in the country, some of which regularly attract runners from across Europe.

One Italian betting pundit has described racing in Italy as being "effectively bankrupt" but he warned that the sport cannot expect the recently appointed agriculture minister, Mario Catania, to accede to demands for increased state funding, even though the sport's backers say it supports 50,000 families nationally.

Dr Carlo Zuccoli, an Italian journalist and former consultant to the European Pari-Mutuel Association, blames over-spending and a lack of financial control for the dramatic cuts. "Unire, which is the Italian equivalent of something like the British Horseracing Authority, hasn't produced a balance sheet for about 10 years and nobody has challenged that," he said.

"Last year, between the Flat racing and trotting, Unire paid out €218m (about £179m) in prize money and a further €135m to the racecourses, as well as servicing their own debts and the administrative expenses of the sport. According to betting figures from 2011, Unire cannot have received more than €160m in commission from the Italian Tote betting system, which means there was a huge over-spend, unless there was additional funding coming from the government which we don't know about. Tote betting is declining by 25% year on year, so the situation for this year will be even worse.

"The betting model, through which money comes back to racing, is broken, and it is effectively bankrupt. As it stands, every race that is run is being run at a loss. Nobody in Italy has any money at the moment and the new minister has already made it clear that there will be nothing more for the sport. The only way forward is to admit that we need a new structure for funding racing and to start again with a clean slate. If we try to carry on as things are, racecourses will close and racing will not survive in Italy."

Among those promoting the dire situation for the sport in his country is the UK-based jockey Frankie Dettori, who wore a shirt saying "Save Italian Racing" for the major international meeting in Hong Kong last month. "Italian racing is in serious trouble and I want to help my country to ride out the crisis," said Dettori. "All the Italian racing people will have to work together as hard as they can."

My solution would of course be to slash the trotting and transfer the monies saved to real racing, but there's more chance of pigs flying than that happening.<

In other words, Italian racing is Italian life in a nutshell. Overspend, and bugger the consequences. When the chickens eventually come home to roost, go on strike or start a riot.

The country has survived like this for years, hence its economic meltdown. Racing will probably survive this storm, in some way or another. But there is a lesson in all this for all of us in the racing industry. We want this and we demand that - but somebody has to keep track of the Rands and cents.

Cheers Bob feel like I have just been "jocked off"

Italy: The crisis in racing escalated on Thursday when an explosive device went off outside parliament in Rome during protests over the cuts threatening the industry.

As debate took place in parliament during the afternoon and evening, organisers reported around 600 demonstrators gathered in Piazza Montecitorio, where the device exploded as some people tried to smash the enclosure which prevents access to the parliament entrance.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the explosion after which police said there were no injuries among police or protestors.

It appears the device was being used to try and break down the barrier preventing them getting to parliament rather than to hurt/kill anyone.

Several of the country's riders, trainers and breeders wearing horse-head masks and blowing trumpets were among those demonstrating, while many protestors were decked out in blue T-shirts reading 'Save Italian Racing', adopted after Frankie Dettori wore one to the international jockeys' challenge in Hong Kong last month.

On Friday, Dettori said: "Italy is in crisis - there is a great tradition of racing there, a great history, and it would be a tragedy if that was to be lost.

"I do understand there are many other pressing issues for the government but if they don't do something we could be looking at 50,000 people out of work. I feel for my family, I feel for my friends - I feel for the industry as a whole."

Equally grave concern was expressed by Sandro Moscati, deputy head of the National Trotting Horse Breeders Association, who said on Thursday: "Horseracing in Italy is in peril, it's dying off and at least 50,000 people risk losing their jobs."

Soon afterwards the protesters moved to the nearby headquarters of Assi, the organisation that replaced Unire as Italian racing's independent governing body to liaise directly with the ministry of agriculture.

Many in the racing industry see Assi as simply Unire under a different name and Assi uses the same offices as Unire and many of the same staff.

At the start of January around 150 protesters broke into the Assi office in Rome in an attempt to prevent the broadcasting of foreign races and with tension increasing Mario Catania, the Minister of Agriculture, said: "We will spend the next week looking at how we can best help the racing industry and the jobs that it provides."

MPs from all parties agreed that the saving of thousands of jobs in the racing and breeding industries was of prime importance and will spend the next week putting together a plan to help racing finance itself.

There has been no racing at any of Italy's 41 racecourses during 2012 and many fear that unless a radical shake-up to the industry is introduced, the sport could simply disappear or be staged on a much reduced scale.

Protesters claim the government plans to cut funding to the sport by 40 per cent, but according to the Italian gambling authorities, betting on horses fell 20 per cent last year compared to 2010, with punters placing just €1.37 billion and gate figures continuing a dramatic slump.

In the meantime, on Tuesday there will be a discussion in parliament to look at amending an act of parliament to allow part of the revenue of taxes earned from slot machines to be given to the racing industry to help finance prize-money.

Mario Masini, president of Italy's Thoroughbred Owners Association, said: "That is a step in the right direction and appreciated but we may well have another protest outside parliament on that day to keep everyone's mind on our problem."

This may not be what all long suffering Tellytrack viewers want to read, but racing in Italy is set to resume tomorrow after a strike that has seen not a single race run so far in 2012.

Well, I prefer it to Ngong, Turkey, and four mile selling hurdles races from anywhere, but then I am biased. Hopefully they've used the time off to find a new "commentator" and to train everyone to try and run races more or less on time, but there's probably more chance of Daisy Duck becoming the next President of the United States,

What about Sweden Magic? Plus Daisy Duck not impossible IMO

I don't even count carts as racing.

And Daisy Duck couldn't be much worse than any of those dooses chasing the Republican nomination.<

Italian racing pretty much Ngong type....

Homer Wrote:

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> Italian racing pretty much Ngong type....


Yes I would rather save the PIZZA if it was endangered....