WOULD LLOYD WILLIAMS REALLY WELCOME V’LANDYS TO VICTORIA?

Six-time Melbourne Cup winning owner Lloyd Williams recently put on public record that he’d love to see Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landys running racing in his home state of Victoria.

Williams made the claims when interviewed on Melbourne radio praising the boss of NSW racing for the way he stands up for his state, his no holds bar approach and his unwavering support of his team.

Today Lloyd Williams was interviewed on Sydney radio and after his chat I’m not so sure he’d want V’landys in charge in Victoria.

Why?

During the interview Williams spoke about the impending switch from Robert Hickmott as head trainer at his Macedon Lodge property to Liam Howley saying ‘it would not have any real impact’.

You’d think switching head trainers would have a major impact as the new man in charge would like things done his way.

Not so according to Lloyd Williams.

“You are talking to the head trainer.

“The blue-print emanates right here, I’m chairman and chief executive.

“I decide how the horses will work and how we’ll feed them and all those things and I have people up here who execute it, that’s what happens.”

In punting there is a similar set-up.

A person known as ‘a bowler’ will have a betting account under their name but the money in the account isn’t theirs and the decision on what to back isn’t made by them but instead by the person whose money it is and who is really operating the betting account.

He who pays the piper picks the tune and there is no problem with that but in racing the person’s name alongside the horses as trainer is responsible for everything to do with those horses.

No one doubts the amount of money Lloyd puts into racing and the love he has for the sport.

There is the jealous whinge from a small minority about Lloyd and him having so many runners in our great race and the fact he has won it six times but I say well done and congratulations as its well deserved.

I am a fan of the man in a racing sense but also as a person as he has always been terrific to me.

His passion and drive to win the Melbourne cup I think is great for our sport but if he is the man who decides everything surely to show racing is equal across the board and all operate under the same rules Lloyd must be licensed as a trainer.

The problem arises when something goes wrong with a horse and the stewards then start asking questions.

What happens if one of the horses returns a positive?

The wrong horse arrives at the track?

Something happens with a horse and it’s not reported?

The riding instructions are disputed?

Basically anything that every other licensed trainer is responsible for who do the stewards seek answers from?

If the stewards interview Howley or have done so in the past with Hickmott, Sadler and co they have been interviewing the wrong person as they aren’t calling the shots and are only trainers in name.

How do we know they are interviewing the wrong person, well it’s because Lloyd has said so declaring he is head trainer.

Lloyd’s praise of V’landys is spot on and I think that may come back to bite him if V’landys was to move south.

I have no doubt if a similar owner trainer relationship was here in NSW it would be scrutinised to an eighth degree and the person in charge of the training of the horses would be required to be licensed and that person at Macedon Lodge is Lloyd Williams.

By Richie Callander