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Gee whiz, talk about a punt-induced hangover! We are coming to you on this Monday on the back of yet another Gold Coast Magic Millions week. Despite the scorching hot weather, a tsunami scare on Saturday night and the possibility of getting the ‘Rona, it didn’t stop thousands of racegoers descending on Surfers Paradise. Queensland’s glamour couple, Ben Thompson and Steph Thornton, celebrated their engagement, the southerners dominated Millions Day as the rich got richer, while a good old-fashioned social media scam sent Racing Twitter into meltdown. THE HAPPY COUPLE In case you weren’t aware, Brisbane-based jockeys Ben Thompson and Stephanie Thornton have been all loved up for a little while now. The couple are regularly seen walking the track together prior to race one on any given race day, while their competitiveness sees them often run first and second throughout the day at Queensland race meets. After a day of riding on the Gold Coast on Saturday, young Ben popped the question and Steph said ‘yes’. The pair took to social media – what else do they do these days? – to announce the news on Saturday night, which saw much of the racing fraternity go into meltdown. Here’s to many more quinellas for the duo! RICHES TO RICHES We had hoped to see some of the smaller stables jag a win or two on one of Australia’s richest race days, but it wasn’t to be. After the running of nine races at the Gold Coast on Saturday, it seemed blatantly obvious that the rich got richer, and well, the poor did their thing. Peter & Paul Snowden snagged a winning double, as did Ciaron Maher & David Eustace, while Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, Chris Waller, Annabel Neasham, Tony Gollan and Gregory Hickman won the rest of the card. We think it’s far to say that they are some of the biggest names in Australian racing, with the exception maybe of Hickman. In saying that, Hickman’s winning galloper, Eleven Eleven, made it three straight Magic Millions Day triumphs, taking his prizemoney to almost $3 million. So much for keeping the money in Queensland! TWITTER SCAM Sometimes when things seem too good to be true, they probably are. Since Coolangatta’s debut win a couple of months ago, you would have been hard pressed to find odds of $2 or greater with any of the seemingly hundreds of online bookmakers out there, so when a notoriously dodgy bloke on Twitter offers you $6, it probably isn’t legit. Now, while it may seem blatantly obvious to you or I, a number of punters fell for the trap, paying thousands of dollars to @HorseRacingGL. As we all saw, Coolangatta saluted as a $1.70 favourite in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic on Saturday, and of course, the scammer has disappeared off the face of social media, along with his business partners. We hate to see stuff like this, but gee, it’s good to see Racing Twitter unite to bring this low-life to justice. About Punt Drunk Welcome to Punt Drunk – our daily column covering all the latest horse racing and punting controversies, dramas and headline news. Have a story or gripe or issue that just grinds your gears? Just hit us up in the comments or contact us page and our jaded, punt hardened Punt Drunk staff will give it the Punt Drunk treatment it deserves. Don’t expect pleasantries or typical racing media fanboy gloss from Punt Drunk – we’re on the punt and we don’t have time to bullshit; the next is about to jump… If you have any stories that you want our Punt Drunk Team to cover or just want to say G’day send us a message on: View the full article

I agree with the first part of your post    

Just someone with a bit of heart who looked like they cared about the long term future of the industry, in particular someone who had a passion for punting or 1 of the 3 codes. This reads again like another corporate BSer who'll bring in the service mantra from Air NZ/Banking etc that doesn't work in this industry. Having said that Mckenzie was supposed to be the golden god to take the industry to the next level, he did the easiest thing there is in cutting costs (of that we have to be gateful at least I guess) but the organisation still seems to be treading water.

People that run casino's, that is their CEO's, usually start at the bottom within the organization and work their way up to the top. Example, croupier, pit boss, security etc. They usually have a thorough grounding in all aspects of the gaming business. The TAB do the opposite, they employ people that have no understanding of the business, and would not know a punter if they fell over one. They have been repeating this failed formula for choosing their CEO's for some time. Just my thoughts on subject.

What Moe Races Where Moe Racing Club – Waterloo Rd, Moe VIC 3825 When Tuesday, January 18, 2022 First Race 1:30pm AEDT Watch Live Streaming Live at Sportsbet Moe Racing Club is scheduled to host an eight-part card on Tuesday afternoon, and HorseBetting’s Victorian horse racing form analyst presents his best bets and free quaddie numbers for the day. The track is rated a Soft 5, the rail is set in the true position throughout, and racing is scheduled to get underway at 1:30pm AEDT. Moe Best Bet – Vaettir The Mitchell Freedman-trained Vaettir was heavily backed on debut at Werribee on December 30 when finishing third. The three-year-old filly out of Charm Spirit managed to lead the field up over 1008m on that day but ran in to a couple better than her on the line. Freedman opts to keep her at the 1000m, and from barrier 10 we expect Jarrod Fry to be positive early on and look for the lead once again. Vaettir looks to have a fair bit of untapped ability, and strong backing on debut suggests the stable have a high opinion of her. Best BetRace 4 – Vaettir (#13) $3.20 with Ladbrokes Next Best Bet at Moe – Inner Spirit We were with the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Inner Spirit at Mornington on December 29, where he was too strong for his rivals late on over 1200m. The four-year-old son of Wandjina was trapped three wide without cover up on speed but still packed plenty late to get the bob in on the line. He draws barrier five on Tuesday, and with John Allen sticking onboard, look for Inner Spirit to settle either outside the leader or in the one-one trail. With even luck on the home turn, we expect Inner Spirit to be building through the gears and proving too good for his rivals once again. Next BestRace 7 – Inner Spirit (#3) $3 with Sportsbet Best Value Bet at Moe – Royal Volley Charlotte Littlefield sends her eight-year-old gelding Royal Volley to the Moe 2400m following a narrow defeat at Stony Creek on January 4. He was outbobbed by Raid The Bar on that day for second, but with a 3kg weight advantage on his rival this time, he should have that runner covered. Sheridan Clarke hops on board, and from barrier 13 we anticipate she will use her 3kg claim to her advantage and take up the running. In a field bereft of early speed, we expect Royal Volley to have a quiet time of it out in front and prove too hard to run down in the second leg of the quaddie. Best ValueRace 6 – Royal Volley (#2) $7.50 with Ladbrokes Tuesday quaddie tips for Moe Moe quadrella selections Leg 1: 1-2-3-4 Leg 2: 1-2-7-8 Leg 3: 1-3 Leg 4: 2-3-7-13 Investment: $128 for 100% More horse racing tips View the full article