Gai Waterhouse’s bizarre spray about Randwick irks Peter V’landys

Ardent racegoers who get almost as much pleasure from observing internecine racing politics as they do from action on the track were excited to see Hall of Fame Trainer and Australian Living Treasure Gai Waterhouse attending Randwick races on the weekend. That hasn’t happened in a while.

Waterhouse had a great day out – and then promptly bagged the facilities in what some interpreted as a poke in the eye for powerful Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys, with whom relations have been frosty for quite some time.

“It was such a pleasure to return to Randwick on Saturday,” Waterhouse posted to her social media followers, adding in a horse emoji for good measure. “I have not been on ‘race day’ for some time, but it was great to see familiar faces and some new ones.”

Waterhouse goes to the track as a trainer, but not attending race day “for some time” equates, by our reckoning, to “not this decade” at least.

The Queen of Racing praised both the top-class racing and the pristine track, but then stuck her trainer’s gumboot in.

“I was saddened by Randwick’s state of neglect! The old stand, its wrought iron desperately in need of paint, and the outside seating in the Queen Elizabeth stand looked like the rats had been eating them. The escalators from the car park, that members pay a fortune for, have been broken for the last four years.

“It’s disgraceful to think our premier race track is not up to the standard it should be, it brought to mind the Peter, Paul and Mary song, ‘where have all the flowers ($$$) gone?’ ”

Classic Waterhouse. Lest anyone be in any doubt, she copied the Australian Turf Club – which runs Royal Randwick and Rosehill Gardens – into her post on X for good measure.

According to racing sources, the dispute among the former friends has been running longer than the Mongol Derby (a 1000-kilometre trek in rugged terrain, horses swapped out every 35 kilometres).

Waterhouse this year spoke out against the V’landys masterplan to sell off the ATC’s Rosehill course for housing, and ATC members voted it down, a major embarrassment for V’Landys and NSW Premier Chris Minns.

The ATC declined to comment on the Waterhouse outburst, but V’landys was happy to.

“I’m surprised,” V’landys told CBD, “considering Racing NSW has given $150 million of industry monies to build the Queen Elizabeth Stand and a further $50 million of industry money to build the Winx public stand.

“Not to mention Racing NSW paying an additional $120 million a year of the ATC’s new prizemoney.

“Accordingly, I’m sure the ATC can afford a tin of paint.”

Waterhouse told CBD she was looking forward to Victoria’s spring racing carnival, where she will once again be an ambassador as the Melbourne Cup competes against NSW Racing’s Everest Cup for attendance, horses and media attention.

She explained her absence from Randwick as a desire to not steal the limelight from Adrian Bott, with whom she is in a training partnership.

Waterhouse was schtum on her relationship with V’landys, but told CBD there was so much money on prizemoney, that “can’t some of that money be channelled into the maintenance of our racetracks?”

As racegoers pointed out, if the sale of Rosehill had gone through – and not been blocked by Waterhouse and others – there would be plenty of flowers and ($$$) to be showered on Randwick.

But Waterhouse was having none of it. “It is not theirs to sell – it’s owned by the members. And the money would never have been seen.”

Mushroom mania

We in the media are often (fairly) maligned for focusing only on conflict and misery, violence and degradation.

It’s true – but that’s because there is a market for it.

Witness the unseemly rush to publish, upload and broadcast fresh content on Australia’s first lady triple-murderer, Erin Patterson. Her sentencing this week unleashed another frenzy of stories.

As previously revealed by this column, the pick of the bunch is The Mushroom Tapes, to be published in November by Text.

The book chronicles three of Australia’s most beloved and award-winning non-fiction writers (Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein) gasbagging about the case.

Moving downstream to what is known in publishing as the “DDS (Discount Department Store)” market, we have The Mushroom Murders, published by Allen & Unwin, written by true crime writer Greg Haddrick, publication of which has been yanked swiftly forward to October 14.

A press release this week promised the book would contain previously unpublished details, due to the author’s “close relationship with Victoria Police”.

So much for protecting one’s sources.

Haddrick’s main competition will be Recipe for Murder, by true crime writer and former police detective Duncan McNab, also scheduled for publication on October 14.

The Australian’s John Ferguson, who broke the story, was in negotiations with HarperCollins to write a book on the case, but CBD understands he ultimately declined because the deadline was too tight.

Then, of course, there is the TV content – Stan, Nine, Seven, Paramount + and the ABC all have shows in the works, or ready to run.

We await the stage musical and/or opera – god knows it is a tragic enough tale.

But the best story might be saved until last.

Simon Patterson, the husband of the murderess, is also turning his mind to content creation, CBD hears.

Patterson will not give an interview to anyone else, but is inclined to tell his own story, on his own terms, with a podcast.

He has established a media company to that end, according to reports.

CBD was unable to confirm rumours he is negotiating with a publishing company for a related book.

“At this point in time I’m not in a position to confirm anything,” his media manager, Jessica O’Donnell, told CBD.

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