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Nick Columb

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Xolento View Drop Down
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    Posted: 30 Jun 2010 at 6:18pm
FORMER Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners’ Association chairman Nick Columb has branded his axing from his regular Sport 927 segment as ‘‘censorship’’.

Columb said he believed his on-air comments about talks between TVN and Queensland racing were at the heart of his dismissal from the radio station.

He said he had received a phone call last Monday from program manager Steve Cairns to tell him the high-rating Tuesday show on which he appeared had finished.

‘‘I was told I was going the man. I wasn’t going the man, I was reporting the facts,’’ Columb said.

‘‘It’s censorship. The reason why people are losing interest in racing matters is they never get the truth.

‘‘I was providing them the truth. Figures will reflect that the Tuesday show was the highest rating segment in that morning time slot.

‘‘My intention was to be analytical, factual, not critical. If the truth hurt, bad luck.’’



TVN c hi e f executive Peter Sweeney denied his board was behind Columb’s dismissal. He added the board had not discussed Columb’s position at the station.

Program manager Steve Cairns was unavailable for comment.

Columb said he estimated that TVN had lost $3 million, in a recent court case against Tabcorp over mounting-yard vision in Victoria and Sydney as well as unrest over TVN’s purchase of Best Bets and Winning Post.

‘‘My story was 100 per cent accurate. Editorial credibility is truth,’’ Columb said.

He said he had been approached by Sport 927 to be ‘‘hard hitting and honest’’.

‘‘I think it imputes my integrity for this to have happened. I have no agenda against anyone. I dealt with the issues as issues.’’

Columb said he was bitterly disappointed with Sport 927 and its loyalty level was ‘‘less than zero’’.

‘‘As soon as the outside pressure came on, they went to water,’’ he said.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Parker Lewis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jun 2010 at 6:36pm

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jimbob04 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jun 2010 at 6:44pm
well this is pretty full on
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nocturnal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jun 2010 at 6:48pm
Very enjoyable segment , shame it was informative and frank.
The only problem with backing winners ? You never have enough on....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dichez Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jun 2010 at 10:42pm
And 927 make us put up with  dipstick like Tony Jones
Being punctual means you spend most of your life waiting for others
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote the moose Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jun 2010 at 11:29pm

Nick Columb is a racing industry visionary. His segment on 927 was entertaining, informative and pertinent and I'm sorry that it has been cut. 

The Racing Industry owns the radio station and owns the TV station but does this give them the right to censor any reporter that challenges their views.

Freedom of the press is dead at Racing Victoria 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote skinny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jul 2010 at 1:31pm

The segment was hosted by Anderson, a Sky employee and all it was was a TVN carve up.

Maybe Columb and Anderson should have asked Sky how race clubs were going to survive when they were not going to pay for vision rights any longer.
Maybe they should have applauded the competiton of TVN which gave more money to the provincial and country clubs in NSW and now the deal in Qld.
Maybe they should have acknowledged that Sky have changed their former crap coverage to match TVN and now are trying to copy them with new channels when they originally said that setting up a dedicated thoroughbred station was too costly before the TV war started.
Never heard any of that, just a TVN carve up.
Anderdson works for Sky so anything said in relation to the opposition should be treated with caution imo.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote princerubiton Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jul 2010 at 2:47pm
I agree that Shane Anderson has a conflict of interest. But as Kerry Packer once said "If you don't have a conflict, you don't have an interest." 
 
Anderson does constantly pay out on TVN which most punters prefer anyway. But both Columb and Andersons reasoning that 4 racing channels is over the top seems strange as Sky are the ones who have introduced the two extra channels in recent times.
 
No surprise Sport 927 sacked Columb though, they have a history of sacking anyone who has an opinion contrary to management.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote skinny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jul 2010 at 3:11pm
They kept banging on about how much TVN costs to run but never addressed what was going to happen when Sky didnt pay for vision again as mentioned by the VRC after the Qld deal went to sky.
Anderson and Columb seem to favour the model of profits to private shareholders from vision rather than helping the clubs and that is just plain wrong.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote crooked_gambler Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2018 at 2:01pm
Passed away overnight
This space has been intentionally left blank
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Second Chance Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2018 at 2:12pm
Sad news.  This from a few years ago:

Racehorse owner Nick Columb warned racing bosses about Bill Vlahos's punting club but claims he was ignored

Andrew Rule, HeraldSun

January 2, 2014 8:30pm

 

ONE of Australia's most successful racehorse owners warned racing authorities and police about "Dollar Bill" Vlahos's suspect punting scheme more than three years ago - but claims he was ignored.

Nick Columb, former longtime chairman of the Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners' Association, has slammed the reappointment of racing integrity commissioner Sal Perna because Mr Perna allegedly disregarded information about the punting club racket called The Edge.

He contacted the office of the Premier and Racing Minister Denis Napthine two weeks two weeks ago, after the Herald Sun exposed the Vlahos scandal.  The outspoken racing industry veteran has raced Caulfield Cup and Golden Slipper winners and has been prominent in the horse breeding industry for years.

He said he had been set to expose The Edge punting scheme in 2010 on the racing radio station RSN but was blocked by the station's lawyers, who feared legal action.

Mr Columb said he contacted Mr Perna with information after warning several business acquaintances to avoid the so-called Vlahos "punting club" because it appeared to be what he called a Ponzi scheme.

"The bets were mythical," Mr Columb said.

"I was going to blow it (the scheme) sky-high on air but was stopped.

"But Sal Perna was not interested," Mr Columb said. "He referred me to the senior policeman in charge of the racing squad at St Kilda Road. I talked to him (the police officer) for maybe an hour but he wasn't interested either."

In a blistering email to Dr Napthine's office on December 19, Mr Columb said: "How in the world, in the face of the current damaging Ponzi scheme fiasco our industry is facing, could you possibly think it's OK to reappoint the guy in charge of industry integrity?"

Dr Napthine did not reply to the email.

 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TJMitchell Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2018 at 3:20pm
Terrible news. Was a great bloke. I remember a while ago speaking to him for about an hour on the phone while he patiently tried to explain to me the best way to go about putting on a six up in HK. Still never really got it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote VOYAGER Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2018 at 3:37pm
I am saddened to hear that news.

Was an owner in an era before syndication took off, and the studs cornered the market.

He had some cracking horses, and interestingly nearly all were fillies and mares Courtza, Tristarc and centaurea who won the SAOaks with Lester Piggott up.   
Remember, it might take intelligence to be smart , but it takes experience to be wise
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ThreeBears Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2018 at 4:00pm
R.I.P Nick ... A true racing supporter who saw the highs and the lows. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote adolphus twirk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2018 at 8:54pm
Was a journo before he got a good horse
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bonjour Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2018 at 10:22am
I never met Nick, however, Mde Bonjour worked with Nick back in the 80's during the merge of Waikato Stud and Carrington Stud. She remembers Nick, Nicky Columb fondly, and thoroughly respected his abilities with mare matings and racing in general, RIP Nick another racing luminary gone to the great racetrack in the sky.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote VSP. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2018 at 1:01pm
One of racing's great characters. RIP Nick Columb.

Arrowfield have written a really nice tribute to Nick which is published on Breednet.
www.snowshoecats.webs.com
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