Photo finish operator's backup plan that saves punters

By Darren Cartwright

Seasoned photo finish operator Leonie Winks lives by the 'scouts motto' of always being prepared in outback Queensland.

Because after more than 10 years of operating the photo finish camera at tracks such as Mount Isa, North Gregory Turf Club and Camooweal, Ms Winks (right) knows that inevitably things that can, and will, go wrong.

It’s why friend and judge Leeusha Finlay perches a smartphone outside the window of their vantage point on race days in case there’s a rare power or equipment failure.

It didn't happen often, but Ms Winks said there was so much at stake for country trainers, clubs, owners and punters, that she had to get the finishing order correct, even if it meant deferring to a smartphone for the result.

“The equipment has failed, but I learned very early on in the piece to have a backup plan,” she said.

“So, we, myself and the judge, always video the races on our phones.

“We have a gimbal that holds the phone, and it is in direct line of the photo finish, and if we need to, we can work times and margins because the phone counts in seconds.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing.”

Like the smartphone being a backup plan, Ms Wink's career as a photo finish camera operator started in a similar fashion.

It was more than a decade ago when she learned how to set up and work the camera as a requirement that clubs have a standby operator.

As the then-treasurer of Camooweal Jockey Club, a position she held for a decade until 2018, she attended the education day to find she was the solo ‘student’.

“I was treasurer for Camooweal Jockey club, and back then, it was a minimum standard that someone from every club had to learn how to use the photo finish equipment as a backup, in case anyone was needed,” she explained.  

“When I turned up to do the training, it was myself and the secretary Shelly Hawkins, no one from other clubs, and when the lady who trained me stepped down at Mount Isa she asked me to fill in for her, and it grew from there.

“At that time, I was also sometimes doing it for Camooweal as the lady covering Mount Isa could not always get around to all the clubs and it shared the workload.”

Ms Winks would go on to succeed the ‘lady’ who taught her, in a volunteer capacity for several clubs across the district that included a four-hour, one-way trip to Gregory.

For a decade, she was the photo finish operator out of her love for racing that had been passed down over generations which included her grandfather, former hoop Vivian Miller.

“My granddad was a jockey, and my dad has had racehorses, so I have been going to races for as long as I can remember,” she said.

“I never used to be paid. I did it for about 10 years as a volunteer, so I did my apprenticeship, and now it’s great to get paid.”

To ensure her connections with racing, clubs, owners and members are never an issue, Ms Winks does not hesitate to call on the stewards to review close finishes.

“We’ve had a few close finishes over the years, and there have been two dead heats,” she said.

“We always ask the stewards when it is close, as they are neutral.

“Being involved in local racing, I prefer to have an independent eye to run over it in a close finish to make everyone feel comfortable with the decision.”

As for whether she yearns to be just another face in the crowd and enjoy the races at ground level, she said, “I love the races, and the best position to watch the races is in the judge’s box.”