For far too long state-based factional interests and a "what's-in-it-for-me" attitude has cancerously eaten away at all areas of the Sport of Kings. But now, with the stunning court decision to rule in favour of Sportsbet against Racing NSW, the parlous position in which the so-called Premier state finds itself can hopefully pave the way for a genuine AFL-style national body that makes decisions for the greater good of the sport.

Make no mistake, this court decision will - pending appeal - change the way that horse racing is governed, funded and administered forever more in this country.

While all racing states and jurisdictions were awaiting the outcome before going ahead with future planning, this latest blow to the governing body has underlined how the once-great NSW autumn and spring carnivals have become a shadow of their former selves. Only yesterday, on its own website, Racing NSW released its strategic plan (racingnsw.com.au) with the final paragraph to the press release stating:

"The Plan has been developed in the belief that Racing NSW will be successful in defending legal challenges instigated by two wagering organisations against the current Race Field Legislation regime."

Oh dear.

But politics aside, even prior to the ruling, the tapering off of the quality of racing has been entirely of Racing NSW's own making.

Unfortunately in the build up to the court case, as everyone who's had a keypad, camera or microphone in front of them on this issue has been conflicted in one way or another given the various sponsorships and advertising situations involved, end users have been deprived of the real story.

That is, once it was established that prizemoney had to be gutted until the race fields legislation was resolved (due to budgetary restraints), the decision to slash the purse for the elite races for the silk standard, instead of the run-of-the-mill events, has set the state's racing back years.

There was a dramatic drop-off in what was on offer for Sydney's iconic races such as the Doncaster (from $2 million to $1.5 million) and Epsom Handicaps ($600,000 to $300,000), AJC Derby ($1.6 million to $1.3 million), Galaxy Handicap ($350,000 to $300,000) and Sydney Cup ($725,000 to an insulting $425,000 for a race with such rich history.)

Now with tens of millions held in escrow - and not going back into prizemoney as Racing NSW had dearly hoped - the sport has to be considered in dire straits in the short term, at the very least.

The knock-on effect to date has not only been a big bonus to Victorian racing, for both their early spring events and autumn carnival, but presented Queensland racing with a gift-wrapped invitation to showcase their winter carnival.

And the Sunshine State didn't let down their stakeholders by presenting the best edition in memory.

So on reflection, Racing NSW's original prizemoney decision could only be described as a combination of ignorance and arrogance - which is how critics will no doubt also now be labelling the court proceedings.

Ignorance because it showed that they didn't "get" that owners at any level aren't involved in the sport to satisfy a dream of one day winning a Gosford maiden, and arrogance because it assumed that owners of the best horses will still target races because of their prestige.

Perhaps in the case of mares, which also race for the residual breeding value, connections were prepared to cop it, but generally if you own a star, it's all about the prizemoney, stupid!

Much like how golf fans were once fed rubbish that the Australian Open was the "fifth major" because the world's best golfers used to fly in for it, the best races are simply the ones with the best horses competing in them.

So we saw Mark Kavanagh's superstar Whobegotyou miss the whole Autumn carnival in Sydney and head straight to Queensland, gun sprinters All Silent (who went amiss) and Nicconi - who didn't defend his 2009 Galaxy Handicap win - get set for an international campaign, post-Melbourne's Newmarket Handicap, and influential owner Lloyd Williams not even think of sending any of his emerging or existing stars north of the Murray.

And when Bart Cummings had to make a choice of a Group 1 three-year-old mile race to set his Cox Plate winning colt "So You Think" for, he chose the $750,000 Australian Guineas at Flemington in early March instead of the $350,000 Randwick Guineas at the same time. (Bart being Bart, he sent Rock Classic south after So You Think went amiss, and of course won it!)

But perhaps this black cloud for the NSW racing industry will bring a ray of sunshine to horseracing on a national basis.

In 2010 when you are competing against the AFL, NRL, A-League and Cricket Australia, it is simply inconceivable that a sport with a national footprint like horseracing can thrive at maximum efficiency and competency while being state-based and controlled.

And that is an odds-on certainty.