The Racing Victoria plot to use David Gallop to blow up Racing NSW

“Well-known. No love of PVL. Currently underemployed.” This is how Racing Victoria’s PR firm made the case for ex-NRL boss David Gallop to lead a breakaway national racing body that would potentially exclude NSW.

Tabcorp director and former NRL boss David Gallop was among candidates Racing Victoria and its public relations firm considered as the possible CEO of a mooted breakaway national governing body that would potentially exclude Racing NSW, a court document reveals.

Another high-profile candidate was Mr Gallop’s predecessor at Football Federation Australia Ben Buckley, along with Nick Weeks, who the NSW Independent Casino Commission recently appointed to manage The Star after its licence was suspended.

The document shows Racing Victoria director Greg Nichols had a discussion about the job with Mr Weeks.

The document containing the contenders’ names has emerged as part of legal action by Racing NSW as it seeks to gather evidence to support its allegation that Racing Victoria and other state racing bodies engaged in unlawful anti-competitive conduct by hatching a plan to shut it out of the sport’s governance structure because it would not agree to a Spring Carnival schedule or “pattern” that limited when races such as $15 million The Everest could be run.

The Supreme Court of NSW has heard that the plan involved creating a new national framework that would take over at least some of the functions of Racing Australia and an option – known as Plan B – to exclude Racing NSW.

Former NRL boss David Gallop. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landys. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

On Wednesday the court granted Racing NSW the bulk of an application for document discovery against Racing Victoria and two of its officials plus other state racing bodies, with Justice Michael Ball noting: “The fact that interviews have been conducted for the CEO of the new proposed organisation without involving Racing NSW provides some evidence that Plan B has not been abandoned altogether.”

The document containing the list of candidates came to light following earlier court action by Racing NSW against the other racing bodies.

Nick Weeks. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

The document contains copies of emails sent in July 2022 in which Racing Victoria’s Mr Nichols and its public relations company Cato & Clive discuss who would be a good fit for the breakaway organisation.

Cato & Clive partner Clive Mathieson suggests Mr Gallop’s name, with the comment: “Well-known. No love of PVL. Currently underemployed.”

PVL is a reference to Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landys, who is also Australian Rugby League Commission chairman.

Other options raised by Mr Mathieson include former Copyright Agency boss Adam Suckling and ex ASIC communications head Bruce Meagher.

Mr Mathieson advises Mr Nichols that Messrs Suckling and Weeks are “vaults so you’d be safe sharing the objectives doc”.

A month later, Racing NSW was tipped off about the Racing Victoria plan and soon after it wrote to other state racing bodies about what it had discovered. It is unclear if this caused the recruitment process to stop.

In another document, a Racing Victoria executive praises Mr Mathieson after he “bamboozled” Queensland and WA racing officials into supporting Victoria‘s plans using his ”eminent sense”. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Mr Mathieson or Cato & Clive.

In his judgment on Wednesday, Justice Ball noted Racing NSW had flagged that future proceedings against Racing Victoria, its officials and the other racing bodies could include an alleged breach of the Competition and Consumer Act under a section that “prohibits contracts or arrangements or the engaging in a concerted practice which has the purpose or effect of substantially lessening competition.”

Originally published as The Racing Victoria plot to use David Gallop to blow up Racing NSW