Revealed: Future of jumps racing in Victoria under microscope

The future of jumps racing in Victoria is set to come under scrutiny after a season which has seen a spike in horse fatalities and declining wagering turnover.

The future of jumps racing in Australia is coming under increasing focus. Picture: Getty Image

The future of jumps racing in Australia is set to come under the microscope in the wake of a season which has seen a spike in horse fatalities and a downturn in wagering turnover.

Victoria is the only remaining state to conduct jumps racing and it is a loss-maker at a time where racing is facing hugely challenging headwinds with turnover.

The average turnover per jumps race in Victoria is roughly half the average turnover per race for non-black-type flat races.

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After implementing safety enhancements, the average horse fatality rate for the last three completed jumps seasons in Victoria was 2.33 (seven in total).

However, this season, which is yet to be completed, has already recorded four horse fatalities in races and another two fatalities in trials.

It comes at a pivotal time for jumps racing in Australasia.

This week, it was revealed the future of jumps racing in New Zealand hung in the balance and Kiwi racing bosses were including industry participants and even punters in the process of deciding whether the code should be wound up.

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) issued a consultation paper laying bare the facts on the struggling discipline.

As jumps racing in Victoria comes increasingly under the spotlight, interim Racing Victoria chief executive Aaron Morrison told News Corp that RV would not be following the “public and social inquiry” path than the Kiwis were adopting.

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Morrison conceded jumps racing was under scrutiny but said the process of RV’s annual review would be the same as previous years.

“It’s the normal review undertaken by Racing Victoria with the AJRA (Australian Jumping Racing Association) looking at a range of data and making a decision in the normal course,” Morrison said.

Affluential winning the Grand National Hurdle at Sandown last Sunday. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images

As the future of jumps racing comes under the spotlight, officials also need to take into account the popular tradition and culture of the iconic Warrnambool carnival which has been an key part of the Victorian racing calendar.

Total turnover on jumps racing in Victoria has averaged around $60 million per year across the past two seasons (2022 and 2023) but will be down on average this season.

Jumps races are not conducted in premium timeslots (Saturdays, Friday nights, Thursday nights, Wednesdays) and are generally programmed earlier in race meetings.

Wagering turnover has fallen across the board on both jumps and flat races in Victoria.

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“As we do each year, RV will conduct our annual review of jumps racing at the conclusion of the 2024 season in consultation with the AJRA and other key stakeholders,” an RV spokesperson said.

“This annual process reviews a range of metrics and operations across the previous season and begins planning for the next.

“Jumps racing is a unique feature of the Victorian racing calendar in autumn and winter.

“RV’s commitment to the sport has been underpinned by appropriate safety standards and industry support being maintained.

“All within the Victorian jumps racing community are committed to making the sport as safe as it can be and have worked hard to do so across the past 15 years since major safety enhancements were first made in 2010 before being improved again in 2019 with new technology.”

Meanwhile, there will be eagle eyes on developments across the Tasman where jumps racing has been withering on the vine.

“Jumps racing in New Zealand is at a crossroads and as an industry, we now need to decide what path we should take,” NZTR chief executive Bruce Sharrock said.

Originally published as Revealed: Future of jumps racing in Victoria under microscope