Racing Victoria to consider proposal for independent panel to oversee upgrades to Australian feature races

The Everest and All-Star Mile have been given Group 1 status but it is yet to be made official, while the process to upgrade other feature races has stalled. GILBERT GARDINER finds out why.

Racing Victoria will consider feedback from its stakeholders regarding the proposed new Racing Australia Guidelines.

This may include a proposal being floated by breeders to establish an independent national body to scrutinise any changes to the status of Australian feature races.

Racenet has established Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners’ Association chair Jonathan Munz tabled the concept in a meeting at Epsom Rd last Monday.

Key stakeholders including breeders, representatives from metro clubs and participants groups, were also in attendance.

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It comes as RV has been accused of not consulting shareholders on 27 races eligible for upgrades, based on a three-year average ratings template.

The proposed panel would act as an intermediary for Racing Australia and state regulators to ensure any promotion or relegation met international guidelines.

The body could also protect regulators’ anti-competition laws, which essentially forbid states from colluding with each other on race placement.

In 2002, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) set up the International Grading And Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC).

RA’s application for The Everest and All-Star Mile to gain Group 1 status was approved by the Asian Pattern Committee and then ticked off by IFHA.

Hong Kong Jockey Club chief Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges is chair of the Asian Racing Federation and IFHA.

RV chief executive Aaron Morrison has been consulting with racing participants. Picture: Supplied

An urgency to recognise The Everest as an international Group 1 before Saturday’s race resulted in the application going directly from the APC to IFHA.

The move to skip IRPAC has got breeding industry noses out of joint.

RA - in particular the Pattern and Development Committee - paralysed for seven years amid tension between NSW and Victoria, which has seen Sydney spring races scheduled in direct competition with key Melbourne dates.

With both Sydney’s The Everest and Melbourne’s Caulfield Cup held on Saturday, leading jockeys in both jurisdictions have been forced to pick one or the other.

New RV chair Tim Eddy and chief executive Aaron Morrison in a short time mended relations with Racing NSW counterpart Peter V’landys

Agreement to clear a path for The Everest and All-Star Mile to gain Group 1 status, via national and international Pattern committees, marked a new collaboration era.

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The Everest and All-Star Mile received the relevant endorsement but further Racing NSW moves to boost 12 races during the Sydney spring carnival, under the newly-created RA-endorsed ratings-based model, have not yet received international endorsement which has enraged stakeholders and other PRAs.

The Pattern, established by breeders, is the backbone of racing to schedule and grade the best races.

Breeders race about 50 per cent of the Australian racehorse population.

NSW has about 30 races on the agenda, Queensland 18, Western Australia 11 and South Australia one.

The Victorian wishlist included two Caulfield races on Saturday, the Group 3 Ethereal Stakes and Listed Alinghi Stakes, but Melbourne Racing Club chair John Kanga rejected the proposal to ensure “racing is protected for the future”.

“I don’t believe that sacrificing a tried and proven international racing pattern for an upgrade in any race is worth it,” Kanga told Racenet.

Munz backed Kanga’s rise to the top of the MRC last month after a board challenge.

The All-Star Mile was the only Victorian race pegged for Group 1 status.

Prominent trainer Wayne Hawkes, licensed in Victoria and NSW, called for unity.

“I think The Everest should be a Group 1, so should the All-Star Mile, I don’t know about all the other races,” Hawkes said.

“Peter is wanting to change it up and do it his way, that’s OK … he’s Woolworths and Melbourne is Coles, Coles don’t care about Woolworths and vice versa, it’s competition.

“Nationally they all need to get back together, we need a national competition because I’m a trainer in Sydney and I’m a trainer in Melbourne, I’ve got a license in both.

“So have a lot of other people, and we travel the country, I know it’s Woolworths and Coles fighting each other but we still want a bit of unity.

“I’m not interested in the politics, I’m interested in the horse racing.”

Racing NSW Peter V'landys “wants to change it up and do it his way”. Picture: Richard Dobson

RV, like other states, has stalled the upgrade process, pending further consultation with stakeholders, in particular breeders, set to advance in coming days.

“Racing Australia has informed us that the IFHA, the peak body in world racing, has confirmed the Group 1 status of The Everest and the All-Star Mile having been initially formally approved by the Asian Pattern Committee and Asian Racing Federation. We are led by them in this process,” an RV spokesperson said.

“With the All-Star Mile not scheduled until March 2025, our focus at this time is on other feedback received from our consultation with stakeholders.

“We met with our member shareholders on Monday to discuss the proposed new Black Type Guidelines.

“The feedback received on the day and thereafter has been constructive and we’ll continue to consult with a range of stakeholders while working with Racing Australia and other PRAs over the coming days to explore some of the issues they’ve raised.”

The grading flare-up has reignited unrest in Victorian racing administration ranks.

Munz campaigned to spill the RV board this year and while a motion for a special general meeting was defeated, it led to significant change.

Eddy was appointed chair in June but yesterday, Munz labelled his position untenable as he wasn’t in attendance at last Monday’s meeting.

Eddy is in WA on a family holiday, planned more than 12 months ago, to mark a 40th wedding anniversary.

Four RV directors and Morrison attended the consultation.

Originally published as Racing Victoria to consider proposal for independent panel to oversee upgrades to Australian feature races