The Race documentary: Peter V’landys opens up on his battle with Racing Victoria

Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys is renowned as a fearless, uncompromising administrator who never takes a backward step but even he admits “the war” with Racing Victoria has taken a toll on him.

Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys is renowned as a fearless, uncompromising administrator who never takes a backward step but even he admits “the war” with Racing Victoria has taken a toll on him.

Since The Everest was launched in 2017, V’landys, the architect of the nation’s richest thoroughbred race, has been hit by personal criticism from some interstate racing administrators and online trolls.

“It does take a toll because at the end of the day, you’re a human being,’’ V’landys said during an exclusive interview for The Daily Telegraph’s six-part documentary, The Race.

“I’ve got feelings like anybody else, and at times it gets you down, but you dust yourself, you get back up and you keep going.

“If anything, it makes me more determined because I’ve always had the philosophy, if you know you’re doing the right thing, you just plough ahead and I’ve done that.’’

Not everyone was happy when Peter V'landys launched The Everest. Picture: Richard Dobson

V’landys revealed he lives by the famous mantra of Winston Churchill to “never give in, never, never, never’. ’

“So yes, it (criticism) does get you down, it hurts you occasionally, especially when they talk about your appearance or something about you because as I said, you’re a human being and naturally words do hurt,’’ he said.

“But in the main, you have got to accept it, cop it, be tough, and get up and dust yourself off and go again.’’

V’landys hasn’t let his detractors stop him from developing The Everest into the world’s highest-rated sprint race and the richest thoroughbred race on turf.

The Everest had its genesis when V’landys watched with interest the inaugural running of The Pegasus and it’s unique slot-style concept in the United States early in 2017 before deciding to launch his own version at Royal Randwick.

Melbourne’s spring racing carnival traditionally dominated the racing landscape through October into November but V’landys and Racing NSW sensed an opportunity to stage the inaugural The Everest in mid-October.

V'Landys wasn’t going to let the haters win. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“The idea for The Everest was generated from a newspaper editor (Paul Whittaker, former The Daily Telegraph Editor) who told me that if you are going to get any cut through (during the spring carnival), you need a $10 million race,’’ V’landys said.

“At that time when he said that we didn’t have the money, we didn’t have $10 million. Then came along the Pegasus in America where it was a slot race, so a light bulb in my head came on - there’s the $10 million!

“If we can get people to pay for a slot, which was going to be $7.5 million, we can put the other $2.5 million and there’s your $10 million race and that’s where you get the cut through with the media.’’

Australia is obviously a much smaller market than the United States and many thought V’landys wouldn’t find 12 slot-holders willing to pay $600,000 each year just to have a runner in The Everest.

“Look, that was the risk that we took and I’ve got to say, when I first went out to the marketplace to get the slots and I had a couple of knock backs from some high profile people who I thought were certainties, I started to worry a little bit,’’ V’landys said.

“But then it started to sell itself and people saw the dream. They saw what we could do with the race and then they participated.

“The difference with the Pegasus though was they just took slot owners for one year and that was too high a risk.

“So, to be a slot owner in The Everest, you had to take it for three years and then you would have to renew two years out. This way there was always certainty that the race would proceed.’’

Craig Williams on Giga Kick (R) wins the TAB Everest last year. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

Sydney’s spring carnival was abuzz in the build-up to the inaugural The Everest in 2017 and a huge crowd was on track to watch the win of Redzel, trained by Peter and Paul Snowden and ridden by Kerrin McEvoy.

The Everest has since quickly established itself as one of the nation’s premier races and annually it rates as high or higher than any other sprint race in the world.

Racing NSW has continued to boost The Everest prizemoney and this year the race will be worth a staggering $20 million, making it the world’s second richest thoroughbred race.

The Everest proved there was a genuine appetite for top class racing in Sydney through spring, particularly during October and November which is “clear air” for racing as it is after the NRL Grand Final is played and before the cricket season gets into full swing.

Racing NSW used The Everest as the centerpiece of a new-look Sydney spring carnival and introduced more bib money races including the $10 million Golden Eagle.

The race has been a revelation for NSW Racing. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

There has been renewed criticism of Racing NSW’s spring carnival enhancements that further encroached on Melbourne’s traditional spring program but V’landys told “The Race” he makes no apologies.

“Look, my job is to promote NSW racing,’’ V’landys said.

“What (used to) happen in October and November in Sydney, not only did we lose the horses because they all migrated and were competing in Victoria, but more importantly we lost the punter.

“The punter would then take their custom down to Victoria. Now what was happening was those customers never came back for three to four months because it’s hard to change someone’s habits.

“So, once they’ve gone to Victoria, followed Victorian racing, they bet on Victorian racing.

“But what’s happened with The Everest? It’s been a game changer for us because it’s kept people in Sydney and kept the punter in Sydney, they’re still punting on Sydney and that’s had an effect for the whole 12 months. It’s a halo effect because our turnover has gone up because of The Everest.’’