‘Offensive’ email heats up $800m Melbourne Racing Club war

An $800 million fight at one of Australia’s most prestigious sporting clubs has descended into “personal attacks”.

The Melbourne Racing Club is at war. Picture: Getty

The Melbourne Racing Club war over an $800m land sale has intensified, with a breakaway faction which demanded a board spill being accused of stripping members of their “democratic rights”.

Outgoing chairman Matt Cain launched a blistering broadside against challenger John Kanga in an email sent to the club’s 12,000 members on Tuesday.

“The Kanga faction wants this rule change to get you to hand over your democratic right to an equal say in the running and future of the MRC by changing the rules to put all power in his hands and those who back him,” Mr Cain wrote.

“Your Committee has concerns with the validity of what has been proposed … and is working hard to understand how it may impact your rights as members.

“We are taking Mr Kanga’s bid for control very seriously.”

Matt Cain, Chairman of Melbourne Race Club, at Caulfield racecourse. Picture: Getty

But Mr Kanga hit back, saying that it was “disappointing” Mr Cain had “attacked” him, “rather than deal with the issues that, overwhelmingly, the members want sorted.”

“To suggest I am seeking to take over the club is offensive,” he said.

“All I want is to have a board that is aligned on the key issues that members continually tell me they want resolved: the mounting yard, keeping racing at Sandown and ensuring we don’t waste more money by building a white elephant grandstand.”

The trading of blows comes after the Melbourne Racing Club rejected claims of a “poor culture” and “toxic atmosphere” made by female board members Alison Saville and Caitrin Kelly last week.

Mr Kanga has been running the Save Our MRC group and has gathered more than 150 signatures to call for a special general meeting.

That would allow a spill of the executive committee, with Mr Kanga proposing to replace up to five board members.

John Kanga, MRC board member is seen with Oakley McNeil, son of jockey Jye McNeil at Sandown racecourse. Picture: Getty

Melbourne Racing Club board members Alison Saville (left) and Caitrin Kelly (right). Picture Supplied

The Melbourne Racing Club has already scheduled an annual general meeting for September 26, where Mr Cain will step aside after reaching his term limit, and another vacancy was available.

None of the five people floated by Mr Kanga applied for the positions already available at the annual meeting, sources claim.

The Melbourne Racing Club was refusing to hold the special general meeting.

“The Kanga faction wants this rule change to get you to hand over your democratic right to an equal say in the running and future of the MRC by changing the rules to put all power in his hands and those who back him,” Mr Cain added in his email.

The Australian Trainers Association has backed Mr Kanga’s push, saying they wanted racing to remain at Sandown.

Alison Saville and Caitrin Kelly's letter, publicly released by the Save Our MRC Group. Picture: Supplied

That racecourse, which sits on 112 hectares of prime land in the middle of Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs, was owned by the Melbourne Racing Club.

They have applied to have the land rezoned as residential, which could see it be valued at $800 million.

The club has insisted that rezoning the land did not mean that it would automatically be sold.

The Woods Bagot design for the new Caulfield grandstand. Picture: Supplied

The rezoning application filed before the Victorian State Government windfall tax applied, which would have clawed back up to $300 million from the sale price.

Members have been furious about the change to the location of the mounting yard at Caulfield racecourse, the club’s premier location

It has been moved away from the winner’s post, which was obscured by umbrellas at the weekend’s Memsie Stakes Group 1.

The obscured view of the winning post at the Caulfield Racecourse on September 1 after changes at the track. Picture: Supplied

The new mounting yard was part of a planned major upgrade, including a $250 million Grand Pavilion, that would replace the current glass-enclosed members’ stand which opened in 1992.

Any work on the new grandstand would begin in two years after the redevelopment of the Moonee Valley racecourse was completed to avoid disruption to the Spring Carnival.

The Woods Bagot designed grandstand would include three levels that could be opened in stages depending on crowd sizes.

The changes already made have been criticised, with concerns over the jockeys’ facilities requiring a $600,000 upgrade.

The Melbourne Racing Club dispute comes as headwinds hit the racing industry, with Tabcorp, a major funder of the sport, writing down $1.4 billion in assets last week.