John Messara warns focus integrity and horse welfare must not wane, ‘we must prove we’re a kind sport’

John Messara says Australian racing is in good place but more work needs to be done on horse welfare to convince “people to understand we’re a kind sport”.

John Messara believes Australian racing has never been in better health, but warns focus on integrity and horse welfare must not wane.

Declaring Australian breeding and racing world-class, one of the nation’s most influential administrators says “without integrity you have nothing”.

“So integrity remains an important issue,” Messara said.

“We’ve got to be alert to cheats and ensure that our penalties for cheats act as deterrents to other cheats,” he said. “There should be zero tolerance.”

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John Messara says integrity within the racing industry remains an important issue.

Messara said more needed to be done to emphasise racing’s welfare measures.

“There’s a strong welfare lobby and we need people to understand we’re a kind sport,” he said.

“We have to keep selling that message, the bond between the human and the horse and the fact we have life after racing for these horses.

“There are a lot of things in racing the welfare lobby doesn’t give us credit for.”

Messara, a former Racing Australia and Racing NSW chairman, and a visionary breeder, is the first Australian to receive the Longines and International Federation of Horseracing Authorities award of merit. The award honours outstanding contributions to ­racing.

Racing needs to work on its image, particularly with horse welfare says John Messara.