Racing Victoria’s chief steward Terry Bailey resigns from his position

RACING Victoria will launch a far-reaching search for Terry Bailey’s replacement in the wake of the chief steward’s decision to quit his role and take up a position in Singapore.

Chief Steward Terry Bailey has resigned from his position

RACING Victoria will launch a far-reaching search for Terry Bailey’s replacement in the wake of the chief steward’s decision to quit his role and take up a position as chairman of stewards in Singapore.

As Sunday Herald Sun reported yesterday, speculation had been rife in recent days that Bailey would be departing the role he has held for more than a decade.

Racing Victoria confirmed this morning Bailey had tendered his resignation, saying he will work through until July 11 before taking a short leave of absence.

It ends a contentious reign as RVL’s chief steward, where Bailey was never far from the headlines during a time of significant upheaval in Victorian racing.

During his time at the helm, he had to deal with the long-running and messy cobalt saga and the Aquanita scandal that damaged racing’s reputation and led to the suspension of a number of high-profile racing identities, including leading trainer Robert Smerdon.

He also had a bitter feud with jockey Danny Nikolic, with the hoop declared “not a fit and proper person” to ride in this state after verbally abusing Bailey.

The unflappable Bailey also revealed he had received death threats during his time in the role, and in 2015, gunshots were fired into the outside of his Melbourne home in an unresolved incident.

It is understood in recent times Bailey felt he hadn’t been sufficiently supported by those in charge at Racing Victoria, and the option to take on the role in Singapore has been in play since earlier this year.

When quizzed by the Herald Sun on Saturday about whether he had resigned, Bailey said: “I’ve got no comment on that … as far as I am concerned, that’s my business.”

But it is known he began telling those close to him and some other racing participants in recent days that he would be leaving.

Racing Victoria was also unwilling to comment on Bailey’s tenure on Saturday, with RVL chief executive Giles Thompson not taking phone calls.

Thompson praised Bailey, who has been with RVL for 13 years, saying today the chief steward had been a tireless worker.

“Terry has given tremendous service to Racing Victoria for more than a decade and he has our support and best wishes as he embarks on the exciting next chapter of his career abroad,” Thompson said.

“Terry is highly respected for his unwavering focus on administering the Rules of Racing and ensuring that all participants and customers can compete on a level playing field.”

A thorough search for Bailey’s replacement is underway, under the guidance of RVL Executive General Manager of Integrity Services, Jamie Stier.

“We have an outstanding team of stewards and under Jamie’s leadership, we are in a great place to maintain our position as an industry and sporting leader when it comes to integrity,” Thompson said.