Racing’s war is over, but V’landys says Victoria has given NSW something new to worry about

For the first time in seven years Peter V’landys says he is worried.

The racing wars might be over, and his brainchild, the Everest, is on the verge of being handed group 1 status, but the boss of Racing NSW fears he finally has some competition.

ARL boss Peter V’landys.Credit: Janie Barrett

As usual, V’landys is speaking slightly tongue-in-cheek. But the point he wants to make is that he has a newfound respect for Racing Victoria and its leadership team of chairman Tim Eddy and CEO Aaron Morrison.

“I actually joked to my board that I was concerned because they have got a team that could actually do something,” V’landys says.

“Aaron Morrison in particular is very pragmatic. He’s a smart guy. For the first time I have actually got some competition. I am a bit worried about that.”

Despite his lighthearted misgivings, V’landys has good reason to be upbeat. Since Racing Victoria’s new management offered NSW an olive branch last month, Sydney has been the biggest winner.

Up to five of their feature events – the Everest, the Golden Eagle, the Premiere Stakes, the Russell Balding Stakes and the Shorts – are about to be made group 1 races, lifting the status and drawing power of NSW’s spring carnival. It will also make the races eligible to be included in the World Pool, a betting goliath powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

For V’landys, it has been a long time coming. Ever since he created the Everest in October 2017, luring eyeballs and the best sprinters away from Melbourne, racing’s two biggest states have been at war.

New Racing Victoria chief executive Aaron MorrisonCredit: Scott Barbour/Racing Photos

Successive regimes at Racing Victoria – first chairman Brian Kruger and CEO Giles Thompson, followed by interim chair Mike Hirst and CEO Andrew Jones – took up the fight.

They accused Racing NSW of introducing their attention-stealing showpiece with little consultation or consideration. In other words, “How dare you interrupt our spring?”

The feud spilled into the Racing Australia boardroom. Racing NSW tried to fast-track the Everest to group 1 status, but were denied by an aggrieved Racing Victoria, who held a blocking vote.

With NSW and Victoria refusing to come together, Racing Australia, the sport’s overarching body that is made up of voting members from all states, was paralysed. There was no one to represent the sport at federal government level, oversee the national welfare rules or control the “pattern” – a national calendar to ensure big events do not clash, so the best horses can race against each other.

The bitter feud landed in court. Racing NSW launched legal action, accusing the other states of plotting to start a breakaway national body without NSW.

There seemed no pathway to peace – until now. While that court case has not been resolved, Eddy and Morrison’s willingness to break bread with NSW has reinvigorated Racing Australia. As a result, the Everest will be made a group 1 – the highest classification given to a race and a big tick for the winning horse’s pedigree.

V’landys maintains that the resurrection of Racing Australia will bring benefits for all. Racing Victoria’s All-Star Mile will also be made a group 1 event.

“For the first time I have gone into one of those [Racing Australia] meetings and changed my view to assist Racing Victoria,” V’landys says.

“Who is that a benefit to? Victorian participants. So, you’ve got cooperation with parties, and sometimes parties might not agree with each other, but they move their position to assist you.”

There is little doubt NSW has won the territory battle. While Victoria was in a huff these past seven years, V’landys kept creating big-money races for Sydney’s spring, including the $20 million Everest and $10 million Golden Eagle.

This should never have been allowed to happen, according to a senior Victorian official who spoke to this masthead earlier this year on the condition of anonymity.

The official said NSW only cared about its own schedule, while Victoria believed every state deserved their time in the sun.

“But V’landys is not worried about the timing,” the official said. “He wants group races based on ratings, not the date or time. It suits him because he has the money. So he will win the battle to attract the best horses. He can schedule without his hands tied.”

For his part, V’landys believes competition lifts all ships.

“Like it or not, every state does compete against each other. If someone bets on a Sydney race, we get the revenue. If someone bets on a Melbourne race, they get the revenue,” he says.

“So you have got to be able to cooperate with each other, taking into account that we are in competition with each other. The new management at Racing Victoria can see that.”

Despite the positive noise, trainer Peter Moody is cautious about racing’s new truce.

“I am all for the Everest being a group 1, but you can’t just put another one on, you have got to lose one somewhere else,” he says.

Moody, who prepares the Everest favourite I Wish I Win, says first and foremost Racing Australia’s pattern committee needed to come together again to reassess the status of all Australian races, something that had not happened for the past seven years.

“There are probably a lot of group 1s that have got to lose their status [in Australia], and groups 2s and group 3s and listed races. We have just got too many, I would suggest,” he says.

Peter Moody with I Wish I Win, which is favourite for The Everest this year.Credit: Getty Images

V’landys says there will be other big winners from the coming together of NSW and Victoria.

“This opens the door to a lot of other innovations, like merging the Australian pools on the tote,” he said.

“One of things that is happening at the moment – and that’s why we need a strong tote – is national wagering operators are knocking back successful punters. With the tote, anyone can bet. No bet gets knocked back.

“I want to see an environment where you can place your bet, no matter what the size of the bet is, and the only way you are going to do that eventually is the tote.”

So the question remains: have we wasted seven years on a meaningless fight?

“You always look forward, you never look back,” V’landys says.

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