WHAT’S GOING ON?
So we are into a new racing season.
The Everest is soon upon is, but despite the – dare we call it – Fake News – it seems the world isn’t watching and some slot holders have some work to do just to find a runner with the chance of getting a return.
Wow though – what a week.
Racing.com ($6m lighter plus plus plus on productions costs despite the highlighted rights charges back to Sky 1 and to the Melbourne Racing Club for international wagering rights) roll out “special” local boy Bruce McAvaney to launch their South Australian racing coverage.
“Historic” was used many times to explain what was happening with the Victorian industry funded broadcaster seeking more content. Well there are only so many times you can watch those “Champions of The Turf” shows which were even dated back in the old TVN days.
(Thought the finish line shutter cam at Morphettville highlighted the question though – why don’t they have them at Melbourne’s tracks as punters still put up with odd angles and offset cameras.)
Anyway giving Adelaide a major opening day coverage cuddle didn’t seem to wash overtly with the punters if you just take the measure of TAB win pool holds comparing the “historic” city mid-week in Adelaide v Sale, which got a major hair cut coverage in its home state, with a meeting including three jumps events and two maidens.
Now of course the pari-mutuel is in the decline with fixed odds with the TAB and corporates the preferred call for punters, but it’s the only measure I have right now and for the record, punters bet $4.88m on the Sale meet v $2.86m in the win pool on the historic Morphettville card.
That’s just an aside though for observation as you wonder what Saturday will look like on the tele with Flemington (punters #1 betting track in the country) and Moe into Morphettville Parks and of course Roxby Downs (where Eigelstein – remember it via Germany and Randwick, is going around in the Cup).
And while I waste time pondering such, do you recall the cases of Mark Kavanagh, Danny O’Brien and Racing Victoria and cobalt, or Kate Goodrich and Racing Victoria or Racing Victoria and itself as a new board structure looms?
No?
Well at www.justracing.com.au we can tell you there is some movement at the Supreme Court of Appeal on the cobalt case. So there should be, Justices Chris Maxwell, Stephen McLeish and Anthony Cavanough reserved their decision on June 9 as to Racing Victoria right to appeal Justice Greg Garde’s decision in favour of the trainers at Victorian Civil And Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
It seems the learned judges have written to parties to seek some further submissions to assist in their decision.
This is understood not to be the normal way of making a final ruling with the Court of Appeal sending out a set of questions to RV’s legal team seeking a response.
The Kavanagh and O’Brien team is also understood to have the right of reply to some questions and that is due Friday.
Read into this what you may but it at least signals a decision on the RV appeal is imminent though a market speculator might query the reason for further questions given the weighty submissions already made maybe not enough to convince the learned justices in their favour. Time will tell. Oh time – yes – we are coming up towards the fourth year of this cobalt saga.
Of course this is not as long as the Kate Goodrich case. Surely you remember Kate, bullied and wrongly evicted from training at the Kilmore Turf Club – as confirmed in RV’s own independently commissioned FBIS International Report.
Goodrich has another court date, a mention at VCAT on August 18, as she fights a suspended 12 month sentence delivered at the Racing Appeals Disciplinary Board when she pleaded guilty to not allowing RV’s Compliance Assurance Team to inspect her property and a runner in December last year. The penalty was three months (basically time already served anyway) but that suspended for a 12 month period if she breached the rule again.
The issue at hand in this VCAT matter is RV seeking a “suppression order” of any possible tabling of that FBIS report (which has never been made fully public).
It is unlikely (read a million to one chance) Goodrich and her counsel agreeing to that and the case would then most likely proceed to a directions hearing.
Goodrich does have in her possession though a transcript of an “interview” back in 2013 as part of her case involving chief steward Terry Bailey and steward Rob Montgomery along with then Kilmore CEO John Cameron and CAT member Simon Quintner.
But for $27 spent with Freedom of Information Commission she has since obtained an audio copy of that meeting, perhaps believing it provides a differing version from the transcript. Surely not.
She is nothing if not determined is Kate and also becoming well known down at the FOI office as she waits on September 1 for a decision to release emails involving Bailey about the Kilmore saga.
And at the same time she is trying to get her training career back on track with a brother to Husson Eagle down to trial at Moe on Monday (it’s called Abduct!).
And while this plays out, interviews for the new look “independent” RV Board will be taking place under the committee led by former RV chairman Michael Duffy, that include government nominee Michael Mangos alongside Amanda Elliott, Jonathan Munz and Lance McMillan.
Racing Minister Martin Pakula, who has much input to the makeup of the new board, expects a second reading of the Racing Amendment (Modernisation) Bill next week and indicated this week a final line-up by the end of August.
“Applications for RV director positions have closed and the advisory panel will commence interviewing board candidates in the next two weeks. We would expect to make an announcement about new Directors around the end of August,” he said.
So with a chance of “you read it here first”, we are suggesting Brian Kruger, current Moonee Valley vice-chairman and former managing director of Toll Holdings who retired from his roll at the end of last year would make an excellent RV Chairman in the new era. (And he’d have a bit on his plate to start with).
By Bruce Clark