RACING AUSTRALIA UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

By Graham Potter | Thursday, February 16, 2023

The relationship between Racing NSW and Racing Victoria has been balancing on a precarious edge for some time now. You wouldn’t even have to read between the lines to reach what would seem to be a fair conclusion ... namely, that those involved in this particular power play don’t like each other, to the degree that any acknowledged mutual respect, to outsiders at least, seems to be non-existent.

That, in itself, has ... and continues to cast a pall over the question of the effective overall administration of the racing industry throughout the country, in terms of its national interests, with the preferred and always hoped for ‘all for one and one for all’ mindset being as far removed from the current reality as the 1844 book, The Three Musketeers (which made the ‘one for all’ quote famous) is from the present time.

Following Racing NSW’s filing of legal action in the Supreme Court ... against not only Racing Victoria but other state racing authorities ... an upcoming court case might possibly further lay bare (and, in fact, perhaps even ultimately help repair) the debilitating details of some dysfunction with regard to certain issues, most notably the sad state of affairs at Racing Australia (RA), an entity that should be helping plot a safe path for the industry when it finds troubled waters, but instead, currently remains rudderless, with no captain at the helm, and seemingly no prospect of sorting through and finding a resolution to important racing matters falling under its authority which have been pending for an unacceptable amount of time.

With the specifics of the court case still to play out (and who knows how long that will take), it is best to put speculation about details in that regard into the ‘let’s wait and see’ box, but, for now, with reports abounding ... and front page at that ... of the on-going issues, of the sniping coming from different sides, of the ugliness of the moment ... it might also be prudent to remove the jousts of some of the high-profile state racing administrators from the argument for the moment and focus on another very important commentary that perhaps is worthy of taking centre stage at this particular time, because of the first-hand, informed status of the source and the value of its content.

That commentary comes from Robyn Whishaw who resigned from the Board of Racing Australia this week.

As reported by Racing.com, Whishaw’s comments, set out in a letter to her former fellow board members in which, it should be noted, she states her personal point of view, include:

(Racing Australia should be), ‘working for the whole of the Australian Racing Industry, but to me it appears to be failing in that objective.’

Whishaw referenced welfare, staffing levels, the pattern and participation as areas of real concern.

‘It is to my deep disappointment and frustration that RA appears to have made little or no progress on any of these issues, since my time on the Board.

‘Whilst individual states have worked hard on welfare, it is clear this is, like many other issues, a national challenge that requires a collaborative approach for all the states and territories to be most effective. After all, horses are constantly moving around the country between conception, birth, racing and retirement. However, at Board level at RA, it appears there is either a failure to recognise that working collaboratively would lead to better outcomes, or there is a priority to act in favour of state-based interests.

Referencing ‘tension and angst around the Board table’ ... where Racing NSW and Racing Victoria both have veto rights, a factor which has arguably contributed to Racing Australia’s perceived failure to get things done ... Wishaw further stated in her letter, ‘The toxicity at meetings has meant we have not had a Chairman in almost a year. Since John Messara resigned from that position, no one has been willing to put up their hand for the role.

‘Given the failure of RA to provide much needed national leadership I encourage all of those who care about the future of our industry to consider how we can work collaboratively to improve it.

‘I have decided to make the reasons for my resignation public for one simple but important reason. All those involved in the thoroughbred industry deserve better, much better,”

‘There are only so many times you can bang your head against a brick wall before you choose to stop.’

For most of the hard working racing participants in an industry that, it must be said, is thriving on many levels in spite of the impasse at Racing Australia and the seemingly regular standoffs between the country’s two major racing states, the off-track politics played by racing authorities might be more of an irritation than a burden.

Clearly, however, the long-term path that racing ultimately follows will, in a significant part at least, be shaped by whether the industry's heavy ‘movers and shakers’ can collectively find that collaborative connection moving forward or whether some might circle their wagons and short-circuit any proposed new, inclusive alignment.

Chances are, not many people are holding their breath.