Racing feud heats up as jockeys tangle with race club over track safety ‘nonsense’

Melbourne Racing Club is at a flashpoint with key sections of the racing industry after issuing an incendiary statement that branded jockeys’ track safety concerns on Saturday as “nonsense”.

The MRC also claimed a decision by Racing Victoria stewards to delay their group 1 race meeting at Caulfield and move the running rail out four metres to appease the jockeys’ concerns was not only incorrect but unnecessary.

“Our review found no safety issue with the Caulfield racing surface,” MRC chief executive Tanya Fullarton said on Tuesday.

Fullarton’s comments were immediately rejected by Victorian Jockeys’ Association chief executive Matthew Hyland and Racing Victoria integrity boss Jamie Stier.

“The stewards must prioritise horse and rider safety at all times,” Stier said. “They were not prepared to compromise that position in the circumstances presented to them on Saturday.

The track safety drama unfolded on Saturday morning, about an hour before the first race, when a group of experienced riders, including Mark Zahra and Ben Melham, identified concerns with a stretch of the Caulfield straight.

Images showed the jockeys able to move loose clumps of dirt, referred to as “plugs”, which led stewards to order maintenance staff to make last-minute alterations.

Racing was delayed while the inside rail was moved out four metres to take the questionable ground out of play.

“The stewards ultimately formed the opinion that sections of the track were unsafe for racing on that day. This was a view shared by multiple senior riders,” Stier said.

Plugs are large, turf-covered clumps of dirt that are regularly used to wedge into track divots to make them safe for horses to run over. It has been “standard practice for over 25 years and is not a problem”, Fullarton said.

Moving the running rail so late caused considerable angst among the punting community because it changed the conditions for which they had prepared to bet – moving the rail out generally favours front-runners.

Jockey Patrick Moloney told Racing.com the track surface was fine after the pre-race alterations, but the changes made it “really awkward” to navigate for riders. But Fullarton said the rail should not have been moved.

“The jockeys clearly did not understand how turf plugs work,” Fullarton said. “The jockeys’ claim that being able to pull the tops off the plugs somehow showed that the track was unsafe is nonsense.

“Turf plugs are routinely installed a few days before a race day and are always able to be physically pulled up, as grass plugs take at least two weeks to bind with the rest of the turf profile.”

Hyland called Fullarton’s statement “extraordinary”, saying jockeys were the ones with their necks on the line.

“I’ll back my members in their judgment of walking tracks all day, every day,” he said.

One jockey, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue, said they regularly came across plugs on tracks, but Saturday was the first time he had seen them able to be moved so easily.

“We’ve seen plugs before, yes, but not to that extent,” the jockey said.

Hyland said it was “a bit rich” for the MRC to be attacking jockeys when they were the ones getting on the back of horses and riding in races.

“If their view is that the track is inconsistent or has got safety issues, then they are within their right to raise it with stewards,” Hyland said. “Clearly the stewards were on the same page. I think the vision we saw on Saturday speaks for itself.”

To avoid ongoing issues, Racing Victoria has enlisted former champion jockey Damien Oliver to conduct independent track inspections at Caulfield and Flemington over the next 12 weeks.

Oliver will report to Racing Victoria stewards before each race day to provide a safety assessment of the tracks.

“The stewards will continue to act in the best interests of the industry and all stakeholders with safety and welfare at the forefront of their minds,” Stier said.

Despite the MRC dismissing any safety concerns, the rail will be moved out 13m for Sunday’s group 1 Manikato meeting, which has been transferred from Moonee Valley.

“The reason the rail isn’t moving to the true position is to protect the track for the Caulfield Cup carnival,” a club spokesperson said.

The MRC’s track saga comes in a week that they announced a record $281.4 million turnover in the past financial year despite suffering a $10.6 million loss. The club lost $14.7 million last year.

The MRC’s annual general report, released on Monday, said the club forked out $10.9 million in bank interest in the past year on $197.7 million in borrowings, which it said it expected to clear with the sale of land at Caulfield to Mount Scopus College for $195 million.

The MRC now has 17 poker machine venues after recently buying two new outlets – The Cumberland and the Cheltenham Club – and these venues brought in $128.2 million last year and made a $48.3 million profit.

The club will hold its annual general meeting on Thursday night, and will announce the results of its recent board elections during which 24-year-old newcomer Fergus Ewart stood against sitting members Caitrin Kelly, Belinda Meyers and Robyn Gray.

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