Why Black Caviar’s part-owner is drawing a line between his horses and the VRC board

Renowned racehorse owner Neil Werrett has distanced his actions from the Victoria Racing Club board over allegations he threatened to take his horses off trainers who supported John Kanga at coming elections.

Werrett has been a director at the Flemington-based club since 2018 but said any comments made about his horses were his own.

“Any discussions I had about my horses were personal decisions and were not made on behalf of the VRC or in my capacity as a VRC board member,” the property developer said on Friday.

“Decisions regarding my horses, and any views I hold about industry participants, are my own.”

Werrett became a well-known name among racing enthusiasts as a part-owner of champion mare Black Caviar, and celebrated a Melbourne Cup victory with Gold Trip in 2022.

But he caused a stir earlier this week amid accusations the looming VRC elections had become personal, following Kanga’s widely publicised nomination on VRC Oaks Day.

The VRC released a statement on Friday to clarify Werrett’s position.

“These discussions were not a VRC directive and were not considered by the VRC board,” the club said.

“While Neil [Werrett] acted based on his own business interests and personal views, we have reminded him of his responsibilities as a VRC board member and the importance of ensuring his personal views are not perceived as representing the club.”

Kanga, who quit as Melbourne Racing Club chairman in controversial circumstances last year, declined to comment.

The larger-than-life character is one of at least four candidates vying for a seat on the board that governs Flemington Racecourse and oversees Melbourne Cup week.

There will be four seats up for grabs when members are asked to vote later this month – chairman Neil Wilson is stepping down, creating a vacancy, while chairman-elect Vin Cox, treasurer Glenn Carmody and director Michael Saadie are up for re-election.

Cox will need to be re-elected before being able to assume the chairman’s role from Wilson at the December 15 annual general meeting.

The VRC rejected speculation that Carmody, a senior audit partner at EY, and NAB executive Saadie were having second thoughts about running.

“I am proud of what the club has achieved to put us in what is now a strong financial position, and I’ll be seeking re-election to the VRC board to build on these strong foundations,” Carmody told The Age.

“The club has real momentum and stability, and I want to help keep it going for our members.”

Saadie said he would be standing again to “keep representing our members”.

“I’m proud to have been part of a Board that has helped guide the Club back to profitability, so we can invest even more in member experiences,” he said.

“I truly want Flemington to continue being a place our members are proud of.”

Flemington had 307,889 people click through its turnstiles on the four days of Cup week, the largest crowd since 2017, while Wilson announced last month a $12.6 million year-on-year turnaround and a $5.4 million financial-year profit.

Australian Trainers’ Association chairman Troy Corstens, who has stables at Flemington, publicly endorsed Kanga’s nomination on Oaks Day.

The Age reported that Kanga has been a regular Friday morning visitor to the training huts inside Flemington racecourse after obtaining his stable hand licence earlier this year. He races horses with Danny O’Brien and Dom Sutton.

He was also spotted mingling with members, shaking hands and posing for selfies at Flemington on Oaks Day, just hours after informing media outlets of his decision to nominate.

Kanga and other candidates are expected to front a remuneration and nominations committee next week to prove they are suitable to sit on the VRC board.

The Age reported on Thursday that two candidates, former MRC committee member Justin O’Kane and former South Melbourne publican Andrew Lewis, were ruled ineligible due to issues with paperwork.

O’Kane’s police check arrived four days too late after it was referred for manual review, “meaning that instead of being processed within minutes, the report could take up to 20 business days”.

Kanga resigned as Melbourne Racing Club chair on the eve of last year’s Caulfield Cup carnival after questions from The Age about loans and the use of his car in a 22-kilogram cocaine trafficking case in 2014.

The Age does not suggest Kanga was involved in any criminal activity, and he has never been accused of any crime.

He has declined to respond to questions from The Age about what has changed and why he is comfortable standing for the VRC board little more than a year after his shock decision to quit the MRC.

But he did tell this masthead on Oaks Day that he had run through three phone batteries in one day checking messages of support.

“The support has been from trainers, jockeys, members, sponsors of the club who I’m very close to, Racing Victoria executives, and staff at the VRC. They are really excited because of the energy,” he said.

“I love engaging with racing participants,” he said. “I love engaging with the members. It’s not an election thing. It’s a people thing. It’s an energy thing. It’s my community and I love it.”

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.