MRC

by TTR AusNZ John Kanga, chair of the board of Melbourne Racing Club (MRC), has resigned, MRC announced on Friday. In a statement on the club website, Kanga said, "In recent weeks there has been a series of public attacks directed at me personally. While I completely reject the nature and accuracy of those attacks, I do not want them to distract from the Club, its members, or the excitement of the Caulfield Cup Carnival. "My decision to step aside is about putting the interests of the Club and the...

The Jockey Club has agreed a new partnership with the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) in Australia, which will grant annual members at all 15 Jockey Club Racecourses complimentary admission to all MRC fixtures. The arrangement will initially be in place from August 1 this year through to December 31, 2026. The MRC operates three of Victoria's leading racecourses - Caulfield, Mornington and Sandown - and hosts 80 race days annually, with 13 Group 1 races at Caulfield. In return, MRC annual members will gain complimentary admission to any fixtures staged...

Following Monday's decision to remove Tom Reilly as Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) CEO, board director Barb Saunders has resigned, citing governance concerns. In an email reported by the Herald Sun, Saunders expressed opposition to "giving jobs to the boys." Reilly, former Thoroughbred Breeders Association CEO, replaced long-serving CEO Josh Blanksby but lasted just three months. His successor, Tanya Fullerton, was allegedly appointed without due process, according to Saunders, who also claimed she is personally connected to several current board members. Reilly, a former Sydney Morning Herald journalist, responded briefly on...

Coming off a weekend in which Laurel Park ran eight races on Sunday with 48 starters and nine races on Saturday with 55 starters (with three four-horse fields between the two days), the non-profit  (TMJC), which took over the management of Laurel and Pimlico Race Course this year, is banking on a combination of better weather, an upcoming schedule break, and a new carryover structure for the Pick Five to boost field sizes and betting handle. In response to a query from a commissioner, Bill Knauf, the president and general...

The Melbourne Racing Club has announced the appointment of Tom Reilly to the position of CEO. Reilly comes to the role from Thoroughbred Breeders Australia (TBA) and Aushorse, where he has been a key figure in breeding and racing for 10 years.  While at the Australian breeding marketing arm, Aushorse, he oversaw the repositioning of the brand of Australian bloodstock, which has seen global investment into Australia more than treble during the decade.  Through TBA, Reilly worked closely with governments to deliver across a number of areas, including access to...

The work-in-progress new dirt racing surface at Laurel Park has made it through 10 racing dates and nearly a month of training without a catastrophic injury after being closed for 11 days in late autumn after eight equine fatalities. But a Monday snowstorm followed by a sharp drop in overnight temperature provided the first 2022 challenge to a track that has historically been prone to problems during winter weather. Training was cancelled at Laurel Monday and Tuesday but will reopen Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. without timed workouts being permitted as...

Difficulties with the dirt track base repair and cushion resurfacing project at Laurel Park continue to mount, with the loose-ended timetable for the work now expected to extend at least until the start of July. Executives with The Stronach Group (TSG), which owns both Laurel and Pimlico Race Course, said during a Friday tele-meeting that they now need to pause work on the problematic and expensive project at Laurel until management can relocate of all horses stabled at Laurel to other facilities in Maryland. This news was delivered two weeks...