“I have been overwhelmed with feedback from members about their frustrations”
Rupert Legh and Colin McKenna, two of Victoria’s most prolific owners, have rallied behind fellow owner and Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) committee member John Kanga’s push for the board spill in protest against matters including controversy over the new Caulfield mounting yard and the possible sale of Sandown.
Kanga, who joined the MRC board just over 12 months ago, established a Save Our MRC group, alongside McKenna and Legh, and the organisation has received a broad range of industry participants.
“The new mounting yard doesn’t work. It is not user friendly for owners, members or the general public. It lacks atmosphere and has no soul and that defeats the purpose of being at the races,” said Legh in a statement.
“We need to return the mounting yard to its original rightful location as soon as possible. It would also, in my opinion, be irresponsible for the Committee to pursue its current proposal to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on replacing a grandstand that works perfectly well as it is.”
Colin McKenna added: “What they have done to Caulfield racecourse is a joke and the people responsible need to be sacked.”
The Club has borrowed $160 million, mostly to finance capital expenditure at Caulfield Racecourse, including the failed mounting yard development, jockey rooms and a costly new office block for MRC staff.
While chief executive Josh Blanksby is already set to depart the club next month and chairman Matt Cain has announced his intention to stand down, Kanga has called a Special General Meeting (SGM) to ensure members’ views are taken into account on key issues such as selling Sandown and remediating Caulfield.
The SGM calls for the removal of MRC executive committee members Matt Cain; Nick Hassett; Mark Pratt; Brooke Dawson; Scott Davidson and Jill Monk and to replace them with the new committee members named in the resolution.
The first priorities of the new board will be to return the mounting yard to its original position, rule out building an expensive new grandstand and to ensure racing continues at Sandown racecourse, while optimising development value on surplus land.
Kanga said: “I have been overwhelmed with feedback from members about their frustrations with what has happened at Caulfield recently and it is my belief these members need to be listened to.
“If the SGM is successful, we will endeavour to have the mounting yard returned to its original position in front of the grandstand during spring and return the unique atmosphere that Caulfield was famous for. In any event, the Club needs to own up to the problem and promise to rectify the position as soon as possible.
“The board has been wracked by division and is in disarray. Voting in a new group of committee members with a clear mandate will allow the Club to move forward with a united purpose.”
The five replacement committee members proposed by the Save Our MRC group include some serious horse owners and business people including Lofts Quarries founder Paul Lofitis, and communications executive Belinda Meyers, who previously worked at the VRC and First Light Racing, a co-owner of VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Aristia (Lonhro).
Others include town planner and construction manager Robyn Gray and transport executive, David Gambell. The group is rounded out by Frank Pollio, well known in racing from his early days working in senior roles at Arrowfield Stud and French auction house Arqana and now a director of 5Ways Foodservice.