Victoria Racing Club

So Nine owns peak events, Seven owns the season.

But from what I understand, some of the racing bodies, so Racing Vic, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, the VRC in Victoria, as well as the sports betting companies, have not been 100% happy with the lack of promotional support that Seven have been providing in terms of promoting the coverage of the race meetings a- and the code of horse racing, and they have suggested that they could be doing more.

Maybe running promos for the racing coverage in, in primetime slots or cross-promotional activity in the AFL coverage.

So look, reading between the lines here, I think the launch of Triple M Racing could be seen as a Seven SCA cross-platform play to show those key racing and, and wagering stakeholders that they are indeed doing more and making more of an effort to promote the code, and they're now using their audio platform to do it.

That's where you were, but I've got a fair idea what the answer might be.

But then you've worked at the VRC and that's part of the Melbourne racing makeup where, I mean, in one town, there's three different racing clubs kind of, I don't know if they're fighting against each other.

They're collaboratively working in some respects, but everyone has a self-interest.

You've walked into a job now where basically the APL is the clubs.

I love the Challenger brand.

That was the case at Fremantle way back in 2003 when I started there.

And we've seen how that grown at the VRC.

We went through really challenging times with COVID and putting on carnivals without crowds and the debt that that incurred.

But, um, when you look through some of the times that have come through, it was on the better side of that heavy 10 for, for most of the day as the sort of, um, ratings throughout the day suggested.

So yep, fair credit to the VRC and, and Liam McKay for his track team because given the circumstances, I think that was the best we could've got.

[laughs]

Th- It possibly may go down as the best decision in racing from the VRC to renovate that track years ago and put the money into the infrastructure to, for the drainage.

Because since that has happened, Nick, there is no better track in the world than Flemington.

With the amount of rain that it, it, um, copped in the, what, last three days, nearly up to 100 mils, to be on an improving track through the day, the day with still drizzle happening is just remarkable, isn't it?

A hundred percent.

Um, especially for the, the VRC because they want a, as big a crowd as they can get there on course.

Um, Saturday, obviously the prime, prime day for attendance and prime day for wagering.

So, um, hopefully, fingers crossed, we are able to get through the meeting today.

Yeah, I was gonna say, I don't know any participant today, trainer, jockey, owner, who would like-- Unless it's a real grand f-- It's not usually a grand final day for many horses, Turnbull Stakes Day.

So I don't know too many of them that would be loving that it's a heavy ten.

And then on the other side, the VRC and then Racing Victoria, they would be-- Like, it's a real ni-- It's a nightmare for them, really.

Um, so-

I'm Bren O'Brien and joining me this week is Tim Rowe with a big welcome back.

This week a new era begins at race in New South Wales with Graeme Hinton appointed to replace Peter Volandes, but has the speed of the succession process helped or hindered the industry's confidence in the transition? We'll also discuss leadership changes at the Victoria Racing Club, the pressure facing some of Australia's most historic Group 1 races and a significant penalty handed down to one of Western Australia's leading trading operations.

In Brentium Bloodstock, the future of Lady of Camelot remains uncertain.

ASIC delivers a major change for syndicators, and we examine whether the strength of the yielding market is now truly global.

Yeah, and they stood side by side, him and Aaron Morrison at the Canberra hearing, as you said.

So interesting from that perspective.

Also, our leadership changes at the Victoria Racing Club, which is Australia's biggest racing club, Tim, probably its most significant in terms of profile, obviously the host of the Melbourne Cup, Carnival and Flemington.

Vin Cox, a man who we know quite well, and I can't remember if he's been a guest on this program before, but he probably will be at some stage in the near future.

Scotty Cummings is going to join us in around 10 minutes' time.

Lee Jordan from the VRC will join us as well for what is the big last hour.

Sorry,

I was moving your mic.

When it comes to October, I come into my own.

He celebrated spring racing at Flemington's Tab Turnbull Stakes Day this Saturday, October 3rd.

Tickets from $30 at VRC.

And the chief racing officer of the VRC is Lee Jordan, and he's good enough to join us now on Sports Day.