And then there were seven – still no progress on Racing Victoria’s board appointments

Six weeks on from the extraordinary general meeting that threatened to upend the Racing Victoria board, there has still been no decision as to who will fill the current vacant director seats.

Greg Nichols’ eight-year long term on the board concluded on March 31, while the other seat on the board has sat vacant since previous chairman Brian Kruger left at the end of last June.

Victorian Racing Minister Anthony Carbines is responsible for the process to select new board members and the selection panel which advises him met with prospective candidates earlier this year.

However, The Straight believes those candidates still need to be updated by the racing minister or his staff on where the process sits.

It has meant that Racing Victoria’s board currently only has seven directors, with the looming departure of acting chairman Mike Hirst on May 31.

The RV Board can meet with as few as three members, but the ongoing uncertainty has undermined the industry’s determination to move on from the divisive spill motion in February.

It is unknown if the director selection process has been delayed by the potential recruitment of former AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan to join the board when Hirst departs.

McLachlan has been linked with a director’s position for some months, with the view that he would then be chosen as Racing Victoria chairman.

McLachlan’s likely ascent just part of the puzzle for Racing Victoria

Gillon McLachlan becoming Racing Victoria chairman would create plenty of headlines, but would it solve the Victorian industry’s broader political troubles?

The StraightBren O’Brien

However, he did not go through the selection process for the role left vacant by Kruger, meaning he is not eligible for appointment to that vacancy.

Hirst’s decision to step aside, made in February, and the decision of Nichols to retire, made last month, was seen as clearing the decks for McLachlan to assume the chairmanship with a refreshed board.

One of the two men linked to the vacant board position, business identity Tim Rourke, shares a connection with McLachlan.

Rourke, the chief executive with United Energy, and McLachlan have a close association through the University Blues Football Club, where they are both life members, and of which Rourke is president and McLachlan a former club captain.

The other name linked to a director position with the RV board has been bloodstock figure Mark Player, who worked for Racing Victoria in the 2000s and spent several years working for the Hong Kong Jockey Club before starting up his own bloodstock consultancy, International Thoroughbred Solutions.

Racing Victoria board survives TROA challenge

The Racing Victoria board has survived a challenge to five of its directors, with a motion to have them removed defeated at a Special General Meeting on Wednesday.

The StraightBren O’Brien

Both vacancies were anticipated to be filled before Nichols’ departure, but no announcement has been forthcoming.

Five directors on the Racing Victoria board survived a spill motion by Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners Association chairman Jonathan Munz on February 28.

The motion was defeated three votes to 17, but with 15 abstentions. Munz, who has been vocal in his demands for Racing Victoria chief executive Andrew Jones to be sacked, is also on the panel assisting Minister Carbines to select new directors for the board.