The brutal nature of racing politics in Victoria and NSW speaks to the importance of principal racing authorities and racing clubs having both a strong, independent board and a knowledgeable and accountable executive, writes Bren O’Brien.
COMMENT: Every other week for the past eight months, a rumour would go around that Racing Victoria (RV) chief executive Andrew Jones was set to be shown the door. So, when Jones resigned last Friday, a convenient black spot for news coverage in between a public holiday and a weekend, it came as little surprise.
The rumour mill surrounding Jones’ future at RV was driven in large part by the strident opinions of his most outspoken, and powerful critic, Jonathan Munz, the chairman of the owners’ body TROA.
Munz was hardly alone in his distaste for Jones but was his loudest detractor and sent him off with one last kick in the pants when he issued a statement at the weekend.
“Jones and his team were completely out of their depth and apart from fundamental management errors, were seen as pushing a misconceived radical strategy parading as “innovation,” Munz said.
This post is for our free members
Thanks for your interest in The Straight. It looks like you are trying to access a free members article via an in-app browser on X, Facebook or LinkedIn. For the best experience, and instant access, sign on via the Social Sign In links below. You should only need to do this once.
If you wish to access or create an email-based account, please provide your email below. You will receive a link to click by email which will then open in your device’s native browser.
