Bren O'Brien

Racing Victoria boss Aaron Morrison has announced a suite of executive appointments, with Racing SA chief executive Vaughn Lynch moving to Melbourne to fill the role of chief operating officer.

The three directors of Brisbane Racing Club up for board election have been returned to their roles as long-term chairman Neville Bell confirmed his plan to exit in 2025.

The complex process surrounding upgrades of races as part of the Pattern has cast doubt over whether The Everest will be run with full Group 1 status this Saturday. Bren O’Brien examines the issues at play both locally and internationally.

Legendary trainer Gai Waterhouse has described the surge of upgrades to black-type races in Australia under a new Pattern process as “pernicious inflation at its worst”.

At 22, Written Tycoon may be in the twilight of his breeding career, but the Yulong resident finds himself back at the top of the Australian sires' table with eerily similar numbers to what he achieved at the same point of his sires’ championship 2020/21 season.

The new Racing Australia-led process to reform The Pattern is in disarray just three days after it was announced, with state-based racing authorities, led by Victoria, pausing plans to upgrade races after stakeholder unrest.

Depending on who you ask, sports betting is either the biggest threat to wagering on racing or it can prove an unlikely saviour to a stumbling commercial model. Bren O’Brien examines how the growth of sports betting has a range of complex implications for the racing industry.