Melbourne Racing Club directors Caitrin Kelly and Alison Saville have sensationally flipped to support fellow Committee member John Kanga in his bid to stop the redevelopment of Caulfield racecourse and preserve Sandown, as well as restore the previous Caulfield mounting yard.
The pair had initially signed a letter last Friday condemning Kanga’s actions, but have retracted that endorsement, saying they were pressured into signing it at short notice.
In their latest letter, which endorses the approach of Kanga, Saville and Kelly allege that there has been a "longstanding poor culture and toxic atmosphere within the MRC executive committee" and said "there have been previous instances of bullying".
They have thrown their support behind Kanga’s Save Our MRC group and his petition to convene a special general meeting which would spill the board.
"Nothing can be more democratic than the members voting on whether to remove executive committee members that are not considered to be listening to genuine member concerns that we are trying to resolve," their statement said.
The Save Our MRC group said their decisions "puts pressure on the club to hold the SGM within the next few weeks. The Club Rules require the SGM to be convened “forthwith”.
The Committee wrote to members on Wednesday morning and detailed the remaining committee members’ objections to Save Our MRC’s proposals.
“The timing of Mr Kanga's motion seems designed to override the club's election process this year and cause confusion and instability. As a matter of good governance, we strongly oppose such tactics,” it read.
“The club is currently seeking legal advice to fully understand the implications of this motion. We will provide members with further information as soon as practical. Our priority is to minimise disruption for our members, especially as we approach the spring carnival.”
Bren O’Brien
It set out the MRC committee's current status on the issues raised by Kanga late last week in calling for a board spill.
“The executive committee reviewed the location of the mounting yard on 5 August 2024. It was agreed that moving the mounting yard before the spring carnival was not operationally feasible. Mr. Kanga was present at these discussions. The committee resolved to review this matter immediately after the Carnival,” it said.
The committee also confirmed that the grand pavilion and Caulfield masterplan was currently on hold and said the Sandown rezoning process was separate to that of whether racing will continue at the racetrack.
“Although the initial design is complete, no construction will begin until there is financial certainty, and not before 2026. Mr Kanga has supported this plan throughout his time on the committee and has been involved in all related decisions. A decision on progressing the grand pavilion is yet to be made,” it said.
“Any decision to stop racing (at Sandown) would require a member vote and would be up to the members to decide. Whilst serving on the committee, Mr Kanga has supported the rezoning process and has opposed a partial redevelopment of the racecourse.”
Kanga called on the board spill last Thursday and has the support of major owners Rupert Legh and Colin McKenna, as well as host of leading trainers and jockeys, who have condemned the movement of the mounting yard and the new jockeys’ rooms.
Bren O’Brien
