In today's Straight Shorts, Independent NSW MP Mark Latham's run-in with an Australian Turf Club senior executive has resulted in a suspended good-behaviour order, a Victorian judge has taken a swipe at the bookmaking industry, Matusalem claims the Albury Gold Cup and a TV deal for The Quokka.
ATC slaps good-behaviour suspension on Mark Latham
State Upper House MP Mark Latham has been given a suspended Australian Turf Club sanction following a racecourse incident involving a senior executive of the organisation.
In order to avoid having his membership withdrawn, Latham must abide by the ATC’s members’ code of conduct when dealing with staff, fellow members and the club’s directors.
The ATC also said Latham had agreed to several conditions, including that he not make public comments, including on social media, “that disparage ATC operations pertaining to staff”.
“If found guilty of any breach of these conditions during the next 12 months, Mr Latham will receive a 12-month suspension, without further warning,” the ATC said in a statement.
He must also remain a financial member of the club for the next 12 months.
Latham reportedly fronted the ATC board this week following a verbal stoush with the ATC head of corporate affairs and government relations Steve McMahon during the transferred Tancred Stakes meeting at Rosehill on April 1.
The ATC commissioned an independent report into Latham’s conduct at Rosehill before issuing the 12-month suspended order, with the independent MP learning his fate on Wednesday.
The ATC said it would provide Latham with “a direct customer service channel for constructive feedback”.
Racing NSW is holding a separate investigation into the incident that is being carried out by former Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission chief executive and Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner Michael Phelan.
Latham is a fierce opponent of the ATC’s proposal to sell Rosehill and a critic of Racing NSW and the regulator’s chief executive Peter V’landys.
He sat on a parliamentary select committee that last year scrutinised the unsolicited sale process between the State government and the ATC.
Bookies feel wrath of County Court judge as problem gambler jailed
A Victorian judge has described the conduct of a variety of bookmakers as “staggering” and “evil” in sentencing a gambling addict to seven years jail after he stole $4.5 million.
Anthony Del Vecchio, a financial planner, pleaded guilty to 24 charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception in the County Court of Victoria this week,
Judge Gabriele Cannon said that while Del Vecchio’s moral culpability was high, she also heavily criticised the actions of several bookmakers, including MintBet, Neds, Ladbrokes, PointsBet , TAB, BlueBet, PalmerBet, Southern Cross Bet, EliteBet and VicBet.
“The various betting agencies were apparently happy to take that money without any qualm or enquiry,” Cannon said.
“Such business practices by these betting companies embody the expression, ‘the banality of evil’, in my view,” Judge Cannon said.
“It is staggering that they are able to operate in our community in the ways that I have described with impunity.
“So much for their slogan, ‘gamble responsibly’.”
Milestone stakes winner for The Autumn Sun
Champion trainer Chris Waller has trained his first Albury Gold Cup winner with Matusalem winning the rescheduled Listed race.
It was also a milestone for the four-year-old’s sire The Autumn Sun, being the stallion’s seventh stakes winner and first for a colt or gelding by the Arrowfield rostered horse to win a black-type race.
In a tight finish, Matusalem defeated Beltoro, who was runner-up, while Gregolimo and My Brother’s Keeper dead-heated for third.
The quartet all had their last starts in Victoria.
Matusalem sticks the neck out to win the Albury Gold Cup for @cwallerracing! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/9IGITWKdcv
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 17, 2025
The Arrowfield and Hermitage-bred Matusalem, a three-quarter brother to Group 2 winner Spill The Beans and Group 1-winning mare Kenedna, was a $500,000 purchase by Waller and agent Guy Mulcaster at the 2022 Magic Millions sale on the Gold Coast.
The Autumn Sun, the sire of Group 1-winning fillies Autumn Angel, Vibrant Sun and Coco Sun, will return to stallion duties this year after missing the 2024 season due to an injury to his pelvis. He will stand for a fee of $66,000 (inc GST).
Quokka to be broadcast on Racing.com
The Quokka, Western Australia’s $5 million slot race, will be broadcast on Racing.com’s free-to-air channel.
Racing WA has reached a broadcast partnership with Racing.com to showcase the third running of the sprint at Ascot on Saturday, April 26.
As a result, the race will be seen across all Racing.com platforms, including free-to-air Channels 68 and 78, Foxtel Channel 529, Racing.com’s website and app, as well as digital streaming services 7plus and Kayo.
“The Quokka has quickly become a highlight on the national racing calendar and we’re thrilled to partner with Racing.com to showcase it to a broader audience,” Racing WA chief racing officer David Hunter said.
“We’re also excited to showcase the running of this year’s Group 2 Karrakatta, our premier race for two-year-olds, earlier in the program ahead of The Quokka.
“Racing.com’s high-quality coverage and strong footprint will provide an ideal platform to promote WA racing - we’re confident this broadcast will captivate race fans across the country.”
Another winner for Ole Kirk
The winning run for Vinery Stud’s fast-emerging young sire Ole Kirk has continued with Tiberius marking his first start with a victory at Wyong on Thursday.
The second winner in as many days for Ole Kirk, whose gelded son Aerodrome won at Warwick Farm on Wednesday, the Bjorn Baker-trained and Darby Racing-owned Tiberius defeated older horses in the 1000m provincial maiden.
It's the @BBakerRacing trained Tiberius breaking the maiden in his first start after taking out the third at Wyong! 👌 pic.twitter.com/hMXHJ3ZhyP
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 17, 2025
The 10th first crop winner for the 2020 Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas winner, who also won the Talindert Stakes at his first start at two, Tiberius was a $160,00 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale graduate for Alter Bridge Equine who was passed in at last year’s Magic Millions sale on the Gold Coast.
Ole Kirk covered a career-high 172 mares last year at a fee of $55,000 (inc GST) with Vinery management expected to almost certainly increase that figure when fees are announced in the coming weeks.
NZ mare Grail Seeker to complete season in All Aged Stakes
Grail Seeker has added two Group 1 victories to her record this season and she will attempt to make it a third when she heads to Randwick on Saturday to tackle the All Aged Stakes.
The lightly raced mare has just had three runs in 2024/25, winning the Group1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings in September before doubling up in the Group 1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham in January.
She didn’t handle the firm going when sixth in the Group 1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa a month later and has been freshened ahead of her hit-and-run Australian mission.
While pleased with his mare ahead of her Australian debut, co-trainer Andrew Scott is wary of the star-studded line-up and her tricky barrier of 12.
“We would have liked to have got a bit better barrier to aid our chance, but hopefully she can step up on the weekend and give us a good line going forward,” he said.
“She is going as well as she can go, it’s just the quality of the field is somewhat stronger than what she has faced before.
“We didn’t anticipate it would be this strong of a field, but it just means we are going to get a really good line on next season and where we set our targets.”
Grail Seeker will continue the one-and-done theme of her season and return to New Zealand in preparation for the spring following her All Aged Stakes run.
Bastard’s Havana Grey 2YO sets sale record
A record Tattersalls Craven Sale price of 1.4 million guineas (A$3.064 million) lasted just 24 hours, with Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing striking for a 1.75 million (A$3.83 million) son of brilliant young sire Havana Grey.
Underbidder on day one’s session-topping two-year-old by Acclamation, Amo Racing fended off Anthony Stroud and David Loder to buy the Havana Grey-Show Stealer colt.
“I felt them (Stroud and Loder) slow at 1.5 million guineas,” said Amo Racing’s agent Alex Elliott after the purchase.
“I felt them think about it, usually it is bang, bang, bang with them. I said to Kia then that they were thinking … and then they really did think about it.”
The colt was consigned by experienced vendor Malcolm Bastard.
“Malcolm has been doing this a long time, and he is brilliant at his job and pre-trains some of the best horses in Europe,” Elliott said.
“This horse was produced beautifully and to do what he did for Malcolm when he does not particularly train them for a speed time, tells you have a good horse. And Havana Grey needs no explaining.”
The Craven sale generated 18.804 million guineas (A$41.157 million), up 29 per cent on the 2024 sale.
