In today's Straight Shorts, racing pays tribute to Mike Moroney, Magic Millions boss Barry Bowditch provides an update on the Gold Coast March Yearling Sale, Victorian's gambling regulator has a new chief executive and wagering figures are out for Champions Day in New Zealand.
Racing industry pays its respects to Mike Moroney
Becoming one of the greats of racing was Mike Moroney’s destiny, a memorial service celebrating the Group 1-winning trainer’s life has been told.
Family, friends and leading industry figures appropriately gathered at Flemington on Tuesday to farewell Moroney, who trained the 2000 Melbourne Cup winner Brew among 55 career Group 1 victories.
Moroney died in his sleep last month at the age of 66. His funeral will be held in New Zealand next week.
Recalling Brew’s victory and Second Coming’s minor placing, Moroney’s younger brother Paul reflected on how they watched the race together.
“I remember turning for home, I put my binoculars down and said to him, ‘Mike, look at Second Coming. He's pulling Michael Coleman's arms out of his armpits’ and he never dropped his glasses,” Paul said.
“And in this very cool fashion of Mike, he simply said to me, ‘look behind him’.
“We both watched in awe as we almost quinellaed the Melbourne Cup and Brew went on and won. Mike was always confident he was going to win the Melbourne Cup.
“After that amazing first Tuesday of November 2000 Melbourne Cup, we’d often joke that we now wouldn't die wondering.
“Brother, you didn't. Rest in peace.”
Matt Stewart
No significant damage to Magic Millions’ Gold Coast complex
The Magic Millions sales complex at Bundall on the Gold Coast has escaped relatively unscathed after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred swept through the area over the weekend.
The auction house delayed its March Yearling Sale, which was scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of this week, until March 24 and 25 as it became clear that the severe weather event would make it untenable to conduct the Queensland sale on its scheduled dates.
Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch reported on Tuesday that “a couple of cosmetic things” were identified as being damaged in the wild storm.
“There’s a couple of little trees that are sort of sideways now, and a couple of little bits and pieces around the place, but nothing too significant,” Bowditch said.
“There’s nothing that would stop us from generally running the business or a sale, which is pleasing.”
The neighbouring Gold Coast Turf Club is scheduled to hold the postponed Jewel race day on Saturday, a bumper 10-race metropolitan grade card spearheaded by the two $500,000 QTIS races for two- and three-year-olds.
It will be run in conjunction with an 11-race Eagle Farm meeting on Saturday.
“Obviously, we're hopeful that the Turf Club is in good shape to race this Saturday,” Bowditch said.
“There's some important QTIS races to be run, and then we'll get through the Adelaide sale (on Monday and Tuesday) and then attack the Gold Coast next weekend (ahead of the sale).”
TAB racing in the southeast of the state has been at a standstill since March 1, outside last Saturday’s Toowoomba meeting on the Darling Downs, but Eagle Farm is programmed to conduct an 11-race card on Wednesday while Ipswich and the Sunshine Coast are set to host meetings on Thursday and Friday respectively.
In NSW, Monday’s Coffs Harbour meeting was abandoned due to the unsafe track conditions while Tuesday’s Port Macquarie meeting was called off after two races due to an unsafe section of the track between the 700m and 400m mark.
Victorian gambling regulator names new CEO
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has appointed experienced regulatory administrator Suzy Neilan as its new chief executive.
Neilan has more than two decades working as a senior executive in the public and private sectors.
She will start her role at the Commission on April 1 after serving as an executive director at the Environment Protection Authority Victoria for the past three-and-a-half years, including terms as acting chief executive.
VGCCC chair, Chris O’Neill, said Neilan would bring to bear many years of contributions to Australian communities and public sector accomplishments to the VGCCC.
“Suzy’s commitment to achieving regulatory outcomes that benefit Victorians makes her a strong leader to support the Commission and head the agency’s executive leadership team,” he said.
Neilan replaces Annette Kimmitt, who was the Commission’s inaugural chief in 2022.
Champions Day figures reveal TAB NZ betting bonanza
TAB wagering on New Zealand’s inaugural Champions Day has figured in a 70 per cent increase on the corresponding Auckland Cup meeting in 2024.
In New Zealand’s second-highest turnover fixture, $7.98 million was invested across the 10-race meeting that featured the inaugural running of the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi.
Entain reported that almost 55,000 customers placed a bet on the meeting via the TAB and its app betcha, a wagering platform aimed at attracting a younger audience.
Key individual betting figures on Champions Day included $1.38 million wagered on the NZB Kiwi.
Wagering on the New Zealand Thoroughbred Stakes increased 38 per cent to $645,000 while the New Zealand Derby hold was up 7 per cent in 2024 to $924,000. Auckland Cup betting remained steady at $1.01 million.
“This is a reflection of the way the racing industry and our New Zealand customers have embraced the concept of Champions Day, and provides an excellent base for this day to continue to grow into the future,” an Entain statement said.
