Straight Up – Marking milestones, jockeys unhappy and club troubles

In this edition:

• A year to remember – A first birthday for The Straight
• A $5 million burden – Racing Victoria puts onus on jockeys, trainers to reach agreement over jumpouts pay
• No free rides – Victorian jockeys united in jump out action
• VRC posts $24.2 million loss despite record membership levels
• ATC board ballot and AGM keep spotlight on Rosehill controversy
• B2B gets back to basics, outsourcing breeding arm to focus on racing
• Where are 2024’s million-dollar yearlings?
• Smaller Magic Millions catalogue released as Tasmania braces for tougher times

On this day 12 months ago, The Straight first launched.

Turning on the switch on a Tuesday afternoon late in November, we were expecting a low-key run into Christmas. However, within days, the chairmanship of Racing NSW was vacated in a political bunfight, and soon after, news of the proposal to sell Rosehill was announced.

Meanwhile in Victoria, participant unrest was mounting in what would eventually result in the departure of the CEO and a refresh of the board. Also in December, Tabcorp then penned a landmark 20-year deal with the Victorian government.

Covering these weighty subject matters was a vindication for what we knew was one of the key purposes of The Straight. We wanted to provide in-depth, independent coverage of the biggest issues impacting the Australian thoroughbred industry.

As it turned out, December was just a taste of what was to come in 2024. What we came to realise quite quickly is that it was just a normal month in the world of thoroughbred industry news. Every month since, there have been big, important stories and we have been there to cover them.

With such great engagement on these stories, we will continue to cover them for as long as people see value in them.

An industrial relations spotfire erupted in Victoria this week, with senior jockeys saying they would refuse to ride in jump outs for free at major training venues anymore.

While on the surface, it would seem to be an open-and-shut case of riders getting compensated for the work they are undertaking, there are some key nuances to this story. Racing Victoria and leading trainers have both raised concerns about how much it would cost the industry.

It’s been a tough 2024 for Australia’s various racing clubs, with the biggest the VRC, confirming this week it had registered a $24 million loss last financial year. That is the fourth consecutive financial loss in a row.

Meanwhile, Thursday’s Australian Turf Club AGM is expected to be a significant one with confirmation of who has won the two vacant directors’ seats, while members will be able to ask questions of chairman Peter McGauran about the current process around the potential sale of Rosehill. We will have all the latest out of the meeting.

Ricky Surace’s B2B Thoroughbreds has embarked on a change of direction, outsourcing its breeding operations and focusing more on its racing stock. As part of that, they recently secured a promising three-year-old for their slot in the $3 million Magic Millions Sunlight.

With the yearling sales season almost upon us, we have looked back at where the 42 seven-figure yearlings from the 2024 Australasian sales have ended up.  

Meanwhile, Magic Millions has confirmed it has reduced the size of its 2025 Tasmanian Yearling Sale catalogue. 

This week’s episode of Straight Talk, our new podcast, will be available on Thursday afternoon. Bloodstock agent Will Johnson chats to us while we cover the jockey standoff in Victoria and the implications of the federal government’s delay on gambling advertising reform. Subscribe on You Tube, Apple, Spotify and Podbean.

Are you interested in advertising on The Straight? Gavin Corcoran has joined our team as our partnerships executive and is keen to hear from potential partners. He can be reached on partnerships@thestraight.com.au.    

Don’t forget to follow us on X, Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Thanks for supporting us throughout our first year!

Regards

Bren O’Brien

Managing Editor and Founder

The Straight