Straight Up – The racing club conundrum – How many is too many?

In this edition:

‘The fastest horse in racing has always been self-interest’ – The roadblock to club rationalisation
Run The Numbers – Australia’s top sires are the oldest in the world
Rowe on Monday: Kneebone enters Blue Diamond fray with Field Of Play, Stewart takes ownership of Australian pedigree company
Resolute Racing founder set to make a splash on the Gold Coast – Stewart flying in for his maiden Magic Millions
Nick Bawden announced as Racing SA CEO

Racing clubs have been in the news almost constantly throughout 2024. The Australian Turf Club’s proposal to sell Rosehill has been one of the biggest stories of the year in Australian racing, while we have had drama and revolution at the Melbourne Racing Club.

The financial trials of Australia’s biggest racing club, the Victoria Racing Club, have also been centre stage, as has Moonee Valley’s plans for a massive redevelopment are nearing their start date. We have also had upheaval at the Brisbane Racing Club as it progresses through its own overhaul.

Clubs are so crucial to the Australian racing landscape for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they control the industry’s most important and valuable assets, the racetracks. Secondly, they have the direct relationship with some of the industry’s most significant customers, members, who ultimately hold the fate of the club’s board in their hands.

It’s been a generation since clubs held the power as regulators. The creation of the ‘PRA’ level of administration and regulation has led many to question whether racing has ‘too many cooks’.

Sydney’s racing landscape changed dramatically in 2011 with the merger of the Australian Jockey Club and the Sydney Turf Club into the singular ATC.

A decade ago, then Racing Victoria chairman David Moodie wanted a similar solution for his jurisdiction. He failed in that ambition, but even now, as he told Matt Stewart, he believes racing would be much better served with a streamlined club model.

‘The fastest horse in racing has always been self-interest’

The roadblock to club rationalisation

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It would be easy to characterise the current crop of elite Australian stallions as a golden generation, but concern has been mounting for some time that the domination of ‘Twentysomethings’ at the top of our sire ranks is not necessarily a positive.

This week’s Run The Numbers has examined where the average age of Australia’s top stallions sits historically as well as compared to elsewhere in the world.

Run The Numbers

Australia’s top sires are the oldest in the world

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In Rowe On Monday, Tim Rowe chatted to Mike Kneebone about Blue Diamond contender Field Of Play as well as to American investor John Stewart about buying into Australian software company Pedigrees360.

Stewart had revealed to The Straight this week that he will definitely be on the Gold Coast ahead of next week’s Magic Millions Yearling Sale.

Rowe on Monday

Kneebone enters Blue Diamond fray with Field Of Play, Stewart takes ownership of Australian pedigree company

Read

Meanwhile, last Friday, Racing South Australia announced that Nick Bawden had been appointed its new CEO.

We have been running a series over the past few days looking back across some of our most significant stories of 2024.

And we have also been casting our eye forward into 2025:

Happy New Year from The Straight. To our wonderful members, all 6000 of you who have signed up to date, thank you for your support through 2024. We look forward to continuing to provide you with the most important stories impacting the thoroughbred industry throughout 2025.

Regards

Bren O’Brien

Managing Editor and Founder

The Straight

Straight Up – The racing club conundrum – How many is too many?

‘The fastest horse in racing has always been self-interest’

Run The Numbers

Rowe on Monday

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