The Victorian jumps racing industry will face a wide-ranging Racing Victoria inquiry after a dramatic increase in fatalities during the 2024 season.
In what promises to be the most comprehensive investigation into the sport in more than a decade, Racing Victoria chairman Tim Eddy warned “that no outcome was off the table”.
Victoria’s season ended in the worst possible circumstances for jumps aficionados when three horses were euthanised during the Grand National Steeplechase meeting at Ballarat last month.
They were among seven horses that died in 2024, up from an average of 2.3 fatalities during the previous three years.
“The safety record across the 2024 jumps racing season was unacceptable and the events of the final meeting at Ballarat were heartbreaking for all involved in the Victorian jumps racing community,” Eddy said.
“Many people have worked incredibly hard to make the sport as safe as it can be and had achieved marked improvement across the 14 years prior to this season when we took a backwards step.”
Victoria is the last bastion of jumps racing in Australia after South Australia abandoned the format from 2022.
The Victorian industry was the subject of a major overhaul in 2o10 and underwent further changes in 2019 to improve the safety of horses and riders.
Ex-Victorian deputy premier Rob Hulls, who served as racing minister from 2006 to 2010 when he was accused of having a vendetta against jumps racing, called for the latest carnage to stop.
"This is not just an animal welfare issue, this is also a reputational issue. Now is the time to end jumps racing," he told reporters after the Ballarat fatalities.
Matt Stewart
RV holds an annual review of the jumps season, but it will expand the terms of reference under the auspices of the newly created Jumps Review Group (JRG).
The JTG will be chaired by RV’s general manager of integrity Jamie Steir.
Former Victorian Racing Integrity Board chair and ex-Supreme Court Judge, Justice Jack Forrest has been appointed an independent member.
Under the review’s charter, the JRG has been asked to take a “broader, whole-of-business approach” into the jumps racing industry.
A report and recommendations are expected to consider the future viability of jumps racing in Victoria while suggesting further changes that can be made to improve the safety record of the sport.
The JRG has been given until the end of November to provide a report RV’s executive.
Bren O’Brien
Eddy and his board will then receive recommendations for a decision in December.
“The Jumps Review Group has been asked to consider, among other things, participation rates, industry support, community attitudes, financial returns, the safety record of the sport and the measures in place to promote safe racing,” Eddy said.
“This thorough review has commenced this week, and its outcomes will be informed by the process - with no outcome off the table at this time.”
Racing Integrity Commissioner Sean Carroll will also receive a copy of the report.
A key element of the JRG investigation will include a review into the level of community acceptance of jumps racing and the impact it has on the broader appeal of thoroughbred racing.
It will also analyse the financial performance of the industry for participants, clubs and the wider Victorian thoroughbred sector.
Data on starters, field sizes, wagering and industry participation rates will also be examined.
As part of the review, public submissions will close on October 24.
