Less than four months after meeting to discuss the possibility of a merger, the Victoria Racing Club and the Melbourne Racing Club could not be further apart on the issue. Bren O’Brien ponders whether it was the consolidation of power which spooked the VRC.
As Melbourne Racing Club chairman John Kanga stood on the terrace of the Rooftop Bar at Flemington on March 1, celebrating the Australian Guineas win of his horse Feroce with trainer Dom Sutton and other owners, the rapid pace of his racing ascent must have flicked through his mind.
Two days prior, he had met at the Toorak mansion of billionaire businessman Jonathan Munz with key members of the VRC board, chairman Neil Wilson and vice-chairman Michael Ramsden, to discuss a plan to unite the Victoria Racing Club and MRC.
In the previous six months, he had upended and re-assembled the MRC committee, saved Sandown, moved the Caulfield mounting yard, slashed food and drink prices and finalised a plan to sell off a section of the course which would eliminate the debts incurred by a previous administration.
He had also hired a new chief executive, the highly regarded Tom Reilly, to help execute his vision. Not even a Caulfield grandstand fire could dampen the spirits of a man who seemed to be on a mission. He appeared to be part-racing administrator and part-superhero. He also had the media on speed dial and would not miss a chance for a handshake and a chat.
He had owned Group 1 winners before, but at Flemington on that perfect autumn day, everything was coming up Kanga. A man known for his love of a Pepsi drank out of the Australian Guineas trophy.
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