Racing Victoria offered to make The Everest a group 1 race if Peter V’landys stopped creating new races and moving existing ones which clashed with Melbourne’s time-honoured spring majors.
The long-running debate about whether the world’s richest turf race should carry elite status has taken another twist with revelations Victorian officials flagged fast-tracking group 1 eligibility in return for the end to bombing raids on its spring carnival.
According to sources familiar with the situation not authorised to speak publicly, Racing Victoria briefly discussed the peace deal which would have granted The Everest the highest black-type status.
The discussion barely got off the ground and The Everest, which many consider to be the world’s best sprint race, will be run for the sixth time without any official recognition among international racing’s elite events.
Racing NSW and Racing Victoria have veto rights on the board of Racing Australia, the dysfunctional body charged with setting the program for Australia’s best races.
It has barely met in the past three years because of the warring states and The Everest has remained as a $15 million sprint without official group status while its consolation, the Sydney Stakes, is recognised as a group 3 event on the same day.
The Everest trophy on display before Saturday’s race.Credit:Getty
Moonee Valley’s Manikato Stakes will be run six days after The Everest with a field expected to be far inferior to the invitation-only Sydney sprint.
Sources have said Racing Victoria is still maintaining its position of only entertaining group 1 status for new races if they don’t have an adverse effect on other events and they won’t automatically lift The Everest without debating the scheduling with Racing NSW first.
But the impasse has resulted in dozens of Australia’s group and listed races not being upgraded or downgraded according to recent renewals because there has been little to no dialogue between the states.
Former Racing NSW chairman and Arrowfield supremo John Messara was parachuted into the role of Racing Australia chairman last year. He stepped down after less than 12 months after growing frustrated at attempts for conciliation between the states.
James McDonald was emotional after winning last year’s The Everest on Nature Strip.Credit:Getty Images
V’landys and Racing NSW have continued to evolve Sydney’s spring carnival, announcing another round of prizemoney increases earlier this year and most controversially shifting the Spring Champion Stakes for three-year-olds to Cox Plate day.
It will be run just seven days before the Victoria Derby.
It is hoped new Racing Victoria chief executive Andrew Jones will share a better relationship with V’landys, the pair meeting recently as the former Cricket NSW boss took the reins in Melbourne.
Thoroughbred Breeders NSW boss Hamish Esplin urged for there to be movement on race programming and an evaluation of all current and future black-type races, including The Everest.
“Representing the largest sector of the breeding in Australia, we have publicly stated the impotence of Racing Australia, through which black-type programming is enacted,” Esplin said.
“And the fact nothing has changed in many years now completely undermines and contradicts the stated positions of both Racing Victoria and Racing NSW that it wants a dynamic current and relevant racing program.
“For that fact alone, the status quo of ‘we won’t change if you don’t change’ has failed miserably. Not just for the bloodstock industry, but for racehorse owners, punters and fans, a clear-cut, fair and sensible treatment of black-type racing is essential for the sport to continue to grow.
“If race programming across Australia needs to be removed from the oversight of Racing Australia then that must happen because nothing is happening now.”
The Everest will be staged in front of a bumper crowd at Royal Randwick on Saturday which is expected to rival the turnout for Winx’s final start in the 2019 Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
It will be run an hour before the $5 million Caulfield Cup and is tipped to produce one of the biggest non-Melbourne Cup wagering days in recent years.
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