Champion trainer Chris Waller has written to the state’s racing minister telling him he did not agree to his name being used on a letter to the government that raised concerns about the direction of the $3 billion industry under Racing NSW and its chief executive Peter V’landys.
Waller, who masterminded the career of record-breaking mare Winx, was shocked to learn he had been linked to an April 14 letter to Racing Minister David Harris that called for a review of Racing NSW’s wide-reaching powers to be fast-tracked.
Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys (left) and trainer Chris Waller.Credit: Stephen Kiprillis
“I wish to make it absolutely clear that I did not sign any such letter, nor do I support the sentiment it implies. In fact, my views are quite the opposite,” Waller said in an email to Harris on Wednesday, seen by this masthead.
Three other racing figures whose names were on a list of 27 prominent industry players adjoining the letter have also distanced themselves from the document.
Waller, who has won more group 1 races than any living Australian trainer, told Harris that racing in NSW had undergone a remarkable transformation under V’landys, who he said was “an extraordinary administrator, arguably the best the sport has seen”.
“My greatest concern is that any proposed changes could destabilise the current momentum and leave Racing NSW vulnerable at a time when all sports are facing significant challenges,” he wrote.
Waller, left, walks with the current star of his stable Via Sistina.Credit: Getty Images
He said his only issue with Sydney racing was with the proposal to sell Rosehill racecourse to the state government for $5 billion to make room for 25,000 homes.
“While I understand the potential of this helping alleviate the housing shortage in Sydney, I question whether it will truly result in affordable housing,” wrote Waller, who has his stables at the western Sydney racecourse. “More importantly, I question how a comparable track to Rosehill can be rebuilt without losing its critical metropolitan footprint.”
Sydney-based trainer Gary Portelli, whose name was also on the letter, said he had no interest in entering into racing politics. “I saw the letter … I didn’t sign it, based on the fact I don’t want to get involved,” he said. “It’s something I want to keep out of.”
Another racing identity, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they had only agreed to have their name on the letter if Waller was backing it.
Max Whitby (centre) celebrates with Waller and jockey Kathy O’Hara after the victory of Rediener in the Epsom at Randwick in 2023.Credit: Getty
Horse owner Max Whitby, a slot holder in the $20 million sprint race the Everest, said he didn’t realise he’d endorsed the letter, but blamed himself for the error.
He said his fight was simply against the Rosehill sale process.
Others named in the correspondence to Harris included renowned trainer Gai Waterhouse and her bookmaker husband Robbie Waterhouse, trainer John O’Shea and bloodstock executive Vin Cox, a board member of the Victoria Racing Club, which hosts the Melbourne Cup carnival.
The rest were mostly from the thoroughbred breeding sector, among them Winx part-owner Debbie Kepitis.
Julia Ritchie (right) gave evidence at the parliamentary inquiry into the proposed sale of Rosehill racecourse last August.Credit: Dean Sewell
The letter was emailed to Harris’s office by owner and breeder Julia Ritchie, a former director of the Australian Turf Club, which owns the Rosehill track, and a spokeswoman for Save Rosehill.
Ritchie was contacted for comment on Friday.
The letter to Harris did not specifically name V’landys, who has run Racing NSW for two decades and is also chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission, saying “this is not about politics or personalities”.
But it said last year’s parliamentary inquiry into the Rosehill sale proposal had revealed “an erosion of trust in the governance structures currently in place” in racing and “a growing divide between the controlling body and those it exists to represent and serve”. It called for a review of the Thoroughbred Racing Act, under which Racing NSW’s authority is established, to be independent and free of interference.
“The future of racing cannot be built on fractured trust, opaque decision-making, or resistance to scrutiny,” said the letter, whose contents were first reported by The Australian Financial Review. “We believe in the power of this industry to evolve and thrive – but only if the structures that govern it are reset with integrity, transparency, and fairness.”
A spokesman for Harris said the minister had previously committed to a review of legislation with the purpose of determining whether it was still fit for purpose. Racing NSW and V’landys declined to comment.
