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Racing Victoria (RV) Chairman, Rob Roulston, and RV Executive General Manager – Integrity, Dayle Brown, have issued the following statement in response to comments made by Jeff Kennett in Fairfax Media today under the heading “Racing Victoria board must go, says Kennett”.
Within the article, Mr Kennett, whilst commenting on the disqualification of New Zealand jockey David Walker for seven years and comparing it to the 10-month penalty handed to Victorian jockey Damien Oliver, calls for the RV Board to be dismissed due to a “distinct lack of independence”.
“We welcome Jeff’s new found interest and passion for Victorian thoroughbred racing, however his comments depict a lack of understanding of our administrative and operating model,” Mr Roulston said.
“He wrongly questions the integrity and professionalism of each director on the RV Board and of the members and stakeholders who democratically elected them, both for their business acumen and their racing knowledge. Unfortunately his statements have been made without any substance.
“As with any professionally administered company, a director is required to declare a conflict of interest at any RV Board meeting and is thus excluded from presiding over the matter in question.
“The RV Board is committed to implementing the objectives detailed in our three-year Strategic Plan and to representing the interests of all participants and fans to ensure that thoroughbred racing in Victoria prospers.
“With regards to Integrity Services, the Racing Victoria Board did not play any role in the conduct of the Damien Oliver investigation and does not to this day actively participate in investigations being undertaken by Integrity Services.
“Victorian thoroughbred racing boasts one of the most independent integrity models of any Australian sport with the independent Racing Appeals and Disciplinary (RAD) Board presiding over the hearing of charges and an independent Integrity Council affording policy advice to the Board and Integrity Services.
“The Integrity Council, which was introduced in March to provide expert integrity advice to Racing Victoria, is chaired by Victoria’s former Solicitor-General, Ron Beazley, and includes current Supreme Court judge, the Honourable Justice Jack Forrest, among its members.
“The Board has great faith in our Integrity Services team led by Dayle Brown and Terry Bailey and are proud of the raft of enhancements that have been implemented over the past two years to further strengthen the integrity of Victorian racing.”
Mr Brown clarified that the Damien Oliver investigation was conducted by an independent investigative panel within RV’s Integrity Services department.
“The independent Racing Integrity Commissioner, Sal Perna, conducted a review of RV’s handling of the Damien Oliver case and found that our independent investigative panel took a professional and methodical approach to its investigation and did so without interference from RV Board or senior management,” Mr Brown said.
“Furthermore, the Racing Integrity Commissioner also found that the penalty imposed on Mr Oliver was reasonable in the circumstances given the precedents upon which stewards had to rely and the evidence at hand.”
Mr Brown noted that the circumstances of Mr Walker and Mr Oliver’s cases were different and that this was an important consideration when comparing the penalty imposed in the two cases.
“Mr Walker was found guilty of a charge of not allowing his mount to run on its merits in the race in which he was found guilty of betting on a rival runner, whilst Mr Oliver was found to have ridden his horse on its merits which is a significant point of difference,” Mr Brown explained.
“The evidence available to New Zealand stewards was also superior to that available to our investigative panel who still obtained a conviction for Mr Oliver for a period which exceeded the precedents upon which they were bound.”
Over the two years since Mr Oliver was disqualified, RV has implemented a range of major integrity enhancements including the adoption in March 2013 of a new minimum penalty regime across a range of serious offences.
Under the regime, a new precedent has been set with a minimum two-year penalty to apply for any jockey found guilty of betting on a rival horse.
RV’s licensing process now also includes a declaration form where jockeys must confirm that they have not bet on thoroughbred racing worldwide.
