Racing billionaire to replace Kanga on Melbourne Racing Club board

Billionaire racehorse owner Jonathan Munz has agreed to join the Melbourne Racing Club board, filling a casual vacancy left by the resignation of former chairman John Kanga.

The MRC, which governs Caulfield, Sandown and Mornington Racecourses, released a statement on Friday morning to say Munz had been appointed vice-chairman, while Tanya Fullarton has been elevated to the chief executive position.

Fullarton has been acting-CEO since the club sacked Tom Reilly in June.

Munz and Fullarton worked side by side on the board of the Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners’ Association, Munz as chairman and Fullarton as vice-chairman.

While the MRC told this masthead Fullarton had stepped away from that role, Munz will continue as TROA chairman.

It follows the recent appointment of the Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria president Peter Murray to the board of the Victoria Racing Club, which governs Flemington.

Both TROA and TBV are Racing Victoria stakeholders, prompting Racing Victoria to release a statement on Friday saying: “RV, acting in the best interests of Victorian racing, will be making enquiries of certain member entities regarding their governance arrangements relevant to recent committee appointments, including the management of any perceived conflicts of interest.”

In a response to this masthead, the MRC said it is comfortable dealing with any perceived conflicts of interest.

Munz is considered one of the most powerful people in racing.

He almost toppled the Racing Victoria board last year when he filed a motion for an emergency general meeting to have five directors sacked.

The motion was lost but Racing Victoria CEO Andrew Jones resigned soon after and two new directors were appointed to the board.

Munz is also one of the biggest breeders and owners in Victorian racing as owner of a private training facility at Mornington called Pinecliff.

He races horses with several trainers in Victoria, including the Danny O’Brien-trained Getta Good Feeling, which is favourite for Saturday’s group 2 Wakeful Stakes, and superstar sprinter Giga Kick, who is prepared by Clayton Douglas and is being aimed at the VRC Champions Sprint.

The Age reported in June that Munz hosted two of the most powerful figures in Melbourne racing at a secret meeting in his Toorak mansion to discuss a potential merger of the Victoria and Melbourne racing clubs.

Talks involving then MRC chairman Kanga and VRC chairman Neil Wilson focused on bringing Flemington and Caulfield racetracks under one administration, and undoing 150 years of tradition by creating a super club that would oversee both the Melbourne and Caulfield cups.

The Age reported earlier this month that Kanga quit the racing club as chairman on the eve of its lucrative Caulfield Cup week carnival.

Munz will now work closely with new MRC chairman Cameron Fisher and CEO Fullarton to run a billion-dollar sporting club that owns 112 hectares of land at Sandown Racecourse in Springvale worth more than $600 million and owns 15 poker machine venues that make almost $50 million profit a year.

“The new MRC board, led by John Kanga and now by Cameron Fisher, has done an excellent job, saving racing at Sandown, returning the Caulfield mounting yard to its rightful place, abandoning plans for an unnecessarily costly new Caulfield grandstand and moving quickly to reduce debt,” Munz said.

“They have also done a great job for members, racegoers and participants, and I’m pleased to support Cameron, Tanya and the committee in continuing that work. The club has a strong platform for growth, and I’m looking forward to helping ensure its continued success and contribution to the wider industry.”

Fisher praised the appointment of Munz as well as Fullarton’s promotion.

“Tanya has done an exceptional job over the past four months, leading the club through one of its most successful Caulfield Cup carnivals in years – with huge crowds across all three days, corporate hospitality at capacity and the Caulfield Cup itself a sell-out,” Fisher said.

“Having someone of Jonathan’s calibre join the committee is a tremendous benefit for the Club. He is one of Australia’s most successful and respected business persons and a leading owner and breeder and brings expertise at the highest level across business management, finance, property and racing.

“He has made a significant contribution to horse racing, as a leading owner and breeder and through his longtime advocacy as Chairman of TROA and enjoys deep relationships and connections across the racing industry, both in Australia and internationally.”

The Age reported last month that 24 memberships linked to Kanga and his family were purchased by a single credit card in the lead-up to the MRC’s bitter boardroom battle last year, when he seized control of the $1 billion sporting club. The MRC denied the block of memberships affected the outcome of the club’s September elections, and said they did not breach any rules.

Why Zahra is so confident of Derby favourite’s hopes

Andrew Wu

Jockey Mark Zahra is so bullish of Observer’s chances in the Victoria Derby he says the favourite can win the race even if he does not stay the distance.

Ahead of what is shaping to be a red-letter meeting for global giant Godolphin and Zahra, Observer is set to start the shortest-priced favourite in the classic since 2008 when Whobegotyou was sent out a $1.75 top pick.

In a cautionary tale for punters, Whobegotyou was rolled that day by a $101 outsider Rebel Raider but Zahra, stopping short of declaring his mount a certainty, could not be more confident in Observer delivering him his first Derby.

The son of Ghaiyyath, stamped his class with an unlucky third in the Caulfield Guineas and was on track to win by plenty in the Drummond Golf Vase last week before Zahra, with the race won, eased him up approaching the line.

“I think he’s the best horse in the race by far,” Zahra said. “I don’t think any other horse could’ve run like he did in the Guineas, which is a great form race. The main thing for me is getting him to relax.

“He doesn’t have to get the whole part right because he’s that much better than them. If he can get the first half right that will be enough.”

Zahra said his aim in the run was to have Observer, from barrier four, to settle just behind the leaders.

Like every other runner in the field, Observer is tackling the 2500m for the first time and a query at the distance. Whobegotyou was also the class horse in his Derby year but was vulnerable at the staying trip and not asked to stretch beyond 2040m for the rest of his career.

Asked if Observer needed to stay the distance to win, Zahra said: “Probably not. Not always the best stayer wins the derby, but the best horse, which he is.”

Former star jockey turned trainer Nick Ryan is saddling up Miewa and High Vol to cause a boilover. Ryan wants a genuine tempo to test Observer’s stamina.

“He’ll be tested tomorrow,” Ryan said. “He won’t get as soft a run in front, he’ll have to settle better. Every year you see the horse that relaxes and runs the trip right out is the winner.”

Godolphin have a stranglehold on the other $2 million group 1 on the card, the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), where Beiwacht and Tentyris are jostling for favouritism.

Zahra is riding the Sam Freedman-trained Tentyris, who was the toast of punters on Caulfield Cup day when he weaved a passage on the inside to storm over the top of his rivals in the Gothic Stakes.

In a pointer for punters, Zahra rates Tentyris as the best of his seven rides. His book also includes the seat on odds-on favourite Getta Good Feeling in the Wakeful Stakes.

“I think Tentryis is the one I’m most confident on,” Zahra said. “He’s been set for the race, he’s been ticking along beautifully. He’s ready to go.”

Meanwhile, European trio Absurde, Flatten The Curve and Goodie Two Shoes are yet to be cleared by stewards to run in the Melbourne Cup.

Stewards will run their eyes over the trio on Saturday morning after they were found to have presented with a change in their gaits during examinations on Thursday.

Former Carlton captains Chris Judd, Marc Murphy and current skipper Patrick Cripps will be among those with a keen interest in those inspections.

The stayer they part-own through the Baggers Naggers syndicate, Birdman, is 26th in the order of entry for the $10 million race. The cut-off is at 24.

Stewards have cleared the Ciaron Maher-trained stayer Interpretation fit to race, but he is 32nd and unlikely to get into the field.

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