THE Australian Jumping Racing Association yesterday delivered an unprecedented attack on the chairman and chief executive of Racing Victoria Limited and vowed to fight yesterday's ruling to terminate jumps racing in this state, reports The Age.It says: ''Both Michael Duffy and his chief executive Rob Hines are clearly incompetent and must be replaced because they have once again failed racing, failed its employees and failed the public at large,'' association president Rodney Rae said.''How they
THE Australian Jumping Racing Association yesterday delivered an unprecedented attack on the chairman and chief executive of Racing Victoria Limited and vowed to fight yesterday's ruling to terminate jumps racing in this state, reports The Age.
It says: ''Both Michael Duffy and his chief executive Rob Hines are clearly incompetent and must be replaced because they have once again failed racing, failed its employees and failed the public at large,'' association president Rodney Rae said.
''How they possibly arrived at this decision to finish jumps racing is staggering. But trust me, through the courts or through board positions on RVL, we will have this declaration overruled.
''They have devastated Warrnambool, they have fractured the incomes of people in Victoria and South Australia and we believe enough is enough.
''We have support from every stakeholder from the unions to the breeders right through to the jockeys, owners and race clubs. We will not stand by and let an incompetent group of men ruin 150 years of jumping history.''
After many years of indecision and a tumultuous 2009 season, the Racing Victoria board decided yesterday to bring the curtain down on jumps racing at the completion of the 2010 season.
RVL will schedule a series of high weight flat races in 2011 to help participants make a gradual transition. RVL will assist those participants in finding new employment, while attempts will be made to re-home jumps horses. Also, the Warrnambool Racing Club will get $1 million to help the club transform its famous three-day May jumps carnival into a flat race meeting in 2011.