Chief Stipe Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 RA chairman quits: Messara unable to end NSW-Victoria feud Arrowfield Stud founder John Messara has resigned from the Racing Australia chairmanship. Picture: Supplied By Gilbert Gardiner08:46pm • 30 March 2022 Racing Australia’s first independent chairman John Messara quit on Wednesday, conceding he was unable to settle state regulator differences. Hall of Fame administrator Messara, the founder of Arrowfield Stud, was appointed in May last year in a bid broker peace between Racing NSW and Victorian counterparts. Messara, who has voiced his frustration publicly about the stalemate before, was unable to make any inroads. Racing NSW and Racing Victoria have veto rights on decisions, including whether a board meeting can be held. In a statement on Wednesday, Messara said he was stepping aside in the hope his successor would have more luck. “I joined the Board of Racing Australia as its first ever Independent Chairman with the intention of reconciling differences,” Messara said in a statement. “I am now stepping aside to allow the Board to vote in a new Chair, who I hope will have more success than I have had.” RA will shortly consider a replacement for Messara. His departure came less than 24 hours after RA chief executive Myles Foreman announced his resignation. Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’Landys took exception to “certain sectors” accusing Racing NSW of being the cause of many of the problems in Australian racing’s civil war that resulted in Messara’s resignation. “… it’s complete rubbish that Racing NSW has never come to the table,” V’landys said on Wednesday evening. “The misinformation coming out of certain sectors is laughable. When all the facts are known in this situation people will take a different view. “John (Messara) tried his best, however, without expressing the serious concerns we have I can’t really say anymore.” RV chairman Brian Kruger was disappointed to hear about John Messara’s resignation. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images Racing Victoria chairman Brian Kruger expressed his disappointment on Wednesday. “This is a disappointing outcome as we had hoped John would be able to take RA forward and advance a number of important matters currently on the national agenda including equine welfare, the Rules of Racing and the Australian Racing Pattern,” Kruger said. “RV remains of the view that a united national approach is vital to Australian racing’s healthy future, and we stand ready and willing to engage in meaningful dialogue with all states on national matters. “We will be playing our role to ensure that RA can operate uninterrupted in the immediate future and will work with those that also believe in the importance of a national approach. “John is a decorated and highly respected member of the Australian racing community and while we are eager for him to continue in the role we understand the decision he has reached. “We would like to thank John for his contribution and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 So glad we got him to fix NZ racing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holy ravioli Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Kruger reeks of...insincerity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 As well as this contretemps, there is the not so minor matter of the proposed demerger of Tabcorp's combined operations. Interesting times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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