Where the Cuts Have to Come From – Oh Victoria, This Mess You’re In
There are 26 race tracks in Victoria. They are expensive to maintain and race at, and most don’t bring in enough consistent revenue to make it worthwhile. The number of tracks will have to be reduced to about 10. To do that the tracks that remain will have to be centered in regions, and take […]
The Grim Reality of Victorian Harness Racing’s Present and Future – It’s a Nightmare
One simple way to read the balance sheet of an unprofitable business to find out what’s gone wrong is not to worry about the dollars, but rather to look at what percentage of the organisation’s income is spent on each category of expense. To get the real picture you need to look at the organisation’s […]
Ask No Questions, Get Told No Lies
There are a lot of questions being asked about Ryan Wiggins ride on the favorite Lean Eagle in the 2nd race at Cairns yesterday, but surprisingly none of them by the Stewards. Wiggins just walked the even money favorite out of the gates and let it settle 4-wide in worse than midfield over the 950m […]
Dale Monteith’s Grand Ideas For Victorian Harness Racing
In 2015 Dale Monteith conducted an audit of harness racing commissioned by the Victorian State Government. Monteith made 18 recommendati0ns, which were accepted by the government and introduced. One of them was the reconstitution of the board. That resulted in Monteith shortly after being appointed as HRV Chairperson. Good recommendation that one. Here they are […]
Monumental failure’: How a racing code lost its $100m nest egg
By Danny Russell August 18, 2024 — 9.56am Harness Racing Victoria has been accused of a “monumental failure of governance” that led to the sport’s governing body losing control of its $100 million land asset at Melton. Angry stakeholders claim HRV has borrowed so much money to keep the sport afloat over the past five […]
She is of the Earth, But Not Bound By It
Black Caviar is big, hulking, strong, dominant, fierce – and she chews up the ground beneath her hooves. If you’ve never watched her race, you’ve missed out on one of the most soul-stirring experiences, ever. Her front hooves consume the ground before her: she will not be controlled by Mother Earth. She is of the Earth, […]
BLACK CAVIAR DEAD
Ten Salient Facts About HRV
Fact 1 HRV’s wage bill is $20.3 million. Harness Racing NSW’s is $7.1 million. Fact 2 HRV spends 19.2% of its income on wages and salaries. HRNSW only spends 8.8%. Fact 3 HRNSW spend almost twice the amount on swabbing that HRV does. Fact 4 HRV spends just $291 000 a year on animal welfare. […]
The HRV CEO Pours Petrol on a Fire, and Turns it Into a Blaze
Victorian Harness Racing is in crisis. For years under the watch of Chairman Dale Monteith and his CEO Dayle Brown the principal body HRV spent vast amounts more than it earned, and covered the difference by racking up debt. It was living beyond your means writ large, a near decade spent surfing credit cards and […]