AS THE Racing Victoria board meets at its Epsom Road headquarters this morning to decide the future of jumps racing, both supporters of the sport and protesters will gather outside, reports The Age in Melbourne.It says: RVL chief Rob Hines said that several hundred jumps racing participants were expected to attend the rally, but that RVL did not expect any confrontation between the two groups."It's good to see such a show of strength from the pro-jumps community," Hines said. "The

AS THE Racing Victoria board meets at its Epsom Road headquarters this morning to decide the future of jumps racing, both supporters of the sport and protesters will gather outside, reports The Age in Melbourne.

It says: RVL chief Rob Hines said that several hundred jumps racing participants were expected to attend the rally, but that RVL did not expect any confrontation between the two groups.

"It's good to see such a show of strength from the pro-jumps community," Hines said. "The board will meet in the morning and take representation from all sections of the industry before making a final decision on the future of jumps racing by three o'clock."

One of New Zealand's most renowned jumps racing trainers, John Wheeler, cannot believe that the sport in which he has enjoyed so much success could be outlawed today, but admits that present circumstances had not come as a surprise.

"I could see it coming to be honest," Wheeler told radio Sport 927 yesterday. "They (Racing Victoria) let them (animal welfare groups) get their foot in the door and now they're paying the price."

Wheeler has been an annual participant in Victorian jumps racing for more than 20 years and believes that the current modular hurdles and steeples, introduced after an independent jumps racing review in 2002, are to blame for many of the current spate of falls and the often brisk tempo of jumps races.

"Part of the problem in Australia is that they bowed to animal rights people in regard to the size of the jumps and created a speedway over jumps. There are more accidents if you get higher speed," Wheeler said.