Just what is going on at the highest levels of racing in Victoria? In The Age it's now being reported that Racing Victoria had to be 'bailed out' by country racing with $4 million in September. Country Racing Victoria chairman Michael Caveny says the CRV and the Melbourne Racing Club each loaned RVL $4 million. The loans were to pay the costs of a Supreme Court ruling in August, when Tabcorp won a landmark case against the new race-fields fee scheme introduced by Victorian racing authorities. Ta

Just what is going on at the highest levels of racing in Victoria? In The Age it's now being reported that Racing Victoria had to be 'bailed out' by country racing with $4 million in September. Country Racing Victoria chairman Michael Caveny says the CRV and the Melbourne Racing Club each loaned RVL $4 million. The loans were to pay the costs of a Supreme Court ruling in August, when Tabcorp won a landmark case against the new race-fields fee scheme introduced by Victorian racing authorities. Tabcorp won the right to recoup nearly half the $20 million it had already paid to RVL under the scheme.

Country Racing Victoria is also strongly against RV's decision to axe jumps racing. Michael Caveny has told the CRV annual general meeting in Ballarat that his board unanimously supports jumps racing. He says: 'It seems an extraordinary situation where on one hand we bend over backwards to assist them in their hour of need and then they make this decision that has such severe ramifications for country racing in Victoria and racing in general,...The decision to axe jumps racing absolutely flies in the face of every wish of every stakeholder in Victoria and everyone associated with racing who want jumps racing to continue. This board is there to represent the stakeholders, and Racing Victoria has just ignored them.'

Latest joke is a statement from Victorian Racing Minister over the expected plight of the great Warrnambool jumps carnival, which faces disaster in the wake of the decision to scrap jumps racing. Rob Hulls, one of those behind the ban, says the Government will NOT assist Warrnambool's economy, which receives a $15 million boost from jumps racing through its three-day carnival in May. Hulls says: 'It is absolutely incumbent upon RVL to ensure that the Warrnambool carnival actually flourishes.'

No matter what Hulls or Racing Victoria says the Warrnambool carnival is doomed without jumps racing. That means an economic dagger into the heart of the town.