What is troubling racing at Caulfield? Why is a prominent trainer like Rick Hore-Lacy packing up his swag and walking? Rick is a brilliant trainer, and a real gentleman. He is still a young man; surely he doesn’t desperately need the $585,361. Wither thou goest Mr. Hore-Lacy?
Rick’ loss to Caulfield will leave an immense hole in training that will be very hard, nigh impossible, to fill.
The question remains — what exactly is for sale? Land Victoria indicates 20 Booran Road, Caulfield East, is a large allotment immediately south of the land given to the Crown in exchange for the infamous “triangle”, which was part of Queen Victoria’s Crown Grant, but which is now set aside for the MRC’s high-density commercial development on the corner of Station Street and Normandy Road – directly over the road from the Caulfield Railway Station. (Worth a damn lot more than Rick’s stable complex).
The Victorian Land’s Department also seems to think his stables are within the land controlled by the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trustees. It’s my opinion that the land to the east of Kambrook and Booran Roads is freehold, and includes what was originally an extended Bond Street.
You can see the Land’s Victoria map:
However 20 Booran Road it is further south than indicated on the Government’s map. It can be positioned by a sign on the fence indicating that it is a “Community Stable Complex — 20 Booran Road”. Furthermore there are seven letterboxes in the fence, so exactly what did Rick Hore-Lacy’s “Australia-wide firm of valuers” value? It can’t be his goodwill, because that would have only a negligible value after he departs.
It seems Rick Hore-Lacy’s departure is yet another sign that we are watching the slow, painful death of racing at Caulfield. The MRC is now too embarrassed to publish crowd numbers, even for the Caulfield Cup. Please don’t go Rick, Caulfield needs you.
A rich and magnificent 150 year history of racing and sharing with the public is slowly being desecrated by an incompetent and avaricious Racing Club, while the inept Trustees waffle about the 65 hectares of “public recreation ground and public park” which they, in theory only, hold in trust for all members of the public.
December 4, 2014 at 6:42 PM
MMBW Plans from around 1914 show Bond St once extended southward, but only as far as Glen Eira Rd, the portion that is now part of the Glen Eira rubbish dump. As part of the infamous land “swap”, MRC had to subdivide several freehold parcels of land and surrender some of them to the Crown. Parcel 2, which has stables on it, was then supposed to be leased back to MRC for no more than 10 years.
Most of the land where the stables are appear not to be Crown Land, based on public DTPLI information. Lease payments “based on a market rent valuation” for Parcel 2 were supposed to be available “to maintain public benefits”, but only DTPLI [and possibly the Trustees] would know where the money has actually gone. Parcel 1 hasn’t been landscaped, but technically that could still be to the satisfaction of DTPLI.
Social housing would appear to be another element that has quietly been dropped. Instead of maintaining “the public benefit from a social aspect”, amenity standards have gradually been eroded to help the developer increase its profits. Knowing this, our Council voted to remove 3rd party review rights, just in case affected residents were miffed.
MRC acknowledged in its justification for C60 that racing-related revenue and race attendences were in decline, and it was therefore looking to develop alternative long-term revenue streams.
December 4, 2014 at 7:39 PM
The area of C60 will all be social housing. Small cheap boxes for the poor and disadvantaged. At least they will all have free TV thanks to the MRC big screen.
December 4, 2014 at 8:02 PM
Could someone explain what the community stables sign recently installed actually means ?
December 4, 2014 at 9:25 PM
Have you noticed the sign around Caulfield racecourse advising that Victorian Amateur Turf Club (not MRC) is establiahing a “Place of assembly (outdoor cinema)” at 31 Station St. Objections to Council by 15 December. I imagine this is about the screen that was proposed a while ago. I like the phrasing and the fact that it is VATC as a non-profit organisation and not MRC as its trading part. Will anyone object?
December 4, 2014 at 11:24 PM
Part of that area is included in the land swap, which means some of the structures along the fence line will have to go, and the land be incorporated into the emerging parkland adjacent to the round a about. Its a small but worthwhile gain for the public.
December 4, 2014 at 11:29 PM
“Community” its whitewash to the extreme
I think I’ll turn up with my trusty stead, tomorrow and see how community minded the MRC is
December 5, 2014 at 8:15 AM
What’s Delahunty going to do or say now.
Rather than requesting a delay on approving the big screen until the AG report was released and the management of the racecourse issue was resolved, or discussions on the lease agreement re installation of the big screen on Crown Land were undertaken, she argued for approving the big screen. Her argument being, by some incredible stretch of logic, that approval would remove the MRC’s argument against sport in the centre. (She ignored amenity impact on park users and accepted, without any scepticism, that the MRC would spend $4m on a screen that would only involve daytime usage on racedays (27 days pa) and major events (10 pa)).
Gonna, be interesting to see what her argument will be now, since it is extremely unlikely that the MRC will schedule their films (or big screen live streaming of major international sporting events) around sporting club fixtures. Not to mention residential amenity issues for current and the future 3000+ C60 residents (flashing lights, noise, traffic congestion, parking etc.).
December 5, 2014 at 11:53 AM
Surely Mr. Hore-Lacy is allowed to retire as it would seem he is well past the age when most citizens in society are enjoying retirement. For years he has had to rise at 3.30 a.m every morning to train horses feed them etc. and then drive great distances to race them every week. He deserves a rest now.
Another trainer, Antony Cummings, has gone however, because according to the Sun page 59 4/12/2014 that he has left the Caulfield stables because of International horses being stabled there, Equine Influenza (2007) and his horses suffering too many bugs.
Perhaps the Racing Industry is becoming too interested in their little lot forgetting the “isolated Island” we live on and should promote our disease free animal situation by discontinueing encoiraging these imports for about “ten minutes” of racing .so as to speak and make considerations beyond its own industry… milllions of sheep, cattle and work horses which could contract new rampant diseases from overseas… jiust imagine the cost to wool growere of innoculating thousands of sheep for the bugs which Mr. Cummkings stated his horses at Caulfield were contracting..
December 5, 2014 at 12:29 PM
I think that it is time now to ‘clear the stables’, sack the trustees and do a Kennett on Caulfield Racecourse and Reserve Traust. Appoint 2 commissioners to run the trust and management of the Caulfield Racecourse with the purpose of establishing a modern Management Committee to run properly the CRRT on the basis of the original deed.
December 5, 2014 at 3:00 PM
Can you please explain why someone convicted of sexual harassment is considered by you to be “a real gentleman”?
December 6, 2014 at 3:38 PM
anyone know the relationship between Matchem Racing and Aquainta
http://www.aquanita.com.au/index.asp?page=managementteam
Mike Symons – CRRT trustee + chairman MRC
David Trussler – board member of Aquainta
http://www.matchemracing.com/our-people/
Matthew Cain – currently a Committee Member and Treasurer of the Melbourne Racing Club and a Trustee to the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve.
David Trussler – board member of Mathchem as well
Smeardon and Sadler are trainers for both.
All very fish if you ask me and it looks like Aquainta had 2 conflicts of interest on voting themselves a cheap lease of the Neerim Road stables.