Kanga eyes VRC board tilt as Melbourne racing’s power struggle intensifies
Is he set to hop into one of the most fascinating board battles Melbourne has seen in some time?
Former MRC chairman and businessman John Kanga is the latest prominent figure Betsy believes is lining up a tilt at the VRC board following the retirement of VRC chairman Neil Wilson.
The VRC battle follows a 6-5 board vote after Wilson’s retirement to install Vin Cox as chairman – provided Cox himself is elected in December.
It meant current deputy chairman Michael Ramsden missed out, leaving him and his supporters upset.
The result was the spark that has caused tension across committee rooms and the mean streets of Toorak as a few plot their revenge.
Those who spoke on background were at pains to tell us that if Kanga does run, it’s as an independent and not associated with any current faction or affiliation with other club figures.
Betsy spoke to Kanga at Flemington on Tuesday [where his candidacy was openly discussed by those on track] and again on Wednesday, but he remained non-committal.
For a man that refers to himself as ‘Kanga’, loves to chat and seemingly has a deep contact book, he has proven especially hard to lock down for a definitive answer.
His supporters believe he will stand – as do others who would prefer he wouldn’t run.
‘’Whether or not I nominate for the VRC Board will be entirely my own decision, guided by my love of racing, the encouragement I’ve received from members and participants, and my desire to make a positive contribution to this great club,’’ Kanga told Betsy on Wednesday.
‘’I have no interest in factions or internal politics. My only interest is doing what’s right for the members and the future of the Victoria Racing Club.”
One prominent Melbournian not involved in racing but backing Kanga’s run said the former MRC chairman has been inundated with messages from members urging him to run. We have no way of proving whether this is true, or not.
Another of Kanga’s Melbourne mates said several prominent trainers, jockeys and administrators [including a few that we would have trouble believing] have indicated in the past week they will lend their support to Kanga should he run. None would be quoted.
One current board member concedes that some on the board had informally discussed what life with Kanga would look like.
Nominations for the board close on Thursday. There is speculation a Melbourne Cup-sized field wants to run, with jockeying among Melbourne’s powerbrokers continuing throughout the week.
Betsy last week revealed prominent Melbournian Bill Guest is likely to nominate, along with some running mates. It’s believed he will have a ticket of four names.
Other candidates, we’re told, include publicans, bankers, owners, racing political types and a few dreamers.
Kanga’s reign at the MRC ended abruptly after he resigned following stories in The Age that linked him to a criminal who borrowed his company car.
As Betsy wrote at the time, despite being cleared of any wrongdoing and having the necessary police checks to be licensed by Racing Victoria and run his finance business, he resigned on the eve of the 2025 Carnival.
The saga has a few conservative types nervous. Kanga has told friends that he regrets resigning.
He remains a popular figure with the rank-and-file Caulfield members who celebrate cheap food, beer and facilities.
There is a view, rightly or not, that the cost of enjoying the VRC’s member areas is too great. I can say as a member myself, I couldn’t be less interested in the price of chicken sandwiches or this saga.
But going by our metrics, there are plenty that are, so we soldier on.
Betsy has been told that, in recent weeks, senior politicians, businesspeople, racing executives and even figures with serious clout within the VRC have discussed with Kanga a possible run, arguing that the stories of 2025 should not preclude him from standing.
Kanga, again, declined to comment on the suggestion.
His possible emergence in the VRC race contradicts assurances several board members received this week from outsiders that he wasn’t running.
Kanga’s potential re-emergence in clubland has also prompted several calls from powerful business leaders trying to work out the implications – and whether they should back him in.
But if Kanga does decide to run, it’s understood it would be against the wishes of key players in the saga, with those in the Ramsden camp preferring he abstain.
Betsy has been told influential racing figure and MRC vice-chairman, Jonathan Munz, asked him not to run, which Kanga would not deny.
‘’Jonathan Munz and I have known each other for a couple of years only,’’ Kanga said.
‘’We don’t always agree on every issue, but that has never diminished my respect for him. I have always acted in the interests of racing and my family and any suggestion either Jonathan or anyone else will influence on how I operate clearly don’t know me.’’
One area Kanga was happy to be quoted on was his position on mergers – which essentially echoes that of Cox.
“I’m not in the VRC boardroom and don’t have visibility of the Club’s current operations or strategic considerations. Any merger would require substantial analysis by the executive and Board to demonstrate genuine benefits to members,’’ he said.
‘’The Chairman-elect has made his position clear, and as the CEO has suggested, there may be opportunities for greater efficiencies and collaboration without merging. My focus should I run would be on delivering better services, facilities and year-round benefits for members while protecting the heritage and prestige of the VRC.’’
The potentially large field of candidates presents a fascinating numbers game. Those who love this kind of political power plays reckon that if history is anything to go by, the three incumbents on the board will likely be re-elected.
Which leaves one spot. One keen observer who like Betsy is more interested in the drama than the outcome reckon Kanga’s individual popularity would have him a short-priced favourite to snare a seat at the table.
What has become clear on Wednesday, however, is that the club is trying to ensure the election doesn’t turn into a public farce.
For a club that has proudly fought its battles behind closed doors, this election is delicately poised. Some within the club still hope a quiet conversation with a few candidates might see some withdraw to ensure a smooth process.
There also remains a deep frustration with Ramsden and his mates, including Guest, from those who can enjoy the comforts of the committee rooms.
Forget war, it’s peace that the adults in the room are seeking. But what happens next is anyone’s guess.
The likelihood of Kanga running?
We wrote in November last year we’d like a futures bet that he’ll come back. Finally, a long-range bet we reckon will land.
Robbie Williams steals the show in a Melbourne Cup to remember
Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup was one of the best atmospheres on a racetrack I have experienced. Dead cold sober and working feverishly, it was impossible to ignore the buzz at Flemington.
The most obvious win was the club’s booking of pop-star Robbie Williams. He was simply sensational.
I stood next to a few clearly enjoying Williams pre-Cup gig – before they later returned to receive the Melbourne Cup just 30 minutes later. What an afternoon!
The amount of people still dancing to Williams an hour after the last was incredible.
A sight to behold 🙌
@robbiewilliams brings the house down with an epic finale to set the scene for the Lexus Melbourne Cup.
#MelbourneCup https://t.co/Zzna5IcK9S
— Victoria Racing Club (@FlemingtonVRC) November 3, 2026
The racing too has been fantastic. Another safe Cup – with 97,112 on course to enjoy – the biggest in a decade.
The story of Ethan Brown – from a horrific race fall to Melbourne Cup heroics – has cut through.
Derby Day too was electric with more than 88,000 on course, highlighted by two of the world’s best jockeys in James McDonald and Mark Zahra battling it out in the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
The club needs to work through a few issues – footage of people waiting nearly 90 minute wait to get into the Nursery ain’t great and of course, there was a few other member complaints.
The big money spent on Williams – then DJ Fisher on Champions Day – has shifted the Cup Carnival from a racing event to a week of world class entertainment.
As we’ve seen with The Everest in Sydney, tt’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement.
From death’s door to hot ticket: Call of the Card’s remarkable revival
I remember a few years back where the Call of the Card – a day where punters go head-to-head with bookies with big bets on the Melbourne Cup – was on deaths door.
Sponsors weren’t interested in backing the event after the controversy of the Cup’s safety record, ticket sales were slow and there was every chance the concept was cooked.
Racing Victoria stepped in to essentially underwrite and save the event [with the support of Ladbrokes].
And to their credit, the event is once again a must attend in Victoria’s Spring Carnival, with hundreds of people on waiting list for tickets on Monday.
RV’s events team have done a tremendous job ensuring the occasion not only survived, but is genuine fun – with great racing talent, big punters, smart bookies and really drive engagement in the Cup.
Perhaps a tad long this year, but what would you chop out?
The event too was well hosted, where in a room of more than a thousand people, punters got their bets on without fuss.
Bjorn, the master entertainer
Bjorn Baker was as happy as a man who had won a Melbourne Cup as he charmed the media and punters on Monday in a media conference.
Born with the gift of training – and holding an audience – Baker had the public and media laughing as he charmed them in the Crown Casino foyer with the tales of his tough stayer, So You Are.
His best line?
‘’Well good jockeys don’t need instructions, and the bad jockeys don’t listen anyway’’.
He then took his jokes and fresh material to the Call of The Card, where he again had the room roaring with laughter.
Upon returning to his seat after his interview at the Call of The Card, Baker turned to his mates and muttered – ‘I’ve still got it’’.
He sure does.
Punters deserve better in Cup scan controversy
It’s hard to understand the borderline apathy Racing Victoria is showing punters surrounding the Melbourne Cup scans.
Firstly, RV deserve significant kudos for their insistence of keeping the scans in place.
They faced huge pressure from powerful racing folk to wind them back. They were smart not to.
Another safe Cup, but this time it’s hard not to see that changes are needed in 2027.
Someone, somehow, got win the Stinger Glass had issues with the scans and it drifted in the market accordingly.
The Japanese stayer was scanned on Tuesday, before punters were eventually told on Friday it was out.
Any bets in that period was essentially a donation to the bookie of your choice [however Ladbrokes was one outlet that did offer a refund].
In a scenario where a trainer had big doubts about the soundness of their runner, and the market reacted accordingly, stewards would rightly ask questions.
So how is it any different for RV? It needs to tell punters immediately – which is unlikely given RV’s delicate dance they must do to keep international connections happy, so they send another horse in the years to come.
The other solution is for RV to ask bookies to suspend a horse if there is doubt. RV has shown great courage to put the integrity of racing first – now it must do the same for punters, even if owners don’t like it.
RV, on Wednesday, remained non-comital to changes for 2027.
‘’ “The veterinary protocols have now been in place for six years and the processes associated with them are well established for all to know and consider. That said, we review all elements of the Spring Racing Carnival at its conclusion each year, including the veterinary protocols and associated processes, and that will be the case again after this year’s carnival,’’ a spokesperson said.
Leave ya morals at the Birdcage door
Which media type, whose employer gives no love to racing, was more than happy to pose up for sponsors in the Birdcage?
The price of fame.
It’s OK to say no
Couldn’t help, over the last couple of weeks, think back to a tale that a retired politician once shared with me.
After regretting a puff piece they took part in the lead-up to an election years back, he spoke of some salient advice a former minister had given him when the ‘friendly’ article did more damage than good.
The advice?
‘’It’s OK to say no’’.
