Just when you thought racing’s war over Melbourne Cup protocols couldn’t blow up even further. It has – this time it’s Racing Victoria’s most senior vet Dr Grace Forbes lighting the fuse.
The Herald Sun’s Michael Warner tonight dropped a bombshell report, with explosive allegations that Racing Victoria’s most senior veterinary official was “pressured and coerced” into allowing high-risk international horses to compete.
You can read the report here. The timing couldn’t be any worse for Racing Victoria as they enter their two biggest weeks of the year. Despite the legal action being launched in August, the documents happened to find their way to the Herald Sun in racing’s peak period.
According to Warner’s report, Forbes has lodged a workplace bullying claim with the Fair Work Commission.
It’s important to note these are untested allegations and Racing Victoria deny them.
But the claims are significant and threaten to undermine the strict vet protocols Racing Victoria introduced to stop horses dying in the Melbourne Cup. Not a single horse has died in the race since they were introduced.
The crux of Warner’s story is that Forbes is alleging systemic pressure by top RV executives to weaken strict veterinary safety protocols introduced to protect horses, particularly those from overseas.
The implications that RV wants some flexibility with the tough vet rules, less than a day after RV CEO Aaron Morrison publicly defended them after Sir Delius was scratched from the Cox Plate and Cup, is significant.
We should add here RV strongly rejected these claims, telling Betsy “the protocols continue to set a global standard and we will not compromise these”.
But in short, the person responsible for managing the protocols is now claiming she was pressured to show leniency at the behest of international trainers and powerful Victorian racing figures. Ugly stuff.
The claims are unlikely to be tested in court until 2026, with an initial hearing between Forbes and RV set for December.
But the allegations in Forbes’ legal claims are serious. In her 15-page submission, she said she faced repeated demands from Morrison and her boss, Integrity Manager Jamie Stier, to be “more flexible” in her assessments.
This, she argues, would have allowed horses deemed at “high risk” of catastrophic injury to race in key events such as the Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate. Again, RV strenuously deny this.
Betsy has been aware for some time of speculation surrounding Forbes’ position at Racing Victoria. It was long rumoured she at times did not get along with the Racing Victoria board, participants found her communication style could be difficult and that there was an appetite for change. She is currently on personal leave.
“The repeated request of me to be flexible suggests that I should be unethical, which is at odds with my commitment to advocate for the horse,” Forbes wrote in her court submission.
The allegations come amid long-running tensions between international racing stables and Racing Victoria over the stringent scanning and imaging protocols introduced after a series of horse fatalities.
Forbes claims in her court action that her role was undermined following her recommendation to scratch O’Brien’s horse Jan Brueghel before the 2024 Melbourne Cup after it failed to meet safety standards. That decision, she says, was made by an independent panel of imaging specialists.
Jan Brueghel later returned to Europe and had an injury interrupted season.
“I believe I was punished for enforcing that decision,” she wrote, adding that both Morrison and Stier sought to remove her from involvement in the vetting process for international runners.
Forbes also revealed some behind the scenes tensions between RV executives, claiming Morrison’s behaviour toward her shifted after a board presentation on the equine welfare budget in June 2024, where he allegedly shouted at Stier.
The Herald Sun report also details one alleged incident at Flemington Racecourse in October 2024, where Dr Forbes says Morrison made remarks in front of colleagues over a jacket she wore.
She also says she was denied permission to attend an international welfare committee meeting in Hong Kong.
In a statement, RV rejected Forbes’ claims saying, “regarding the workplace dispute, we are disappointed to read the allegations and strongly refute their accuracy and the disparaging comments attributed by Dr Forbes about Racing Victoria and its staff.”
‘’Equine welfare is of the highest priority to Racing Victoria which is why we’ve spent $45 million on equine welfare programs, initiatives and resources since 2017.”
‘’The veterinary protocols were introduced in 2021 following an unacceptable number of catastrophic incidents and since then the Melbourne Cup and other key events have been held without serious injury. The protocols continue to set a global standard and we will not compromise these.”
“Our governance structure requires that any update to processes and protocols involves extensive consultation and multiple layers of approval.”
The legal complaint also names RV’s People and Performance Manager Xavier Linton.
Stier was contacted for comment.
