Mergers will happen
Expect club mergers to become a big focus for Victorian racing post the November state election.
Betsy revealed on Wednesday that there had been approach for the Moonee Valley Race Club to merge with the Melbourne Racing Club. We also wrote that at this stage, it looks unlikely the two will come together in the short-term.
The MRC approached the MVRC, who are currently undergoing a massive redevelopment of their site with the aim to be back racing at home in late 2027.
Of course this isn’t the first time a merger between two clubs has been discussed – the Melbourne Racing Club and the Victorian Racing Club had talks about what a joint venture may look like. After it leaked, the deal died.
Southside Racing is another club worth considering. They no longer sit within Country Racing Victoria after being promised metropolitan status under Andrew Jones’ regime.
That hasn’t and will likely never eventuate in the short-term. Despite the small member numbers, Southside are an important asset given their training base and workload their tracks carry.
But where they sit moving forward is anyone’s guess.
There remains strong support for the metropolitan clubs to come together, including within the State Government and Racing Victoria.
Betsy is acutely aware there is a view from government that racing needs to become leaner and meaner – and that clubs are the perfect place to start. Just don’t expect any movement before the November election.
Racing Victoria are open, if not supportive, of mergers in a bid to reduce costs and make racing more sustainable.
But which clubs? And who is the person that could bring them all together?
A one club model in metropolitan Melbourne makes complete sense. It would be a win for members and the rest of racing, where savings could be reinvested in facilities or prizemoney or even better products for punters.
Exclusive: Moonee Valley in secret merger approachhttps://t.co/B3SYTQ1mzg
— Betsy (@betsy_com_au) May 27, 2026
Times up for TB
Broadcasting veteran and long-time racing.com host Terry Bailey has been told his time at the station is up.
Bailey is the host of the popular Tuesdays with Terry after his race calling was wound up in 2025.
TB was then given the opportunity to continue to host his traditional Tuesday slot, popular in the industry given his in-depth interviews, good humour and willingness to give an opinion.
But TB was told that in a bid to save money, he would finish up by June 30.
He confirmed the news on Wednesday but didn’t want to comment on the situation.
Despite TB’s removal, it is believed the station is looking at bringing in another host.
Polarising at times, TB remained distinctively popular as a host.
He will now turn his attention to his greyhounds – he has invested heavily into the training caper, recently delivering a few winners.
Racing’s FightMND push
The Peter Gelagotis Racing team are set to launch a big campaign to raise much needed money to fight MND – and they have some personal reasons for doing so.
Peter Gelagotis, and his brother Manny, are an active part of their Moe community having raised a stack of cash for the FightMND cause.
Neale Daniher, of course, did an incredible job fundraising for the research body, and tragically passed away this week.
Neale’s son, Ben, played football for Moe.
The stable, too, had a close bond with former AFL player Geoff Ablett [and brother of Geelong great, Gary] – Geoff himself tragically passed away this year from MND.
‘’[The fundraising efforts] have been going on for 4 years in conjunction with Moe Lions Football Netball Club when I was president for 10 years – Ben Daniher played for Moe, Neale’s son, so we became close to the family,’’ Manny said.
‘’In conjunction with RV & Southside Racing & Moe Lions we have raised over $100k via beanies and sponsorship including winning races.”
‘’It’s obviously a cause that now is part of the DNA of Australia thanks to Neale Daniher.”
‘’We are proud and privileged to support the awareness for the FightMND campaign and its great we can come together as a racing industry to help.’’
Manny said the FightMND branding will soon be visible across all their runners.
‘’The first runner to wear the silks is this Saturday, Bajaria, runs at Caulfield in Race 3 and then for the month of June all PGR runners will wear the silks donated by Hyland Sportswear,’’ he told Betsy.
‘’Neale touched many communities, including our region, and his signature rally cry, PLAY ON, is louder now more than ever.”
‘’Together we continue Neale’s fight. We march together towards a future without MND. We play on for Neale.”
‘’The stable had a strong connection with MND sufferer Geoff Ablett who lost his battle recently and we think of him and his family at this time.’’
Geoff taught Peter and Manny in Primary School in Warragul before coaching them at the Moe Lions in later years before training horses himself.
‘’The friendship was long and lasting over many years,’’ Manny said.
It is with honour again we support @FightMND for the month of June our runners will wear the special @HylandSW silks. Every winner will generate donations from @RacingVictoria @SthsideRacing A beanie purchase continues Neales fight & march towards a future without MND #playon 💙 pic.twitter.com/2MeEtgDiBp
— PGR – Peter Gelagotis Racing (@gelagotisracing) May 26, 2026
Jockey on jockey feedback
It’s not often you see jockeys take to social media to offer opinions about their colleague’s rides, but a couple had their say post James McDonald’s suspension on Sunday after he won on Romantic Warrior in Hong Kong.
J-Mac was suspended after an incident near the 300m mark when Deep Monster was checked.
He received an 8-meeting suspension for careless riding and given a $21,400 fine.
Star Victorian jockey Damian Lane took to social media on Monday regarding the classification, saying ‘’careless was kind’’.
Fellow Victorian star Blake Shinn – who is currently recovering from a broken leg – gave his take on Wednesday.
‘’No criticism of J Mac here. He rode the race & accepted the penalty imposed. The scrutiny belongs with the stewards. If comparable incidents involving lesser known riders have historically drawn heavier suspensions, then questions should be raised.’’
No criticism of J Mac here. He rode the race & accepted the penalty imposed.
The scrutiny belongs with the stewards. If comparable incidents involving lesser known riders have historically drawn heavier suspensions, then questions should be raised. #fairsfair https://t.co/qXrra5e0v4— Blake Shinn (@blake_shinn) May 27, 2026
GetOn this take
Sportsbet’s Matt Nevett copped some flak for supporting the Caulfield track following the William Reid Stakes in March, which clearly didn’t measure up to a Group 1 raceday.
But he and his panel didn’t miss with their analysis when covering how Sandown raced on Saturday, with Nevett even suggesting the Sandown track could play wet for the remainder of winter, regardless of the weather.
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