The public relations battle to showcase the benefits of the hotly debated Melbourne Cup vet protocols risks being lost. And when you think about it, it should be the easiest fight of all time.
On the back of Sir Delius being scratched on Friday, Racing Victoria should have proactively explained why they don’t want good horses running if they believe they might die.
Sir Delius is just the latest horse caught up in the vet protocols – he’s not the first star to be scratched, and he won’t be the last.
Those critical of the protocols perhaps don’t realise what was at stake – racing in Victoria risked losing government support when Anthony Van Dyke died in the Melbourne Cup in 2020.
Executives at the time privately feared racing in Victoria faced a bleak future after being asked to make a case to the state government on the safety of racing, including the Cup.
Make no mistake, not only are the Melbourne Cup protocols saving lives of the stars of the sport, they potentially saved the sport too.
Fast forward 5 years, every time a horse is removed from the Cup, selling a message that RV created measures to ensure horse safety surrounding the iconic race should be the easiest job going.
It’s akin to advertising the benefits of wearing sunscreen in the sun or that smoking gives you cancer.
Yet there seems an unwillingness to do so – and that is no criticism of Racing Victoria’s communications team – the strategy comes down to a board seemingly wary about popping their head up.
Where is RV chairman Tim Eddy? Borderline invisible to the industry and the media, he should be front and centre telling the world why Sir Delius is welcome to race in 2026 – once vets are confident he won’t break down in front of millions of people.
Perhaps he is wary about a few powerful stakeholders who have voiced their concerns regarding the protocols?
RV CEO Aaron Morrison was impressive with Betsy on Sunday then again on Monday morning radio – reiterating what racing could lose if they don’t get the Melbourne Cup right.
The feedback to Betsy is that his administration has made headway with communicating the protocols to the participants – now it’s time to sell the message to those who fund the sport – the punters.
It needs to proactively say – this is what we are doing, this is why we believe in the protocols and we are unapologetic about saving racing and protecting its stars.
Similar measures have worked internationally, especially in the USA.
For Racing Victoria, it’s simply about waiting for the right moment to prosecute their message, being proactive and confident when the next horse is scratched.
Front up to every radio station, media outlet and be proud of the fact that not one horse has died in the Cup since these measures were introduced.
It’s one of the easiest messages an administrator will ever sell.
