The resignation of John Kanga, who once reigned over the Melbourne Racing Club, remains a talking point.
Love or hate him, Kanga was an energetic, hard-working figure who elevated his club and racing. He was a popular chairman seemingly liked by the vast majority of his members and punters. He became one of Victorian racing’s most recognisable figures who engaged punters on the lawn rather than the powerful in the committee room [you can read Betsy’s profile on him here].
I’ve been holding off writing the life and times of Kanga since his abrupt departure from the Melbourne Racing Club because, like most, I was assured there was more to come.
But the stories have stopped, and the carnival has moved on.
There is no need to go into significant detail around the plethora of content from respected journalists at both The Age and the Herald Sun about the former MRC chairman.
In summary, Kanga was caught up in a police probe in 2014, was cleared of any wrongdoing, did business with people later accused of wrongdoing and in short, made money with people on the edges of society [which is his democratic right and in racing, often a rite of passage].
Were the allegations raised by The Age a good look? On the surface you can see why a chairman of a club with significant pub and pokie venues that require strict licensing provisions, such allegations would definitely raise concerns.
But from the published evidence in front of us, the revelations weren’t enough to preclude him from sticking around either. At the end of the day, it was Kanga’s call to step aside. Kanga declined to talk to Betsy for this piece.
He has never been charged, fined or as much as accused of wrongdoing. But he decided to quit on the eve of his carnival, in what he says was a move to protect his club and for his family.
The reaction from the vast majority of participants and punters was supportive of Kanga both privately and publicly – from the likes of Gai Waterhouse, Blake Shinn and Danny O’Brien. Even Peter V’landys is believed to have offered his support. Chris Waller didn’t talk about Kanga directly but noted the progress the club had made. He retains strong relationships across Racing Victoria and the Victoria Racing Club.
After Kanga quit, the politics kept playing out – as Kanga’s supporters got around him, his detractors warned there was more scandal to come. Many toasted his removal, racing politics is brutal after all.
In a subsequent media interview Kanga gave the Herald Sun, it became clear the CEO he hired and fired, Tom Reilly, now don’t get along. Kanga accused his former executive of undermining him, a claim Reilly denied.
Regardless, even Reilly’s enemies in racing would admit he is the master of networking and working behind the scenes.
The funniest thing about the debacle of Kanga’s resignation is some of the old guard who leaked and lobbied against Reilly, are now singing his praises. They now claim he was misunderstood, put in an impossible position and the old classic, “he’s actually not a bad guy”.
Back to Kanga – I’ve been served the same rumours, dirt files and promises from anonymous proton email accounts and other interested parties on why Kanga apparently couldn’t possibly sit on the MRC board. Many in the sport now believe they know who was behind the anonymous email accounts serving up unverified innuendo.
The most common reason for his departure, fed by those who wanted him gone, is because “of probity” – meaning there were concerns from licensing bodies around Kanga’s background and current roles [it didn’t check out].
Kanga’s background was provided to the liquor and gambling licensing authorities plus Racing Victoria – plus a police check – given his work not only with the MRC, but financial lending too.
There are other rumours and ‘facts’ from those who should know better that can’t be repeated because Betsy’s lawyers know how little is in our legal budgets. What we can say is they seem to be bullshit and simply don’t add up.
Rumours of intervention from government level persist, but Betsy doubts the veracity here too. There was angst with the club from government heralding back to the future of Sandown. The government gave the club exemptions on any developer tax if Sandown was sold, before the club later decided to keep the track.
There are many that would still like Sandown to have three bedroom townhouses in the home straight rather than fast horses. But from those who spoke to Betsy, the relationship between Minister for Racing, Anthony Carbines, and the club’s hierarchy was solid.
Betsy reported complaints were made to Carbines’ office, and the racing integrity commissioner too, regarding the MRC. What happened to those complaints is not known.
The irony, however, is the man many gossip about the most and partly behind Kanga’s rise to power, replaced him on the board and is now the MRC vice-chairman.
The MRC may have lost one powerful figure in Kanga but gained another in his good mate, Jonathan Munz. Betsy has written that Munz is the most powerful man in racing. By being the MRC vice-chairman, he just further solidifies that position.
But as it stands, the entire ordeal surrounding Kanga’s resignation doesn’t make sense. Racing lost a prominent leader who could sell the sport – if there were more to the story, then we’ve missed the killer blow.
What Betsy does know is that while Kanga quit before he got to enjoy the Caulfield Carnival, the club put on a ripper couple of weeks. Crowds and wagering were up.
The music acts were great and it felt like the Caulfield of old. He should take solace in that.
The latest rumour across the weekend was Kanga would be drafted to sit on the VRC board. Some at the club feared during his Caulfield days he could one day sit across both clubs. He did of course hold conversations with the VRC at Munz’s home about what a merger may look like.
Kanga is still invited to committee rooms, holds close relationships to key participants and punters still love him [as could be seen by many in the crowd yelling out to him as he walked through the mounting yard following the Cox Plate].
Betsy is told the chances of Kanga sitting on the VRC board this year are a million-to-one despite being lobbied to run.
Maybe not this year, but I wouldn’t mind a few each way on a futures market that he’ll pop up again somewhere else.
