Betsy is publishing its top ten power lists for both NSW and Victoria, detailing the key powerbrokers in racing and their key relationships.
Some on these lists will be household names – there are others that punters will have never heard of.
But they are all crucial players in an industry worth billions of dollars.
The list is not designed to highlight those in positions of power or roles that give them prominence, it’s created to have a look at those who actually have an impact, with the ability to shape crucial decisions on how racing in Australia is run, and crucially, how punters are treated as a result.
Read Betsy’s power list so far here:
- MICHAEL BROWELL
It’s a redevelopment that has punters nervous. A racetrack with a unique history that thrives on big, noisy crowds on classic race days.
Michael Browell is now the longest serving CEO of note left in racing in Victoria. Helped by a settled board and strong industry relationships, he is pivoting the club for arguably its most important development in its proud history.
It’s a redevelopment that has divided punters. The need to repair the track and upgrade tired facilities is obvious.
But the atmosphere at The Valley is unique and many fear that will be lost.
The club, post this year’s Cox Plate, will tear down the old grandstand, move the track and redevelop the entire site to include apartments. The club hopes to bank close to $100 million.
Not to mention making available freehold land on the site which again puts the club in a financially strong position [as long as the development costs stay within range].
Browell is politically astute – you don’t survive in a sport like racing if you’re not. It’s an industry based on how you navigate relationships, egos and power.
But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t wield, and often use, his own power too – he can be as equally ruthless as the people he answers to.
To get the redevelopment to this point is an achievement – the state government, Racing Victoria, developers, builders and powerful stakeholders have somehow managed to now be unified behind a development that racing needs to get right.
Browell has made the point that the club is doing this alone – not that they are complaining, but the risk and rewards lay with them alone.
The Friday night series is an important asset for Victoria.
Racing under lights at The Valley turns over far greater amounts of money than similar meetings at Cranbourne or Pakenham. With Caulfield now unlikely to install lights, the Valley’s night meetings are even more financially important to the industry.
Those meetings too attract a younger punter on track, something that racing is working overtime to attract.
Browell has seen countless Racing Victoria CEOs come and go – not to mention a few at other Victorian race clubs too.
Not easily intimidated, he has survived and even thrived despite falling foul of some powerful racing figures at times. Time itself has healed many of those wounds.
The next 24 months will shape Browell’s legacy and undoubtedly the future of The Valley. It’s likely that at least one Cox Plate will be run with temporary seating and other infrastructure on track well before the stands and the such is finished.
The tired track will get a much needed makeover and its dimensions will shift slightly. The most fascinating question will not just be how the Valley races, but how it feels too.
It’s a needed overhaul of The Valley – but a hard one too, as it’s an historic and enjoyable track to visit.
If the club nails all the above, it could join the MRC as a financially powerful club in Victoria and set them up for decades.
Not a bad legacy for Browell, his board and the club.
