Jumps query

The final hurdle in Race 3 at Yarra Glen on 26 April was the last hurdle for five-year-old gelding Hanging Rock and has sparked renewed calls for the banning of jumps racing in Victoria.Picture: Kath Gannaway

By Kath Gannaway
AS the RSPCA weighs in to renewed calls for a ban on jumps racing in Victoria, the Yarra Valley Racing Centre has indicated it would consider taking additional measures to inform race-goers that a meeting will include jumps races.
The death of Hanging Rock at the Thanks Mate community event on Sunday, 26 April, has raised the issue not only of the future of jumps racing, but of what clubs should be doing to ensure race-goers are aware of the type of meeting they are attending.
Hanging Rock fell at the last hurdle and despite breaking a front leg managed to run down the home stretch before being caught and euthanased before horrified onlookers.
RSPCA president Dr Hugh Wirth called on Racing Minister Rob Hulls to step in and end jumps racing.
“We are not opposed to the use of horses, but simply opposed to events that injure and kill them,” he said. He said there was little in last year’s review of jumps racing in Victoria that indicated the message of the RSPCA, which was concentrated on the welfare of the horse, had been heard.
Dr Wirth said previous reviews in 2002 and 2005 and subsequent changes to the hurdles had not worked.
Mr Hulls however said it was up to stakeholders in the industry to take responsibility for the future of jumps racing and for the implementation of the 2008 report recommendations.
He again put the racing industry on notice saying the events of last year (the deaths of 10 horses) could not be repeated.
The incident, seen by many families and children who are not regular racegoers, raises the issue of adequate advertising when a jumps race is included in the program.
Brett Shambrook, CEO of Yarra Valley Racing Centre said the organisation was well aware of the groundswell of opposition to jumps racing and said there was no deliberate policy of not publicising meetings as jumps.
There was nothing however on the Thanks Mate promotional material, on the program, or on the gate to indicate to non-regular racegoers that the meeting would involve jumps.
“I would support in hindsight putting something on publicity and, in hindsight, it (jumps racing) was probably not the best fit for the day,” Mr Shambrook said.
“We would look at putting something on the gate to make people more aware in future,” he said.
Mr Shambrook said there was another jumps meeting scheduled for later in the year.
“It’s for Racing Victoria and the Jumps Review Panel to assess the suitability of jumps racing at Yarra Valley in the future,” he said.
Yarra Valley Racing Centre was identified as one of the more suitable locations for jumps racing in the 2008 review into jumps racing.