The Melbourne Racing Club has dismissed any concerns about track safety at Caulfield Racecourse, despite images of jockeys lifting large clumps of turf in the home straight before Saturday’s group 1 race meeting.
The club released a strongly worded statement on Tuesday claiming the jockeys’ pre-race safety concerns were “nonsense”, and said a decision to move the running rail and delay the start of the meeting was unnecessary.
The MRC’s declaration that there was never any issue with the Caulfield surface comes in a week that they boasted of a record $281.4 million turnover in the past financial year despite suffering a $10.6 million loss.
Saturday’s delay at Caulfield came after a group of jockeys identified loose “plugs” in sections of the track before the first event, leading stewards to order maintenance staff to make last-minute alterations.
Plugs are large, turf covered clumps of dirt that are wedged into divots to make them safe for horses to run over.
MRC CEO Tanya Fullarton said an internal review “found no safety issue” with Saturday’s track.
“The turf plugs were correctly installed, the track as presented was safe for racing and the rail did not need to be moved,” Fullarton said.
“The track subsequently raced safely and fairly throughout the meeting. Dozens of exactly the same turf plugs remained on other sections of the track that continued to be raced on after the rail movement, with no issues for jockeys and horses.
“The jockeys clearly did not understand how turf plugs work. The jockeys’ claim that being able to pull the tops off the plugs somehow showed that the track was unsafe is nonsense.
“Turf plugs are routinely installed a few days before a race day and are always able to be physically pulled up, as grass plugs take at least two weeks to bind with the rest of the turf profile.
“This has been standard practice for over 25 years and is not a problem – they remain in place while horses gallop over them, with no risk to jockeys or horses.”
The club said former champion jockey Damien Oliver would now conduct an independent track inspection for this Sunday’s group 1 Manikato Stakes Meeting at Caulfield, followed by the same process for the $3 million group 1 Guineas on October 10 and the $6 million Caulfield Cup the following Saturday.
Oliver will report to Racing Victoria stewards before the meetings start.
“Saturday showed the importance of ensuring any concerns about a racing surface are properly assessed, with the appropriate technical input, before significant decisions are made on race day,” Fullarton said.
“The stewards were placed in an extremely difficult position, with concerns raised by jockeys less than an hour before the first race.
“With the limited time available, they were unable to properly consult with our track team about the purpose, installation and condition of the plugs before making the incorrect decision to move the rail.
“Our track team complied with that direction so the meeting could proceed, but this is not how these issues should have to be dealt with on race day.”
Despite the club dismissing any safety concerns, the rail will be moved out 13m for Sunday’s Manikato meeting, which has been transferred from Moonee Valley.
“The reason the rail isn’t moving to the true position is to protect the track for the Caulfield Cup carnival,” a club spokesperson said.
It is not the first time the MRC has come under fire from punters this year, following criticism for the standard of its tracks at Caulfield and Sandown during the winter months.
On top of that, two barrier attendants were lucky to escape injury in June when starting barriers were accidentally reversed into a lake in the middle of Sandown Racecourse. They were later fished out with a crane.
“It would probably be a good idea for MRC to change their name back to VATC … Very Amateur Turf Club as the legend of racing writers used to refer to it,” prominent owner Nick Williams posted on X on Saturday.
Jockey Patrick Moloney told Racing.com the track surface was fine after the pre-race alterations, but the changes had made it “really awkward” to navigate for riders.
The MRC released its annual general report on Monday, revealing a second consecutive substantial loss, this year’s $10.6 million deficit following $14.7 million in the 2025 financial year.
The club forked out $10.9 million in bank interest in the past year on $197.7 million in borrowings, which it said it expected to clear with the sale of land at Caulfield to Mount Scopus College for $195 million.
The Jewish school signed an agreement to purchase the land in December 2024 and was given two years to exercise that option. The deal has still not been finalised.
The MRC now has 17 poker machine venues after recently buying two new outlets – The Cumberland and the Cheltenham Club – and these venues brought in $128.2 million last year and made a $48.3 million profit.
“We continued to grow addition revenue streams to support the club and reinvest in racing,” Fullarton said.
MRC chairman Cameron Fisher said reducing debt remained the club board’s key priority, while the committee was committed to racing at Sandown.
The club will hold its annual general meeting on Thursday night and will announce the results of its recent board elections during which 24-year-old newcomer Fergus Ewart stood against sitting members Caitrin Kelly, Belinda Meyers and Robyn Gray.
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