Racing Victoria makes A$25m investment into improving equine welfare

Racing Victoria, the governing body for horseracing in the state, on Monday announced a A$25m (£13.29m/€15.37m) commitment to equine welfare after the re-homing of racehorses has been in the spotlight in Australia in recent weeks.

The commitment will be funded by an increased investment from Racing Victoria along with a rise to two per cent (from one per cent) in existing industry contribution through prize-money.

The increase in investment comes on the back of an ABC programme earlier this month that uncovered the inhumane treatment of ex-racehorses, most notably in an abattoir in Queensland.

A state-wide re-homing and foster program, advanced tracking system and an expanded Off The Track initiative, designed to create more career opportunities for thoroughbreds post racing, are among Racing Victoria's aims.

The Victoria Racing Club has contributed more than A$1m to a new equine wellbeing fund, which will benefit from ten per cent of money made from public ticket sales at the Melbourne Cup carnival and five per cent of VRC annual membership fees.

Racing Victoria chairman Brian Kruger said: "Victoria's vision is to be a leader in equine welfare practices, and while the industry has achieved many great outcomes over recent years and has a clear pathway for the future, it's clear we need to step up and do more.

"The horses are the stars of our sport and no one will argue that they must be treated as such. The events and stories of the past ten days have galvanised public and industry opinion and created an opportunity to fast-track initiatives already planned.

He added: "There are many challenges to overcome, particularly when the racing industry has no jurisdiction or oversight of retired racehorses, however we're committed to making important steps in the interests of our equine stars and the sport more broadly."

Racing Victoria is introducing a humane on-farm euthanasia programme administered by vets when it is deemed the most appropriate outcome for retired racehorses but has not placed an outright ban on the sale of horses to abattoirs that is prohibited in New South Wales.

Kruger said: "It may be something that’s considered down the track but we’re focused on dealing with the underlying causes.

"There may be situations where the best welfare outcome for a horse is actually to end up at an abattoir or a knackery. We think they’re in the minority and we want to reduce the number of times that happens but we don’t think an outright ban is the solution at this time."

Damien Oliver: praised Racing Victoria and the Victoria Racing Club for investing in equine welfareCredit: Racing Photos

Champion jockey Damien Oliver welcomed the welfare investment and described the scenes on the ABC documentary as "horrific".

Oliver said: "The investment from Racing Victoria and Victoria Racing Club is fantastic and I speak on behalf of the industry that we were horrified by what we saw in the ABC documentary.

"It's great to see the industry and government getting behind it to improve the welfare of horses after their racing careers."

For the freshest betting advice, based on latest going and market conditions, don't miss the Live Tipster every afternoon. Just click Raceday Live at racingpost.com or the mobile app