Cover image courtesy of Racing NSW

After more than two decades at Racing NSW, Peter V’Landys will leave the chief executive’s office on November 30 with a record few Australian sporting administrators could match for scale, longevity, or sheer volume of change.

Racing NSW announced his departure on Thursday morning, bringing an end to a 22-year tenure that delivered vast new revenues, sharply higher prizemoney, and races that reshaped Sydney’s spring.

It was also a period marked by major disputes with other racing jurisdictions, clubs, and sections of the industry, several of which remain unresolved as he prepares to leave.

V’Landys is currently on leave from Racing NSW while focusing on rugby league and is expected to become the NRL’s first executive chairman. Racing NSW chief operating officer Graeme Hinton has been acting chief executive in his absence.

“Naturally, this is a very sad day for me. I have put my heart and soul into racing for 22 years,” V’Landys said in Racing NSW’s announcement.

He credited the organisation’s staff and boards, saying Racing NSW had gone from “a struggling jurisdiction to a world-leading jurisdiction”.

Racing NSW said initiatives introduced during his tenure had secured $3.5 billion in new funding and $375 million in recurring annual revenue.

A wide record

There will be no shortage of assessments of the V’Landys era, likely to be retold in books in the future.

Chris Waller was emphatic in his praise, telling The Sydney Morning Herald: “He will go down as one of the best, if not the best, sporting administrators in Australian history.”

Waller, who said he had initially been sceptical of V’Landys’s promises, also credited him with following through on them.

Gillon McLachlan, the Tabcorp chief executive and former AFL boss, focused on the characteristics behind those results.

“Peter is who he is because he’s a winner. He wins because he is relentless, tough,” McLachlan told media on Thursday.

Those descriptions go some way towards explaining the V’Landys years.

Racing NSW repeatedly pursued ambitious commercial and policy positions and was prepared to fight for them when challenged. Sometimes the fight went all the way to the High Court.

Perhaps the most consequential example was race-fields legislation, which required wagering operators to pay for the use of NSW racing information. Racing NSW successfully defended the scheme in the High Court in 2012, establishing a major new revenue source for the industry.

During the Equine Influenza crisis, V’Landys was also central to securing financial assistance for participants when racing was effectively shut down. Racing NSW now puts the federal assistance secured during that period at $230 million.

The sale of Trackside to Tabcorp helped fund the redevelopment of Randwick, while wagering tax reform delivered further recurring revenue.

Then came the pop-up races.

The Everest, introduced in 2017, became the centrepiece of Sydney’s spring and was eventually granted Group 1 status. The Golden Eagle added another high-value feature and gave Racing NSW another powerful programming asset in a part of the calendar traditionally dominated by Melbourne. It runs as a Group 1 in 2026 for the first time.

Prizemoney grew enormously over the same period. Racing NSW says Saturday metropolitan prizemoney has risen from $45,000 a race in 2004 to $160,000 today, while minimum country TAB prizemoney rose from $5,000 to $27,000.

Monies collected for equine welfare also increased. Racing NSW now takes 1.5% of prizemoney for welfare initiatives, and use this to purchase properties used for retired Thoroughbreds and created Equimillion, its $1 million competition for former racehorses.

Success, and friction

The willingness to push hard for NSW has periodically put Racing NSW at odds with other jurisdictions.

Arguments over race programming and the Australian Pattern intensified during V’Landys’s tenure, particularly as Sydney introduced lucrative races outside the traditional black-type structure and sought recognition for them.

The long-running difficulties surrounding Australia’s Pattern system eventually resulted in responsibility for Australian black-type changes moving to the Asian Pattern Committee. There have also been increasingly public disagreements within NSW.

Gai Waterhouse, who campaigned against the proposed sale of Rosehill Gardens, offered a different assessment of Racing NSW’s spending priorities on Thursday.

“They've been shockingly neglected over the tenure of Mr V'landys,” she told ABC News of regional racecourses.

Waterhouse said investment should now be directed towards tracks and spectator facilities, before adding of V’Landys’s departure: “So let's move on now.”

Infrastructure will be one of the areas left for his successor to deal with.

Some major projects remain unfinished, including works being delivered through Racing for the Regions. The program was developed by Racing NSW to upgrade regional racecourses, with the NSW Government committing $58.6 million towards 14 projects.

An April report from the NSW Auditor-General found that, as of January this year, six had been completed, four were under construction and four had yet to start construction. The program may will be substantially closer to completion by the time V’Landys formally departs, but its original timetable - with a projected completion date in 2024 - has long since passed.

More immediate is the position of the Australian Turf Club.

The relationship between Racing NSW and its largest race club deteriorated significantly following the proposed sale of Rosehill Gardens and subsequent disputes about the ATC’s finances and governance.

Racing NSW issued the club with a show-cause notice and sought to appoint an administrator. The ATC challenged Racing NSW’s power to do so, initially succeeding before Racing NSW won on appeal.

Morgan Kelly of Ernst & Young subsequently took control of the club as administrator.

Whoever succeeds V’Landys will inherit responsibility for Racing NSW’s relationship with an ATC that remains under administration, as well as the broader question of what comes next for the club.

V’Landys will also leave Racing NSW while his personal defamation proceeding against this publication, The Thoroughbred Report, remains before the NSW Supreme Court.

Who comes next?

For Racing NSW, the immediate question is who occupies the chief executive’s office after November 30.

Hinton has spent more than 13 years at Racing NSW and is acting in the position, but there has been no public announcement setting out how the permanent appointment will be made.

The timing is complicated by another unfinished piece of business: Brad Hazzard’s review of the Thoroughbred Racing Act 1996.

The review was asked to examine whether the legislation remains appropriate, including governance structures, Racing NSW board appointment requirements and tenure, transparency, stakeholder consultation and the sustainability of the industry.

Hazzard delivered his report to government in late July, but it has not been released.

Racing Minister David Harris told Budget Estimates in August that the report was before Cabinet and therefore remained confidential during that process. He said it would be released once that process had concluded, but did not provide a date. The NSW Government’s published terms of reference confirm that governance structures, appointment requirements and tenure limits for Racing NSW board members fall within the review.

That has prompted calls for the report to be released before Racing NSW appoints V’Landys’s permanent successor.

The Racing Reform Group NSW said on Thursday that the recruitment process should wait until there was greater clarity about the organisation’s future structure and the responsibilities of its chief executive.

“The process for finding the next permanent CEO of Racing NSW should not begin until there is clarity around what the responsibilities for that role will be,” the group said.

The RRG's point centres on a factual issue the board will have to contend with: the legislation governing Racing NSW has just undergone a substantial government review, and neither the organisation nor potential candidates yet know publicly what changes Hazzard has recommended.

The RRG also called for the Racing NSW board to be refreshed and said a “proper and consultative process” should determine the organisation’s future direction.

TTR asked Racing NSW chair Dr Saranne Cooke whether the board intended to appoint a permanent CEO before the Hazzard Report was released, and whether she would seek publication of the report before that process proceeded.

No response had been received at the time of publication.

After 22 years

There is an understandable temptation, when someone has occupied a position for 22 years, to reduce the departure to either a celebration or an indictment.

V’Landys’s Racing NSW record does not fit particularly comfortably into either.

The revenues are real, as are the prizemoney increases, The Everest, the Golden Eagle, and substantial investments made during his tenure.

So too are the disagreements and unresolved issues that his successor will inherit.

Perhaps McLachlan’s description of V’Landys as “relentless” is the simplest explanation for both sides of that record.

For more than two decades, Racing NSW rarely stood still. From December, someone else gets to decide where it goes next.

Table: Racing Australia Factbook metrics for Racing NSW during V'Landys's tenure, note that 2025/26 data has yet to be released

Cover image courtesy of Richard and Will Freedman Training

Will Freedman spoke to TTR about their spring ambitions for this season and the barn is going through a rebuilding stage with not many older horses stepping up. It’s mostly about the young stock, led by Group 1 candidate Genesis Runner (Gun Runner {USA}).

“We've got a young team at the moment with a few nice 3-year-olds,” Freedman said.

Older horses

Magnatear, 7-year-old gelding (Written Tycoon x Cries And Whiskers {Street Cry (Ire)})

“Magnatear is one of the ones that'll fly the flag a bit at the moment. He's a 7-year-old Written Tycoon gelding who ran second to Skyhook in the G2 Theo Marks first up.

“He'll run in the Shannon this weekend, the Alan Brown, and then his grand final is the Big Dance on Melbourne Cup day. He’s one of the more elite, older horses that we have at the moment.”

Attractiveness (NZ), 4-year-old mare (Hello Youmzain (Fr) x Hot In High Heels {High Chaparral (Ire)})

“One to watch for the autumn is a 4-year-old mare called Attractiveness. She won a couple last preparation. She looks quite progressive and she may line up in a nice race in the autumn.”

Journeyman, 4-year-old gelding (The Autumn Sun x Dream Tiara (Jpn) {Heart's Cry (Jpn)})

“At the back end of the spring, we'll probably see Journeyman, who won his first and only race at Warwick Farm in really devastating fashion. He went out with another injury, he's very fragile. We might not see him until the late part of the spring, but I'd argue, he is probably the most talented galloper in our barn.

“He’s terribly frustrating but patience is a virtue. I don't have a lot of it, but I'm sure it's good if you do have a lot of it!”

Gallery: Richard and Will Freedman Training's older horses

3-Year-Olds

Genesis Runner, 3-year-old colt (Gun Runner (USA) x Originator (USA) {Artie Schiller (USA)})

“He ran second in the Up & Coming. He ran a good race in Ming Dynasty and then he'll run in the Dulcify on Epsom Day, and he'll hopefully run in the G1 Spring Champion. His grand final would be the Spring Champion.

“He's a nice, exciting colt.”

Shahaameh, 3-year-old filly (All Too Hard x Shuwaamekh {Snitzel})

“A horse that debuted yesterday at Warwick Farm called Shahaameh is an All Too Hard filly. She ran third on debut in a hot maiden, and I think she'll be pretty progressive this time around.”

Heard Of Him (NZ), 3-year-old gelding (Derryn x Mifflin {Street Cry (Ire)})

“Heard Of Him broke his maiden at Hawkesbury and I think he'll be quite progressive this spring and into the summer. He's a Derryn that I bought from the Ready To Run at Karaka for Hello Sports, a micro-syndication group. It’s the same syndication company that own Cold Brew but a different podcast.”

Cold Brew (Pierro) has gone out for a spell after winning twice in the city over winter. All up he has five wins from 13 starts.

Revolina, 3-year-old filly (Russian Revolution x She’s Furline {I Am Invincible})

“There's a nice filly called Revolina, a Russian Revolution filly that will debut in the next couple of weeks. She'll race competitively through the spring and hopefully in a perfect world, she keeps progressing and she could potentially line up in a race like the Sunlight up at Magic Millions.”

Written In Munny, 3-year-old colt (Written Tycoon x Always Inthe Munny (USA) {Munnings (USA)})

“We've got a horse that's been a bit disappointing recently, but I think might be able to regain form pretty quickly called Written in Munny. He ran forth in the Cannonbury as a 2-year-old. He had a bit of a setback for his first start as a 3-year-old, but he'll kick back into gear in the next week or two and he might be one to watch as well.”

Gallery: Richard and Will Freedman Training's 3-year-old horses

2-Year-Olds

“We're traditionally not a stable that has a whole heap of early 2-year-old runners. Most of them are just finding their way,” Freedman said.

“You usually find out more about 2-year-olds at the trials, to be honest. They show you a bit at home and you throw them in the deep end in the trials and then they sink or swim, but we're certainly not taxing them too much at home to be knowing if they're super early or not.

“The ones that are most precocious, usually those the ones that are the most natural.

“It's all a learning curve and some of them learn quicker than others and one thing you're always battling with connections is telling an owner that it's not precocious and it's a little bit of a slower learner, but slow learning generally doesn't mean a lack of ability.

“They all develop at their own rate, and I think that's why trainers are taking a bit more time now. At the dawn of the days where there were more than 20 early 2-year-old trials, we're now down to about nine. I think the mentality for trainers has been to be a little bit more cautious early. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is for other people to decide, but certainly there's always been the adage of look after them early and they'll look after you later and that is something that Richard and I adopt.”

Unnamed, 2-year-old filly (Sword Of State x La Tardigrada {I Am Invincible})

“We have a nice Sword Of State filly out of a mare called La Tardigrada who is owned in combination with a couple of clients, and she’ll run in Tony Ottbre’s colours. She hasn't been named yet. That's why she didn't trial (on Monday). She’s quite precocious.”

The filly was sold by Cambridge Stud at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale to Richard and Will Freedman for NZ$130,000.

Victorious Dame, 2-year-old filly (I Am Invincible x Always Inthe Munny (USA) {Munnings (USA)})

“Victorious Dame looks quite early. She was bought for about 400 at the Magic Millions and is a half-sister to Written In Munny.”

She was purchased from Segenhoe Stud for $475,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Gallery: Richard and Will Freedman Training's 2-year-old horses

Cover image courtesy of Coolmore Stud

All the talk last season was that the Home Affairs stock should get better at three. The reigning Champion First Season Sire was himself a better 3-year-old than at two, and the I Am Invincible sire line is well known for continuing to improve with age.

Nearly two months into the new season, and the predictions look like they are coming true. According to Timeform Australia’s current 3-year-old ratings, Home Affairs has the top ranked 3-year-old colt with Guest House and top ranked 3-year-old filly in Natural Fling.

“What a great start for the stallion to have the leading 3-year-old colt and filly in the land,” Colm Santry said.

“Guest House, on the back of being Champion 2-Year-Old, is lining up as hot favourite for the Golden Rose on Saturday.

“It would be a huge achievement for a stallion with his first crop of 3-year-olds to win the Golden Rose. It would really cement Home Affairs’ future as a leading sire. They have to win the big ones for Home Affairs to become a cornerstone stallion for the farm going forward.

“Home Affairs' first big race win was the Coolmore in November of his 3-year-old year and we haven't even got there yet. He has these horses coming out and running in Group 1 races before he won his first Group 1. And he won the Lightning in the autumn.

“It’s hugely exciting times. Home Affairs is probably the most popular stallion in Australia this year. He's sailing through his busy schedule and has plenty of mares in foal already.”

Table: Timeform Australian rankings of 3-year-olds as at September 24, 2026

Guest House well deserved reign at the top

Only one horse in history has won both the G1 Golden Slipper and the Golden Rose, being Forensics (Flying Spur) whose 2008 victory in the Golden Rose was when the race was still held at Group 2 level. On Saturday, Coolmore and partners owned Guest House looks to become the second.

“I think it was a very wise decision to skip the Run To The Rose,” co-trainer Michael Kent Jnr said.

“The horse was clearly quite forward in condition and the fact that he could run a track record first up showed that. We won with a similar training pattern with Jacquinot in the Golden Rose; he won the McNeil on the same weekend (as the San Domenico) and went four weeks in.

“If he runs to his best and he gets the 1400 metres, he's the one to beat for sure.”

The $30 million colt resumed at three with victory in the G3 San Domenico Stakes.

The G1 Golden Rose has been a huge stallion making race in recent years, won by the likes of Ole Kirk, Bivouac, The Autumn Sun, Trapeze Artist, and Zoustar. Unproven sires who have won the race recently are Broadsiding, Jacquinot and In The Congo.

“I've no doubt Guest House is the best horse in the race. He's back to level weights against a very good group of 3-year-olds and deserves to be an outright favourite,” Santry said.

“Guest House was very impressive in the San Domenico breaking the track record. It was an impressive performance.”

Guest House won on debut at two, before placing in the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (c&g) and G1 Blue Diamond. Sent to Sydney he won the G1 Golden Slipper. He resumed this season in the G3 San Domenico Stakes and had to push through along the rail to record his third career victory from five starts.

“We have St Gotthard in the same race, who's hugely exciting as well and he’ll give Guest House a run for his money. If he won the race, it would be a major box ticked for another stallion for the farm. It wouldn't surprise me if he came out and ran an absolutely great race.

“I think we'd be very pleased if one of them came out and won the race.

“St Gotthard is hugely promising. He's a brother to Switzerland, who we have a lot of faith in and he's had some very good foals this spring.”

St Gotthard (Snitzel) was unbeaten at two and resumed at three in the G2 Run To The Rose, running second to Warwoven (Sword Of State).

Coolmore and partners have a third runner in the race, Central Europe (Frankel {GB}) who is currently a $19 outsider compared to the much shorter prices for Guest House and St Gotthard who are the first and second favourites.

“Don't leave Central Europe out. He'll run another good race. He's a very well bred Frankel colt. I can see him charging home and he’s a horse that'll probably target the Caulfield Guineas later. Frankel's generally need a trip, so seven furlong could be very suitable for him on Saturday, I wouldn’t leave him out of any equations.

“He’ll relish a mile later.”

Coolmore already stand G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth and Private Life.

Natural Fling doing it for the fillies

On Thursday, Natural Fling won a jump out at Flemington. A winner on debut at two, she was second to The Next Episode (Snitzel) in the Magic Millions National Stakes. She came back at three to win the G3 Quezette Stakes when resuming, then ran a strong third against the older horses in the G1 AJ Moir Stakes.

“She's a very exciting filly. She went down at Weight For Age last time in the AJ Moir which is a very hard race for a 3-year-old to win, let alone a filly at this time of year,” Santry said.

“It's very difficult for 3-year-old fillies to beat the older horses in the spring. I think she'll win a Group 1 as well over the spring. It’s within her reach.”

Trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, Natural Fling was a $550,000 purchase by her trainers along with Belmont Bloodstock (FBAA) from Yarraman Park Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.

“She went really well, which is what you'd expect from a quality filly. It’s her second look down the straight at the trials. We wanted to give her a bit more (of a look) before the Danehill and then obviously the Coolmore,” co-trainer Calvin McEvoy said.

“She hasn't done much since Moir. She was there to have a fairly in-hand trial, which I thought she did. She was quite impressive, wasn't she?”

The Everest and other big races on the cards long term

If all goes to plan, Home Affairs could end up with Guest House and Natural Fling coming up against each other in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes. Of the Coolmore trio, Central Europe heads down the Classic pathway, and Guest House and St Gotthard will remain on a sprinting track.

“After the Golden Rose, Coolmore would be thinking about their Everest slot with one of those horses. They're good enough. If they're knocking on the door on Saturday over 1400 metres, it's the ideal prep to bring them back to six furlongs for The Everest,” Santry said.

“One could go to The Everest, one could go to the Coolmore depending on how they fare on Saturday.”

Which one will go where is a problem for the future, and it’s hard to pick on paper. Both Home Affairs and Switzerland have similar race records, being Group 2 winning juveniles who won the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at three.

“Switzerland was a very good 2-year-old. He was unbeaten going into the Todman, won the Todman, and was favoured basically for the Golden Slipper. He pulled up lame, came back, won the Roman Consul and won the Coolmore in the fastest time ever,” Santry said.

“We rated him so highly that we bought them full brother. We'll know a lot more after Saturday with St Gotthard, but he looks a very high-class colt.”

Coolmore purchased Switzerland at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale from Arrowfield Stud for $1.5 million, and after his deeds on the track, they paid $2.7 million for St Gotthard two years later. The pair are out of Ms Bad Behavior (Can) (Blame {USA}) whose 4-year-old gelding Decorum (Snitzel) was valued at $1.2 million on Wednesday night after four 2.5% shares sold in him for $30,000 each via Inglis Digital.

Home Affairs was another high priced yearling purchase for Coolmore’s Tom Magnier who paid $875,000 for him at the 2020 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale from Torryburn Stud’s draft. But they had to go to $30 million to buy Guest House as a proven G1 Golden Slipper winner.

It takes big money to buy a stallion prospect but when everything comes together, you end up with Home Affairs and Switzerland. Will Guest House or St Gotthard live up to their pedigrees on Saturday, or will we see them step up later in the spring like their proven relations?

Cover image courtesy of Darley

Anamoe colt Ankaa shows plenty

After his two runners at Sydney’s 2-year-old trials both won on Monday, Anamoe added another impressive juvenile at Thursday morning’s Flemington jump outs.

Ankaa sat nicely in third spot behind the Lindsay Park-trained unnamed filly by Tassort (ex Spurs And Sashes {Flying Spur}) taking up the leading position.

Jack Laing-trained Skyrouge (Lord Of The Sky) sat in second. In the closing stages, the Tassort filly faded a bit and Ankaa finished off strongly to win by a length.

“A lovely colt. A really nice colt that we purchased at Magics. We’re very keen on Anamoe as a stallion; everyone seems to be,” co-trainer Calvin McEvoy said.

“Ankaa is a horse that’s probably going to be at his best when he gets to three, but he's been very precocious in his work. We haven't put any pressure on him until this morning, but I thought he responded nicely. He’ll be the type of 2-year-old that’ll be ridden with cover and be strong at the end of the race. If he bounces through this morning, there's a chance he'll turn up in one of the early races.”

Sold by Newgate Farm at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale to Redwall Syndicate for $270,000, Ankaa went through Widden Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft where McEvoy Mitchell Racing and Belmont Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $300,000 for him.

A half-brother to G3 Gimcrack Stakes-placed Celestial Bling (Capitalist), Ankaa is out of Starry (Exceed And Excel). She is a winning half-sister to Group 2 winner and sire Zululand as well as stakes placed Moskow Night (Written Tycoon) and a full sister to stakes placed Chicago Bull (Exceed And Excel).

Silent Intent gives McEvoy’s a double

Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained filly Champagne Time (Time To Reign) was wayward out of the gates but quickly recovered to hold the lead alongside Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained colt Silent Intent (Hellbent). The pair showed the way with Silent Intent the strongest on the line to win nicely. Bella Divina (All Too Hard) for the Hayes brothers was third.

“Silent Intent is a lovely colt by Hellbent. He's always been very straightforward,” Calvin McEvoy said.

“All the three of our 2-year-olds that trialled this morning had an easy trial (at home) the other week and they came through that well. This morning we asked a little bit more of them and I thought Silent Intent was fantastic. He quickened under a little bit of riding. He floated around a little bit when he hit the straight, which is to be expected first time down there, but again, we're really pleased. The jockey was pleased, and if he bounces through it, there's a chance to take his spot.”

Silent Intent was sold by Three Bridges Farm to McEvoy Mitchell Racing and Belmont Bloodstock (FBAA) for $190,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. He’s the first foal of Silent Monarch (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) who was unbeaten in two starts.

Snitzel filly takes out the third juvenile heat

In the juvenile fillies heat, Tony and Calvin McEvoy’s other juvenile, Maalefushi (Pierata) ran second behind John McArdle-trained Musandam (Snitzel) who came home strongly to win. In third was Clinton McDonald-trained Brinkley (Extreme Choice).

Video: Watch Musandam's trial replay at Flemington, video courtesy of Flemington Jumpouts

“Still very green. Obviously, she rolled around a lot. She was probably better at Sandown but did have the rail. It’s probably good that she’s got out in the wide-open spaces and had a bit of a look around," McArdle said.

“She’s a nice filly. If she comes through that alright, she’ll be here next Saturday.”

Musandam was sold by Silverdale Farm to Kia Ora Stud for $470,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She’s a half-sister to G1 South Australian Derby winning filly Qafila (Not A Single Doubt) who also won the Listed Debutant Stakes on debut at two.