Two candidates have dropped out of the Victoria Racing Club election race due to issues with paperwork just a week after nominations closed.
Former Melbourne Racing Club committee member Justin O’Kane and former South Melbourne publican Andrew Lewis confirmed to The Age they will not be appearing on the ballot at the end of this month after their nominations were ruled invalid.
Four seats on the VRC board are up for grabs in what is shaping as the most hotly contested election in the Flemington-based club’s storied history.
Chairman Neil Wilson is stepping down at the December 15 annual general meeting, creating one vacancy, while chairman-elect Vin Cox, treasurer Glenn Carmody and director Michael Saadie are all up for re-election.
The emergence of John Kanga’s name threw the process into a tailspin last week as VRC members celebrated the final days of Melbourne Cup week.
The former Melbourne Racing Club chairman announced he was running for the board on VRC Oaks Day.
Australian Trainers’ Association chairman Troy Corstens, who has stables at Flemington, publicly endorsed Kanga’s nomination on Oaks Day.
The Age reported that Kanga obtained his stable hand licence earlier this year , and has been a regular Friday morning visitor to the training huts inside Flemington racecourse.
He races horses with Danny O’Brien and Dom Sutton, while mentoring jockeys Blake Shinn and Jye McNeil.
In a statement to media before nominations closed, Kanga said he was an “independent candidate” and was not aligned to influential industry figure and Melbourne Racing Club vice chairman Jonathan Munz.
At least three other names remain in the boardroom race – wealthy Toorak businessman Bill Guest, ex- Tabcorp executive Nicholas Tzaferis and Strathbogie deputy mayor Claire Ewart-Kennedy .
Candidates are expected to front the VRC’s remuneration and nominations committee in coming days to prove their suitability to stand. An election will then be held in the lead-up to the AGM.
O’Kane said on Thursday the VRC had ruled his nomination invalid because he was unable to provide an up-to-date police check in time.
O’Kane’s police paperwork arrived on Monday, four days after nominations closed at 5pm on Thursday, November 5.
“I applied for a police check on November 2,” O’Kane said. “It was referred for manual review, meaning that instead of being processed within minutes, the report could take up to 20 business days. Manual reviews occur in nearly 30 per cent of cases.
“I provided the club with a police check I had obtained in August 2026 and explained that the delay in receiving the updated check was outside my control.
“The club rejected both police checks, leaving my nomination invalid.”
O’Kane said there was a delay in the nomination papers reaching him after he requested them from the VRC.
“This reduced the time available to complete the process and contributed to the police check not being submitted by the deadline,” he said.
“I accept the club’s decision and will not stand in this year’s election.”
Lewis also had issues fulfilling the nomination requirements in time, but indicated he was more interested in standing at next year’s VRC elections.
The Age reported in September that O’Kane had also nominated for this year’s Melbourne Racing Club board election.
He was passed to run, but pulled out of the process claiming he was not given procedural fairness by the MRC’s nomination, remuneration and governance subcommittee.
“Little meaningful attention was given to my capabilities, the issues affecting members or the contribution I proposed to make,” O’Kane’s email said. “The meeting did not provide a fair or balanced assessment of my candidacy.”
The MRC denied the allegation, saying it was “committed to a fair and transparent election process”.
Kanga resigned as Melbourne Racing Club chair on the eve of last year’s Caulfield Cup carnival after questions from The Age about loans and the use of his car in a 22-kilogram cocaine trafficking case in 2014. The Age does not suggest Kanga was involved in any criminal activity, and he has never been accused of any crime.
He was also linked to the single purchase of 24 memberships before he overthrew the board and became chairman. It was not in breach of club rules.
But before he quit, Kanga was seen as a man of the people after cutting beer and food prices at MRC racetracks.
His MRC board had also won favour with trainers by opening up the Caulfield track for jump outs and trials, while he won the support of members by saving Sandown Racecourse from being sold for housing development.
The VRC membership base rose from 35,371 last year to 36,148 this year. New members have to pay a $726 joining fee, and an annual fee between $615-$690.
Two years of cost-cutting has sent Racing Victoria’s budget back to black.
The sport’s governing body announced a $773,000 end-of-financial year profit on Wednesday, following an $8.9 million loss last year.
Under CEO Aaron Morrison’s watch, Racing Victoria committed to $20 million in savings across the past two years, while maintaining prizemoney. The organisation is debt free.
Victorian racing generated $7.4 billion in gambling turnover in the past financial year - 15 per cent more than any other state.
Total wagering turnover was down 2.8 per cent, but the industry had cut 18 race meetings from its calendar. Average turnover per race increased by 2.2 per cent to $228.8 million.
Turnover on the 2025 Melbourne Cup was more than six times higher than any other race in the nation.
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Remove items from your saved list to add more.
You've used all of your gift articles. 3 more will become available on the 1st of every month.
