Williams slams chiefs as Bailey calls it quits
LEVIATHAN owner Lloyd Williams has blamed a lack of high-level support from Racing Victoria executives for the departure of its chief steward Terry Bailey, saying a failure to publicly back him had eventually “worn him down”.
Bailey said he had no regrets, insisting “looking the other way” was never an option after deciding to end his tenure in Victoria. horse looked strong yesterday afternoon at Cannon Park, winning the 1250m race three ahead of a late-charging Toff Rocks and The Bees Knees.
Kickstart My Heart led from start to finish, with Hedley crediting hoop Nathan Day with the win.
“I think the ride got him
“It has been an honour to serve the Victorian racing industry for the past 17 years,” he said. “The road has been tough and stressful at times for myself and my family but looking the other way has never been a part of my make up.
“I am very proud of what our integrity team has achieved.”
Bailey’s last metro meeting will be Flemington on July 7 and his last officiating duties at Mildura on July 9. He joins Singapore Turf Club as chairman of stewards on August 15. home,” Hedley said after the race.
“It’s his first win. I think he’ll win a couple more for sure.
“He’s probably a little underdone for the 1250m.
“I thought Nathan held him together the whole way. He rode him very well.”
Hedley enjoyed three wins for the afternoon with Royal
A six-time Melbourne Cupwinning owner, Williams said he could understand why Bailey had quit, given he received little or no recent public support from Racing Victoria chief executive Giles Thompson and other racing administrators.
News Corp this week reported that speculation on Bailey’s future was rife late last week, with confirmation of a longmooted move to Singapore coming early yesterday.
“Having had a lifetime of experience in racing, I have Supreme, also ridden by Day, prevailing in the 1900m race two while Wanderson D’Avila guided Arno Bay home in race six.
“Both rides by Nathan were excellent and the same with Wanderson,” Hedley said.
“He followed his trainer Roy Chillemi’s instructions.
“The horse is a bit of a lazy been disappointed in the fact that the chief steward has had very, very little support from the powers that be,” Williams said yesterday.
“As a former major employer ... it is incumbent on the chief executive to support his general managers in public. That hasn’t happened ... I think they have worn him down.”
Williams admitted Bailey had been “uncompromising” but said: “If you want to be the custodian of integrity, you need to be uncompromising.” bugger. We told Wanderson to make him do something and not let him boss him around.”
While a winner in three of the six races, Hedley said he wouldn’t be doing anything special to celebrate the wins.
“I just enjoy the sport. You cop the losing on the chin and the wins are nice when they come,” he said.
Racing Victoria will immediately launch a far-reaching search for a new chief steward.
“Terry has given tremendous service to Racing Victoria for more than a decade and he has our support and best wishes as he embarks on the exciting next chapter of his career abroad,” Thompson said.
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GLOBAL T20 Canada officials have moved to allay fears the tournament - the comeback event for banned Australian cricketers Steve Smith and David Warner - won’t go ahead.
Tournament director Jason Harper on Sunday hit back at reports questioning whether the fledgling event could be ready in time to start in late June as planned.
“(There were suggestions) contracts were not out and flights weren’t booked,” Harper told AAP.
“Well, 91 of 96 players have been contracted ... it’s going ahead.
A media report last weeK said temporary stands had not yet been erected to turn the Maple Leaf Cricket Club, 40 minutes north of Toronto, into a 7000-seat venue in time for all 22 matches to be held there.
“A world-class sporting event like this probably takes six to eight months to pull off. We’re trying to pull it together in eight weeks,” Harper said. “When articles come out like that, it’s deflating to our team because we are really putting in a lot of work.” Harper also dismissed concerns that no television deal had been announced and tickets were yet to go on sale.
Former Test skipper Smith and his ex-deputy Warner are three months into one-year bans imposed by Cricket Australia for their roles, alongside Cameron Bancroft, in the balltampering scandal in Cape Town in March. For their first competitive matches since, Warner was recently drafted to join the Winnipeg Hawks while Smith is slated to headline the Toronto Nationals, where he’s also scheduled to conduct coaching clinics.