The Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC) held its annual general meeting (AGM) on Saturday 28th November.

It was announced that after 15 years on the Committee, eight as Chairman, Robert (Bob) Scarborough has stood down, with Vice Chairman Don Casboult announced as the new Chairman.

During his tenure on the Committee which included a stint as Vice Chairman from 2005 – 2007 before taking on the role of Chairman in November 2007, Bob has overseen many major implementations at Moonee Valley and has driven many of the initiatives we see in place today.

Bob was the driving force behind the revamp of Friday Night Racing at The Valley in 2008, with the transfer of quality black type races from the Saturday programs and securing significant prizemoney increases from Racing Victoria to lift night racing prizemoney from $4M to $10M.

One of Bob’s proudest moments was seeing a sold out crowd of 25,000 cheer home champion mare Black Caviar in the 2013 William Reid Stakes. This was to be Black Caviar’s 7th win at The Valley, her 24th win and her final Victorian start.

Further achievements under Bob’s tenure included the introduction of the two day Cox Plate Carnival, which saw the Group 1 Manikato Stakes elevated in prizemoney from $500,000 to $750,000 and then to $1M and run on the Friday night before the Cox Plate; the internationalisation of the Cox Plate through invitations to leading middle distance gallopers which delivered the first international winner in Adelaide last year, as well as overseeing the Master Plan, whereby the Moonee Valley Racecourse will be entirely redeveloped after the 100th running of the Cox Plate in 2020.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Chairman of the Moonee Valley Racing Club during a period that has seen substantial change,” said Scarborough. “I believe that the changes will result in financial security for the club and create a more exciting and enjoyable club for members. I leave the club in a sound position and in good hands”.

It is with great excitement that the Moonee Valley Racing Club now commences under our new Chairman Don Casboult, who has been on the Committee since July 2005 and has been the Vice Chairman since November 2007. Don’s business experience as a Director of the Casboult Group and formerly Suncorp Group Insurance speaks volumes for this business acumen and Don’s extensive involvement with sports marketing and racing sponsorship as well as breeding and racing horses in Australia and New Zealand ensures he is well equipped to lead the MVRC into our next phase.