Staffing crisis threatens Victorian racing

Racing in Victoria is facing a major staffing crisis that poses a greater long-term threat than the equine influenza virus and is undermining the future of the sport, according to leading trainers Colin Little and Ian Hutchins.
Hutchins believes if the numbers of grooms and track riders continue to fall then the amount of races staged will have to be cut. Meanwhile, Little has criticised Racing Victoria for failing to properly promote jobs in racing and to provide adequate training for those who do choose a career on the track.
Hutchins, the leading trainer in Gippsland, is considering drastically cutting the number of horses in his stable because of recruitment problems and believes the current level of racing in Victoria cannot be sustained without a drive for new workers.
"It's impossible to get competent staff to get the horses exercised every morning - the people just don't seem to exist," he told The Sunday Age. "I'm weighing up if I can carry on with the 30 to 35 horses I have in my care - or cut the numbers in half. And that's because of the difficulty in finding staff.
"I believe lots of workers quit when the EI crisis hit and have found other jobs that don't start so early. They may never come back to the sport.
"Racing Victoria has increased the fixture list so there's racing seven days a week and on nights and it's making the job for stable staff far more demanding.
"It's the trainers and the staff that are putting on the show all the time but we need a real helping hand from Racing Victoria otherwise I don't think things will be able to go on as they are."
Racing Victoria will next week announce new measures, in conjunction with Racing Minister and deputy Premier Rob Hulls, to address staffing recruitment and retention.
Little, who trains Cox Plate winner El Segundo, called for more investment in the industry.
"There needs to be a real push from Racing Victoria to pull people into the sport. There have been sporadic efforts in the past but these have petered out.
"To safeguard the future of the sport a lot of money needs to be found for promotion and training of staff," Little said.
The lack of track riders is particularly acute. England, Ireland and the US have also faced shortages, but have been able to rely on migrant labour to keep the sport running.Karen Bromham, who specialises in finding foreign workers for the racing industry, told of the unique situation in which Australia finds itself.