Pakula visit a jump ahead

The former racing minister was not an enthusiastic supporter of the sport and when calls grew louder for a ban to be imposed, Mr Hulls labelled the number of horse deaths that year as unsustainable.

While he said the decision for a ban rested in the hands of Racing Victoria, Mr Hulls made his displeasure clear on a number of occasions about the way jumps racing was run statewide.

Mr Hulls departed state politics not long after Ted Baillieu came to power in November 2010. Mr Baillieu installed South-West Coast MP Denis Napthine as Mr Hulls’ successor in the racing portfolio and he proved to be a far better advocate of the sometimes contentious sport.

The anti-jumps lobby stepped up pressure to impose a ban following Banna Strand’s infamous 2011 bolt through north Warrnambool’s suburban streets. The sport’s future was in jeopardy but a few months with Spring Street backing was crucial to seeing off challenges against steeplechase racing.

Last year’s change of state government left jumps racing supporters a little nervous. They were concerned the Hulls approach would be repeated under new Racing Minister Martin Pakula.

So there would have been a few sighs of relief yesterday at Warrnambool racecourse when Mr Pakula expressed his enthusiasm for the sport in what is arguably its Australian capital.

The Racing Minister mingled with punters and clapped enthusiastically during the Thackeray Steeplechase. He was even seen taking happy snaps of Winslow trainer Ciaron Maher, which he duly uploaded to social media.

Mr Pakula visited the Grand Annual Steeplechase during his younger years and evidently enjoyed being trackside yesterday. 

He reiterated the state government’s position that any jumps racing ban would be in the hands of Racing Victoria.

With the likelihood of commercial television broadcasting the next year’s May carnival feature event, jumps racing has certainly turned a corner in the past few years. The future of steeplechasing looks bright.