Racing pushes to scrap 4am starts to improve stable staff welfare
John Kanga and Australian Trainers' Association president Troy Corstens are calling for later start times to improve work-life balance for racing staff.
John Kanga, the former Melbourne Racing Club chairman, has joined a push to end 4am starts at training stables. Kanga says stable staff deserve the same welfare focus as horses.
Kanga obtained a stable-hand licence this year to understand working conditions firsthand. Australian Trainers' Association president Troy Corstens is pushing for a 6am start instead.
Early starts force staff to bed at 7 or 8pm and make recruitment harder. The VRC brought the Flemington opening time from 4am to 4.30am in July.
Plans include a 5am trial after the spring carnival. Corstens said a 6am start would require the VRC to renegotiate with track-management staff.
Training centres have opened before dawn for over a century due to tradition. Some trainers now question whether the practice is sustainable.
- 4am
- Current start time
- 4.30am in July
- VRC moved to
- 6am start
- Corstens' proposal
- Melbourne Racing Club chairman
- Kanga's former role
Why it mattersChanging start times could improve staff retention and attract new workers to the racing industry, which faces labour shortages.
AustraliaIf Victoria shifts to later training starts, it may reshape working conditions for hundreds of stable staff across Melbourne's racing hub ahead of the busy spring carnival.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 3 h ago
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