Bayot was voted onto the board in May 2021, while Hewson was a government-appointed director from February 2023. The departures left the board with just four directors.
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Peter McGauran resigned as ATC chairman in July after the club’s failed bid in May to convince members to accept a $5 billion deal to sell Rosehill Gardens Racecourse to the NSW Government, a move designed to future-proof the club and Sydney racing against declining revenues and betting turnover.
McGauran, also a government-appointed director, has not been replaced. The ATC’s next annual general meeting is set down for November.
The show-cause notice was issued on a day the ATC faced the threat of public protests from trainers if a proposed increase in rent, track, acceptance and barrier trials fees is not abandoned.
The ATC was set to increase its on-course stable rents by 10 per cent on August 1 before a backlash from trainers forced a postponement.
However, it was revealed on Thursday night in an email from the NSW Trainers’ Association to its Sydney members that track fees were also set to rise by 10 per cent, acceptance fees by about 20 per cent and barrier trials fees from $260 to $421, all from October 1.
The trainers’ body is confident it can find a way forward with interim ATC CEO McMahon, a former NSWTA boss. It also does not want to the dispute to overshadow the Everest carnival, which begins on Saturday at Randwick. It hopes to have any changes abandoned or at least delayed until all parties can have further discussions after the carnival.
The association, though, has proposed to members that, if the hikes are implemented and genuine consultation is not established, trainers should read prepared statements denouncing the increases in all media interviews before discussing their horses.