While Kanga\u2019s absence was impossible to ignore under a clear spring sky for the start of the Caulfield carnival, it was business as usual in the hustle and bustle of the mounting yard for trainers such as Peter Moody, Danny O\u2019Brien and Ciaron Maher, and gun jockeys including James McDonald and Jamie Melham.<\/p>\n
But interest will build later in the afternoon when a horse that Kanga part-owns alongside Collingwood coach Craig McRae, called Feroce, runs in the $1 million group 1 Toorak Handicap at 3.50.<\/p>\n
Feroce is trained by a young horseman mentored by Kanga, Englishman Dom Sutton.<\/p>\n
The Age reported last month that schoolteacher Brown withdrew from the MRC board election race after his 200-word statement to members was cut to just 70 words by the club\u2019s executive committee. Official election documents proving Brown\u2019s concerns were seen by this masthead.<\/p>\n
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Brown, who was also at Caulfield on Saturday, said he had pulled out because his redacted statement would have been too humiliating to present to members.<\/p>\n
He would have been standing against then-chairman Kanga and two other board members \u2013 Frank Polio and treasurer Alison Saville \u2013 who were elected unopposed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have put in a submission to Racing Victoria last week for administrators to be appointed,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cPart of the reason is that on the evidence provided by myself to Racing Victoria based on precedent, rules of racing and common law rulings, the most recent election should be vitiated for a number of reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a sham election where CorpVote [the independent returning officer] had their delegated powers effectively overridden by instructions from certain executive committee members, and Racing Victoria integrity has been provided with primary documentary evidence of that fact.<\/p>\n
\u201cParadoxically, in my redacted candidate statement I suggested an independent audit committee be established, but that was deleted not by the returning officer but at the direction of the executive committee.\u201d<\/p>\n
CorpVote said it could not comment on an election process when approached by this masthead.<\/p>\n