Racing Victoria (RV) has today announced the resignation of highly respected Executive General Manager – Racing, Greg Carpenter, after more than 17 years with the organisation.
Carpenter, who joined RV in January 2005 as the Chief Handicapper, is returning to Asia to take on a senior role with the Hong Kong Jockey Club having first worked in the region for the Malayan Racing Association from 1995 to 2000.
Just the ninth individual to handicap the Melbourne Cup in its 161-year history, Carpenter will deliver the weights for the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups for an 18th consecutive year before concluding his duties with RV on 23 September 2022.
After his initial appointment as Chief Handicapper, Carpenter took on the expanded role of Executive General Manager – Racing in 2011 leading RV’s racing team which is responsible for the programming, handicapping and delivery of over 4,300 races each year in Victoria.
During his time with RV, he has overseen Victoria’s phenomenal growth in prizemoney, the expansion of night and twilight racing and the introduction of The All-Star Mile, while also serving as Chairman of the Australian Racing Museum.
He has also been Australia’s representative on the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Committee since 2005 and is a former long serving Chairman of the Australian Classifications Committee.
RV Chief Executive, Giles Thompson, said: “It has been a privilege to work alongside Greg during my time at Racing Victoria, as it has been for so many. His knowledge and passion for the sport is unmatched and we have been blessed to have him part of our team for more than 17 years.
“The role of Chief Handicapper is not often one that draws great applause, but in discharging his duties and leading a talented panel of handicappers Greg has earned the respect of all within Victorian racing and indeed in racing jurisdictions across the globe.
“Whilst the organisation is saddened to lose such a highly respected and valued leader, we are incredibly thankful for the service that Greg has given to Victorian racing and understand that the time has come for he and wife Leanne to embark on a new challenge abroad.
“On behalf of the Board and staff at Racing Victoria, I extend our very best wishes to Greg on his move to Hong Kong and know that he will be busy over the next three months working with his panel to prepare the handicaps for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups for a final time.”
Carpenter said: “It has been a privilege to have worked with Racing Victoria, the leading racing jurisdiction in the southern hemisphere, over the last 17 years, and to have had the honour, among other duties, of handicapping the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
“I’m immensely proud to have been part of an extraordinary executive team at Racing Victoria, most recently under the leadership of Giles Thompson, and to work alongside so many talented and passionate women and men across the organisation and broader industry.
“I leave Racing Victoria in the knowledge that the sport in Victoria is in an exceptionally strong position and well placed to continue to grow and deliver on behalf of all participants who work so hard on a daily basis to deliver great racing for all to enjoy.
“The time has come to take on the next challenge in my professional career and that is with the Hong Kong Jockey Club who are recognised globally as a world leader in our sport. In doing so, I will continue to closely follow Victorian and Australian racing with great interest.”
The search for Carpenter’s replacement will commence this month with both local and international applicants to be considered.