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The Meadows Greyhound Racing Association Manager Profile: Ashley Baker Ash is a long way from home, born and raised in Cairns, where he attended the greyhound track every Thursday. Racing is in his blood. Ash studied a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Southern Queensland, majoring in economics, and in 2007 moved to Melbourne and decided to follow his one true love, racing. While continuing to work full time, his day would start at 3am with a 45-minute drive to Mornington for track work with trainer David Brideoake to learn the thoroughbred industry and bloodstock management and returning to the city by 7.30am to continue his 9-5 role as a director for Centrelink. In 2010, after two years of learning about the industry and building a network, Ash took a leap of faith and left the public service to pursue a career in the thoroughbred industry, starting a media, consultancy and bloodstock business called ThoroughComm. The business expanded rapidly with contracts with the VRC, MRC, Pakenham, Cranbourne and Mornington as well as international bloodstock consultancy in Hong Kong. Ash joins MGRA with great experience in the industry, previously a Senior Policy role with the Office of Racing in 2016 and the General Manager of the Werribee Racing Club in 2018. Ash and his wife Naomi have two boys, Atticus 7 and Jude 3 and in his spare time he is studying a Master of Sports Business and Integrity with Victoria University Ash has settled into MGRA and his is amazed at the greyhound industry and how supportive everyone is of each other. It’s a great industry with great people and one common love – the greyhound. Ash and his committee have many exciting projects either underway or about to commence at the Meadows as he looks forward to shaping the future of the club. Great work Ash
Fun Facts with Neil Brown Itt was common knowledge, for many years, the two Metropolitan clubs were not the best of friends. The situation was caused by how everything started, when licences were granted to two vastly different organisations (GOTBA and the NCA). In those early days and years through the 60’s and 70’s the clubs controlled most of their destiny. There was separate grading and prize-money which could be vastly different as it was determined by the clubs who also had different ways of promoting their races and venues. In the main it was a friendly rivalry most of the time, as each club hosted committee members of the opposite club as it is today. One night at Sandown wasn’t quite harmonious. Sandown Chairman Henry Harrison - famous for his quote “My way or the Highway” - got into a heated argument with popular MGRA Chairman Les Foran. To say the two gentlemen had different backgrounds would be an understatement. Henry took offence and was not going tolerate any more talk from his counterpart and ordered security to remove him from the course. Now Les, a resourceful character at the best of times, scoured the packed Lightwood Road Carpark until he found an electrical sub-contractor’s van with a long ladder. He removed it from the roof racks and placed the ladder up against the outside fence. Scaling to the top, he hurled abuse at Henry and wouldn't come down until removed by the local Springvale Police, summoned to put a stop to the incident. It’s fair to say their relationship remained testy for some time. I am happy to say as the current Chairman of Sandown, things are vastly different to those times. MGRA Chairman Eddie Caruana is one of my best friends and it has been my pleasure to have know him for as long as I have. For the full history read more - https://gcv.org.au/locations/meadows
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