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📻 IMPORTANT AUCKLAND UPDATE 📻
"So proud": ATA President praises racing industry over fire response
Connor Scanlon • January 12th, 2026 6:03 pm
Trainer and President of the Australian Trainers’ Association Troy Corstens has reflected on the miraculous effort of the racing industry to help each other during the Victorian bushfires.
While the fires ravaged through the countryside of Victoria, trainers, jockeys, employees and volunteers all provided a helping hand.
One of the individuals who Corstens recognised was gun jockey Ben Allen.
The hoop had been on holidays and instantly dropped what he was doing, drove to Flemington Racecourse to pick up a truck, and then headed straight towards the fires.
“Benny Allen, he's a jockey, he's been on holidays, he's coming back, he's trying to lose weight. He just jumped in his car straight away, came to Flemington, got in a truck, and went straight up and started helping,” Corstens told SENTrack & RSN’s Giddy Up.
“Like you can't buy that commitment and passion.
When asked by Giddy Up host Gareth Hall how the industry will respond from this hit, the ATA President admitted that they will just have to keep going.
“We’re an extremely resilient bunch, we just keep going,” Corstens said.
When further reflecting on the racing industry’s positive response to the fires, the trainer exclaimed how proud he was of the entire industry.
“I was so proud - as the president of the ATA, I sat back on Saturday afternoon and I watched all of our groups, including RVL (Racing Victoria Limited), TBA (Thoroughbred Breeders Australia), TBV (Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria), all collaborate and get together,” Corstens continued.
“I think it's something that racing does very, very well - when there's a crisis, we all jump in, we work together and combine nicely.”
