In a move that will have stunned the Western Australian thoroughbred industry, the managing director of Perth Racing, Professor John Yovich, has been sacked with immediate effect by his board. According to thewest.com.au, Thursday's sacking, following a board meeting, was due to alleged inappropriate workplace misconduct that relates to text messages sent by Yovich to a staff member of the organisation. A long-standing former vice-chancellor of Murdoch University and an eminent veterinary surgeon, Yovich has deep ties to the racing industry. Prior to his most recent tenure with Perth Racing (since 2016), he had been an independent director of Racing and Wagering WA (RWWA) from 2013, and was also its general manager racing for a year. Yovich’s sacking comes off the back of a strong financial year for Perth Racing, which issued a statement to its members: “The board applauds the brave staff member who came forward with their credible account and evidence of what occurred. As a result of this evidence, the Perth Racing board has been made aware of serious cultural issues within the organisation and will now work to appoint an independent agency to conduct a full organisational review. The immediate priority of the board is to support Perth Racing staff and therefore will not release any further details relating to the decision at this time.”