Cat lobbying for an audience with Nine

Is this the start of a beautiful rapprochement between Nine and former Domain executiveAntony Catalano,who was spotted last week loitering in the lobby of the media company’s Docklands HQ?

Last we heard of the Cat,he was failing (badly) in his last-minute Federal Court bid to prevent Fairfax Media’s $3 billion merger with Nine — now the publisher of theHerald — along with his mates at Aurora Funds Management.

What that was all about we’ll probably never know,considering only months earlier he had praised the tie-up as an “absolute positive” for the real estate portal he ran until last January.

If there was a meeting with Nine chiefHugh Marks,nobody is letting on.

Catalano is still a big (non-institutional) Nine shareholder and has valuable relations with property types through his gig at Tomorrow Agency/Media Plus representing realtors and developers.

Meanwhile,Marks had another important under-the-radar visitor,this time at the Australian Open finals:Disney executiveKevin Mayer,responsible for streaming and international distribution.

Nine and Disney signed a content deal for streaming service Stan in December,which is going well by all accounts but scheduled to end later this year.

What the Hollywood studio does next is the subject of much speculation.

Mayer apparently did the rounds of local media while in Australia (he is well known to News Corp executives,having played a key role in the 21st Century Fox takeover).

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Irritating elsewhere

Former AGL bossAndy Vesey has kept a low profile since abruptly quitting the energy group.

But the man whose chief skill was irritating then energy ministerJosh Frydenberg has bobbed up at the Asian Development Bank forum in Bangkok,to discuss the future of the industry.

“When someone says that won’t work,that’s because our mental models don’t understand it,” Vesey told the audience,presumably in reference to his other political nemesis,Liberal MPCraig Kelly.

Libs feel banker love

PremierGladys Berejiklian suffered a setback this week when the High Court upheld a challenge allowing unions (and other third-party groups) to donate for the March election campaign.

But NSW Liberals directorChris Stone appears to be bringing in the cash at a faster clip than even we would have anticipated,having hosted more dinners late last year than even Neil Perry (spotted Wednesday afternoon at the Continental Deli on Phillip Street).

Our city’s investment class are the most eager.

Since November,former Macquarie chairmanKevin McCannhas forked out $2000 for a Sydney dinner with Frydenberg,while Caledonia chairMark Nelson handed over $1000 for the privilege.

Forager Funds bossJeff Weeden paid $5300 for dinner with Arts MinisterDon Harwin,who also managed to wrangle $4500 from art collectorJohn Kaldor.

Pacific Blue Capital,headed by Prime MinisterScott Morrison’s mateScott Briggs,generously donated $4000 for dinner with Berejiklian and $2000 for an event with Miranda MPEleni Petinos.

(No word yet on whether a consortium which includes Pacific Blue has succeeded in its bid for a $1 billion Commonwealth visa processing contract. Former Foxtel bossPeter Tonagh,who is heading that bid,donated $3000 to the party in October.)

Other contributors:Greensill Capital’s local managing directorIlkka Tales ($6000) and former Macquarie bankerMichael Carapiet ($1500).

The vultures circle

It's been one day since police visited thoroughbred trainerDarren Weir and Racing NSW is threatening to disqualify him for two years.

So where will the wealthy owner of the nags entrusted to his care turn to?

We hear Jayco squillionaireGerry Ryan,one of Weir's biggest clients,is likely to move his horses including Yankee Sang,as is Reliance Worldwide bossJonathan Munz.

Another big owner,Chinese billionaireZhang Yuesheng’s Yulong Australia racing outfit was locked in talks yesterday over their future with Weir.

Likely beneficiaries:Winx trainerChris Waller,thoroughbred stalwart Gai Waterhouse,and fellow Sydney-based outfit Snowdon Racing.