The group has also offered to find loving homes for all soon-to-be retired jumps horses to save them from being destroyed.

Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses campaign manager Elio Celotto said the group would be pleased to see the end of jumps racing.

"We are surprised and happy with today's outcome," he said of Racing Victoria's decision.

"We are disappointed we are going to have to endure another year of watching horses be injured and die on racetracks but we look forward to seeing the last jumps race run in 2010."

Mr Celotto said the group had been involved in fighting to ban jumps racing for the past four years but said the campaign had been a long battle going back decades for groups like the RSPCA.

Despite yesterday's announcement Mr Celotto wasn't ready to declare victory just yet.

"The campaign is far from over but we're happy with the outcome today," he said. "There is still another year to go and we are aware the board might change their mind but we're convinced RVL knows jumps racing is not largely accepted in the community so hopefully they will stick to their decision," he said.

Mr Celotto said the group, which held a protest at this year's May Racing Carnival, would continue to watch jumps racing very closely in the next year while stepping up a campaign to find new homes for any jumps horses no longer wanted by their owner.

He said the group had already found 30 loving homes and was committed to saving retired horses from the knackery. "We've made it public, we will facilitate re-housing of every jumps horse," he said.

"We want these horses to go to good homes so they can live out the rest of their lives."

Mr Celotto said no owners had taken up his offer, but he hoped they would, adding the group had trainers willing to work with the horses to ensure they were suitable to be re-homed.

"We are concerned about what happens to these horses so hopefully we can work together," he said.

"We don't want a single horse to suffer a bullet at the knackery."