Latest news with #PeterMcGauran
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Rosehill trainers want to move on after ATC members reject sale proposal
Trainer Richard Freedman says only time will tell if Australian Turf Club members have made the right decision to reject the Rosehill sale proposal. 'All I will say is I hope they have made the right decision,'' Freedman told The Daily Telegraph. 'If they have made the wrong one, eventually we will pay the penalty.'' • Racenet iQ members get full access to our Pro Tips service, where Greg Polson and our team of professional punters provide daily tips with fully transparent return on investment statistics. SUBSCRIBE NOW and start punting like a pro! At an ATC extraordinary general meeting on Tuesday, the 'no'' vote had 56.1 per cent of membership support, or 4413 of the 7864 votes received. There are nearly 11,500 members of the race club. Freedman, who trains in partnership with his son, Will, at Rosehill, said if the ATC had more time to prosecute the case for selling the racetrack, it might have changed the vote's outcome. In the aftermath of the vote, there has been calls for some senior ATC executives including board members and chairman Peter McGauran to resign. The issue has divided Sydney racing but Hall of Famer John Hawkes, one of the all-time great trainers with a storied career spanning more than 50 years, said it is time for personal differences to be set aside. 'In some ways the result of the vote is good, in some ways it's not so good,'' said Hawkes, who trains in partnership with his sons Michael and Wayne. 'But whichever way the vote went, there was nothing we could have done about it. 'This is a great industry with great people in it and it would be better for everyone if we could just move forward from this now.'' David Payne, a former champion trainer in South Africa before making a success of his move to Sydney more than two decades ago, welcomed the members rejection of the Rosehill sale. 'I think it is a very good decision,'' Payne said. 'When I was in South Africa, they sold three of the best racetracks and the sport has gone downhill there ever since. 'At least the Rosehill trainers can plan for their future now. This decision is not so much for me but the younger generation.'' Gerald Ryan, who trains in partnership with Sterling Alexiou, admitted he was 'sitting on the fence' with the Rosehill sale proposal. 'I just wanted what was best for racing,'' Ryan said. 'Actually, I thought the plans for Warwick Farm and Penrith were great but we only saw that about 10 days beforehand. If it had eventuated, it would have been terrific.'' Ryan said he was relieved the Golden Slipper, the world's richest two-year-old race, would remain at Rosehill. Cherie Curtis, who trains with her husband Lee, said the decision of members to reject the sale proposal gives Rosehill trainers 'some certainty' for the future. 'Before the vote, we weren't sure what to do with our lives – do we buy a house here, where do our kids go to school, what would happen to our stable staff,'' she said. 'It's been a year and a half of instability but we have some certainty now.''
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Entirely civil': ATC Chairman calls hostility claims ‘rubbish' after Rosehill vote
Australian Turf Club Chairman Peter McGauran has dismissed reports of hostility during the member meeting that rejected a $5 billion proposal to sell Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, calling such claims 'complete rubbish'. Speaking to Sky News Australia, Mr McGauran addressed speculation about unrest at the recent meeting held at Royal Randwick, where ATC members voted 56 per cent against the proposed sale to the NSW government. 'The meeting was entirely civil,' he told Sky News Australia. 'Look, it was robust. Everybody who stood up basically opposed the sale of Rosehill and put their points of view passionately, but the idea that there was any anger expressed, there were strong feelings.'
7NEWS
27-05-2025
- Business
- 7NEWS
NSW Premier Chris Minns not happy as members vote against Rosehill racecourse proposal
Australian Turf Club members have rejected a proposal to sell Rosehill racecourse – the home of Sydney's traditionally most famous race, the Golden Slipper – at an extraordinary general meeting held at Randwick on Tuesday. Conducted by in-person voting, online voting and also by post, 56.1% of members voted 'no' to the ATC committee's plan to sell Rosehill for $5 billion with the funds to be received over 15 years from the New South Wales government to then use the site for housing development. 'While the resolution will not proceed, the robust debate and considered views expressed throughout the process has put us in good stead for our next phase of strategic planning and development,' ATC chairman Peter McGauran said. 'With the vote behind us, the club's focus is firmly on the future - one that honours our proud heritage while continuing to evolve and grow. 'Our priorities remain enhancing our tracks and welfare systems, growing participation through deeper community engagement, and continually improving the raceday experience for members and visitors. 'We will also continue to explore opportunities to diversify the revenue streams our racecourses and assets generate to reduce the reliance on wagering.' Horse racing has been held at Rosehill since 1888. It is unclear whether proposed redevelopments of Warwick Farm racecourse which was dependent on the windfall had the 'yes' vote been successful has any future prospects of proceeding through any other funding mechanism. NSW Premier Chris Minns said a 'golden opportunity' had 'slipped through our fingers'. 'I'm obviously disappointed by the decision of ATC members, I'm not going to lie. 'I think this would have been a great opportunity for Sydney, and the fact that it's not going to be realised, is obviously disappointing,' he said. 'The truth of the matter is, it feels like the closeness of the result makes it more difficult to take, not easier.' Minns said the government wold accept the ruled out a forcible acquisition of the racecourse, saying he would honour the result.
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Australian Turf Club members reject historic $5bn redevelopment plan for Rosehill Racecourse
Australian Turf Club members have resoundingly rejected a $5 billion proposal to sell Sydney's Rosehill Racecourse, with the state government hoping to use the site for a new 'mini city'. ATC club chairman Peter McGauran made the announcement on Thursday afternoon, noting he had supported the sale and was personally 'disappointed by the result'. Debate ahead of the vote lasted more than an hour, with 56 per cent ultimately voting against the sale and 44 per cent in favour. The vote marks the end of a 17-month saga for the club and the state government, who have proposed redeveloping the land for a 'once in a generation' housing project. The government had planned on erecting 25,000 new homes, as well as a Metro West station, on the western Sydney site, if the sale is approved and then on-sold. The ATC has vowed to use the sale money on $1.9bn in upgrades to other Sydney race tracks, including upgrades to entertainment and other amenities. Mr McGauran said the ATC would now face an uphill battle, with the lack of funding doing nothing to help address a decline in attendance and run down venues. 'It's more of a challenge because we don't have the funding that could have been available to us through the sale,' he said. 'Nonetheless, we are a viable and strong club and the future is in our hands and we're united behind shared and common goals.' Mr McGauran admitted he was 'disappointed' by the vote, but said he understood why people had opposed it. He said much of the vote was influenced by the well-intended 'racing establishment' who had 'made their fortunes from racing'. Taking a sombre but matter-of-fact tone, Mr McGauran warned of an uncertain future, with declining interest in the sport. 'What what we have to do is go back to core business and seek to reduce our operating costs,' he said. 'Where we can discuss with Racing NSW and the state government, how we can better align with their objectives and strategies. 'The funding would have transformed the entire Sydney racing scene for the next hundred years.' He went on to add: 'I believe that racing (in Australia) is quickly becoming a niche sport, and this lost opportunity will further accelerate that decline.' Noting the land value of the racecourse as $27.5m, Mr McGauran lamented the missed opportunity to sell it at '128 times' the value. Mr McGauran was, though, unreserved in his criticism of independent MP Mark Latham, an outspoken critic of the proposal. 'Mark Latham is a blight on the political landscape, let alone on the racing landscape,' he said. Some 11,000 members voted on the proposal on Tuesday afternoon. Mr McGauran, in a letter to members earlier this year, described the vote as 'without any doubt the most important and consequential in the history of our club'. 'This proposal offers a one-off opportunity to make the ATC the most financially secure racing club in the world,' he said in March. 'Many members love Rosehill Gardens and are reluctant to see it go, but the truth is it's an outdated venue with declining crowds. 'This proposal can rejuvenate and secure the racing industry for many generations to come.'' The vote was initially due to be held on April 3, but was postponed following concerns about 'fairness and transparency'. Information has since been provided to members detailing the perspectives of both the 'Yes' and 'No' camps. Under the proposal, state government payments to the ATC are timed to fund 'several major investments' over 15 years. The funds will, among other measures, be used to redevelop Warwick Farm into a replacement Group 1 track. Premier Chris Minns told ABC Sydney radio on Tuesday he would be 'disappointed' if the ATC shot down the deal. 'I thought this would be a good step forward for Sydney,' Mr Minns told Craig Reucassel. 'This would be infill development, but effectively untouched land for over 100 years so didn't have the contamination risks in a lot of other parts around the Parramatta River.' Mr Minns ruled out compulsorily acquiring the site if the club voted against the sale. 'I think that it would be disingenuous of me,' Mr Minns said. 'We're leaving it up to the members of the ATC.' 'The question we're asking ATC members is: as we're driving a tunneler underneath the racecourse, do you want us to put a Metro station in as well? Once we're through, that's it.'
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
ATC members vote no to sale of Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
Members of the Australian Turf Club (ATC) have voted not to sell Rosehill Racecourse to the NSW government. On Tuesday, about 11,000 members voted on the fate of the racecourse, bringing a 17-month-long saga to end. The no vote was carried by 56.1 per cent of the ballots. The ATC had proposed to sell Rosehill Gardens Racecourse to the state government for an asking price of $5 billion, which the Minns government planned to then on-sell to housing developers to build 25,000 homes and install a stop on the new Metro West line. If the members gave up their racetrack, the ATC had promised $1.9 million in upgrades for neighbouring Sydney tracks, including turning Warwick Farm into a replacement Group 1 track. Existing members would have also been gifted complementary membership for five years, and an annual $1,000 food and beverage tab for the same time. In April, Racing NSW used legal powers to postpone the initial vote of the racecourse's future, saying it was provided "insufficient" information — a move which was criticised by "vote no" campaigners who believed they could have turned down the proposition. In the lead up to the vote, the club's chairman Peter McGauran, said the sale was vital in safeguarding the future of racing, citing declining event attendance. Mr McGauran on Tuesday called the result "the most significant decision in the Club's history". "The Board brought forward this proposal in accordance with its fiduciary obligations, with the future of Sydney racing, our venues and Members at the centre of the plan," he said in a statement. "While the resolution will not proceed, the robust debate and considered views expressed throughout the process has put us in good stead for our next phase of strategic planning and development." Prominent racing names including Gai Waterhouse, Julia Ritchie, Jason Abrahams and John O'Shea had widely opposed the sell-off of Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, with many complaining the state government had not committed to paying the club's $5 billion demand. Almost 18 months ago, NSW Premier Chris Minns backed the deal, labelling it a "game changer" to meet the growing city's housing needs. Mr Minns previously told 702 ABC Radio Sydney he would be "disappointed" if the vote was unsuccessful but ruled out the compulsory acquisition of the club.
