Latest news with #RosehillSale
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Leading trainer criticises rejection of Rosehill sale; calls for collaborative efforts to address long-term challenges
The rejection by Australian Turf Club members of the $5 billion Rosehill sale proposal is a 'missed opportunity' to financially future-proof Sydney and NSW racing for decades. This was the reaction of one leading trainer who contacted Racing Confidential under a cloak of anonymity after Tuesday's members vote dealt a fatal blow for plans to sell Rosehill, transform Warwick Farm and build a new racing and training centre at Penrith. 'What is the alternative funding model for the industry given wagering is in decline and the members have turned their back on $5 billion? What is Plan B?'' the trainer said. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The trainer maintains he is 'one of many' reluctant to talk on the record or risk losing stable clients because the Rosehill sale proposal has split Sydney racing, fractured friendships, and led to deep distrust on both sides of the argument. 'There has been a lot of misinformation through this whole debate,'' he said. The trainer became increasingly agitated the longer the conversation went and it was plainly obvious he had real concerns about his future and for many industry participants. It has been regrettable that the Rosehill sale issue seemed to drift away from being a robust debate on the merits of the proposal into attacks on key industry figures. Surely the time has come to put differences aside and start working collaboratively for the betterment of the sport. The Rosehill sale proposal has highlighted some of the long-term structural issues the racing industry must confront, notably improving club revenues, addressing wagering decline, and keeping the sport relevant for younger generations. â– â– â– â– â– Star Sydney jockey Tyler Schiller was in good spirits on Thursday despite a serious back injury that will rule him out for six weeks. 'I'm going well considering, it could've been much worse,'' Schiller said. The jockey suffered a stable fracture of his T-8 vertebrae (mid-spine) after he was dislodged going onto the track before the Canterbury opener on Wednesday. Schiller, who has ridden 49 winners to be fifth on the Sydney jockey premiership, has had another hugely successful season highlighted by his Group 1 wins on the Team Hawkes-trained Briasa (TJ Smith Stakes) and Nepotism (Champagne Stakes).
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Tuesday is D-Day for Rosehill sale decision
The contentious Rosehill sale proposal will be determined by an Australian Turf Club membership vote on Tuesday. ATC has a membership base of nearly 11,500 and at most annual general meetings, usually less than 2000 cast votes on various issues. But the club expects at least half of members to vote on the proposal to sell Rosehill for at least $5 billion to make way for 25,000 new homes. Postal and online voting closes at 2pm on Sunday and the only other avenue members have to vote is to attend Tuesday's extraordinary general meeting at Royal Randwick. ATC is likely to side with convention and not allow media into Tuesday's meeting. It is understood all votes will be collated and the result announced on the same day. â– â– â– â– â– THE Royal Randwick track surface was in remarkable shape considering the rainfall which swamped Sydney last week. Despite the track receiving nearly 200mls of rain in the lead-up to Saturday's meeting, course manager Michael Wood and his staff were able to present a track rated as a heavy 9 for the opening race. Australian Turf Club Track Manager Michael Wood updates us on tstate of the Royal Randwick surface in the lead up to today’s @Sportingchance_ cancer Foundation Raceday meeting — Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) May 24, 2025 • World famous Dapto Dogs to be shut down â– â– â– â– â– TABCORP chief executive Gill McLachlan has revealed plans to invest millions of dollars to upgrade wagering facilities in pubs and clubs to improve the wagering giant's retail offerings to punters. In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, McLachlan said he wants to 'prioritise the retail experience' including the 3700 venues across the nation which host betting terminals. 'This investment will make pubs and clubs busier and is at the heart of our business,'' McLachlan said. 'We will be injecting unprecedented levels of promotions and new initiatives into our retail network over the next 12 months as we aim to revitalise our retail offering. 'We want to grow the retail network and work transparently with our partners to create alignment on a growth strategy that creates better commercial outcomes for venues.'' McLachlan said the proposal was the 'biggest upgrade to our retail network in the company's history'' and would include more $20 million in wagering credits and special offers to TAB punters betting in pubs and clubs in the new financial year. â– â– â– â– â– Tabcorp's proposal to stimulate betting on their retail network comes as French racing authorities announced huge prizemoney cuts due to a worrying decline in wagering revenues. France Gallop plans to slash prizemoney by about $A35 million per year as it tries to slash costs and bring the sport to a balanced budget by the end of this decade. Although prizemoney for Group 1 races won't change, stakes for other Group and Listed races will be reduced by 8.5 per cent, and other flat races by 4 per cent. France Galop's administrative council has agreed a plan to cut prize-money by €20 million per year in an effort to bring the sport back to a balanced budget — Racing Post (@RacingPost) May 20, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– Champion jockey James McDonald made the trip to Hong Kong overnight to partner favourite Voyage Bubble in the Group 1 Champions and Chater Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday. Voyage Bubble has been dominant over 1600m to 2000m this season but needs to stretch his stamina reserves out to 2400m for the final major of the Hong Kong season. Among his main rivals is England's globetrotting Dubai Honour, winner of three Australian Group 1 races including the Ranvet Stakes - Queen Elizabeth Stakes double in 2023. The William Haggas -trained Dubai Honour returned to Sydney for the autumn carnival this year and won the Tancred Stakes before finishing second to champion Via Sistina in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Hong Kong International Vase last December.
News.com.au
14-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘I don't think it's something we should let pass': Prominent owner-breeder Charles Kelly gets on front foot over Rosehill sale proposal
One of NSW racing's leading owner-breeders has thrown his support behind the Australian Turf Club's controversial $5 billion Rosehill racecourse sale proposal. Charles Kelly from famous Newhaven Park Stud has written to more than 100 leading industry figures imploring them to study the ATC proposal which he describes as a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' to secure the future of the NSW racing and breeding industry. Kelly said ATC members should 'give serious consideration to supporting this proposal'. 'I encourage you to read the 'info', watch the videos and see what opportunities this could provide the industry as a whole,'' Kelly said. ATC members received a detailed 111-page document from the club last week that outlined plans to spend $800m million to rebuild Warwick Farm racecourse with a reconfigured course proper and grandstands, a new inside course for midweek racing, four training tracks and facilities for 1000 horses. The document also provided information about infrastructure spends at Royal Randwick and Canterbury, and the club has subsequently confirmed it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Penrith Golf Club with plans to spend more than $370 million to acquire and develop the golf course into a training centre with the capacity for more than 300 horses. ATC will allocate more than $1.9 billion on racecourse development and infrastructure if members vote 'yes' to the Rosehill sale proposal on May 27. Kelly said he felt compelled to speak out in support of the ATC Rosehill sale proposal which has the potential to financially future-proof the NSW racing industry for decades. Revealed: A golf course in Penrith could become the new home of horse racing in Sydney with the Australian Turf Club moving to acquire the site as part of its plans to sell Rosehill Gardens. — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) May 11, 2025 • 'My family has been involved in this amazing industry for over 80 years. We live, sleep, eat, think and drink racing,'' said Kelly whose family owns the iconic Doncaster Hotel near Royal Randwick. 'This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. No racing jurisdiction has ever received this amount of capital anywhere in the world. 'I don't think it's something we should let pass on by, especially given the NSW Government is going to fully support the ATC and their plans.'' Kelly revealed he 'spent all day on the phone talking with people' about the Rosehill sale proposal since distributing his views via text message to many members and industry participants. The proposal to sell Rosehill to make way for 25,000 homes is a polarising issue which has split the racing industry. The ATC Vote on Rosehill takes place on 27th May. Members still have no definitive proposal of any sort to justify a sale. Warwick Farm is unsuitable; there is no supporting evidence to say a track can be built, and if ‘yes’ wins then voting members lose all control of Rosehill’s… — Gai Waterhouse AO (@GaiWaterhouse1) May 13, 2025 There is strong opposition to selling Rosehill as the racecourse is a core asset of the ATC. Hall of Fame trainer Gai Waterhouse has been a passionate and vocal critic of the sale proposal. She is overseas and won't be present at the May 27 meeting but took to social media this week to reiterate why members should vote 'no' to selling Rosehill. 'Members still have no definitive proposal of any sort to justify a sale,'' Waterhouse wrote. 'Warwick Farm is unsuitable; there is no supporting evidence to say a track can be built, and if 'yes' wins then voting members lose all control of Rosehill's fate. We may as well throw our betting tickets away.'' The 'Save Rosehill' group wrote to members earlier this week declaring their position has not changed and provided 10 reasons why they are opposed to the sale despite the release of the ATC's detailed proposals. This prompted ATC to write to club members on Tuesday night and accuse the group fighting to save Rosehill of 'misrepresenting' key facts around the proposed $5 billion racecourse sale before responding to each of the 10 points in detail.
News.com.au
08-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
ATC members have an 111-page document to make a more informed decision on the sale
Australian Turf Club members have begun casting their votes again on the $5 billion Rosehill racecourse sale proposal. The first vote in early April was aborted when Racing NSW intervened so ATC could provide more information to members about infrastructure plans if the Rosehill sale was to proceed, making way for the creation of 25,000 new homes. Members received a detailed 111-page document on Tuesday to consider ahead of the club's Extraordinary General Meeting on May 27 where votes from the 11,000-plus membership base will be collated to determine the future of Rosehill racecourse. ATC members now have the opportunity to make a more informed decision on the Rosehill sale proposal. There is an expectation members will reject the proposal but if they vote to sell, then $800 million will be spent to rebuild Warwick Farm racecourse with a reconfigured course proper and grandstands, a new inside course, four training tracks, and facilities for 1000 horses. Critics have suggested Warwick Farm is 'too small, flood-prone and geographically inferior to Rosehill'. But Warwick Farm 's footprint is on 87 hectares compared to Rosehill's 60 hectares, and ATC has met with Liverpool Council and Department Planning engineers to determine measures that mitigate any flood zone issues. ATC is also considering parcels of land near Penrith to build a new training facility if Rosehill is sold. â– â– â– There are some suggestions if ATC needs to sell an asset, then it should be Canterbury and not Rosehill. But Canterbury is on a significantly smaller parcel of land and would not bring anywhere near the potential proceeds from Rosehill if members do vote to sell that racetrack. It is understood a large portion of the Canterbury site would be required for 'green space' thus reducing the amount of land available for housing development purposes. â– â– â– What hasn't received much attention since Tuesday are plans to establish an independently governed Racing Future Fund to secure proceeds from the Rosehill sale if it is approved by members. This fund will be managed by 'investment advisors, to provide stable long-term revenue, insulated from wagering or government volatility'. There are also plans to create a Racing Advisory Board which would consist of an independent panel of ATC members and experts to recommend allocation of sale proceeds. Both suggestions have real merit and perhaps could still be implemented in some form to manage industry funds and expenditure even if members vote against selling Rosehill. â– â– â– Trainer James Cummings lodged his application for the vacant Leilani Lodge stables at Randwick before the 5pm deadline last Monday. Racing Confidential understands there are at least three trainers keen to occupy the famous stable block which has room for 60 horses. The ATC board is expected to decide which trainer is given the keys to Leilani Lodge before the end of this month. â– â– â– Giga Kick, winner of the 2022 The Everest, is close to a handicapping certainty in the Group 1 $1 million Goodwood at Morphettville on Saturday. Under the set weights and penalties conditions of the Goodwood, Giga Kick gets in with only 54.5kg because he has not won a race for nearly two years. Group 3 and Listed winners are giving weight to Giga Kick, a multiple Group 1 winner of $12.7 million prizemoney. If Giga Kick wins the Goodwood, he will earn another $547,250 and move into eighth on the all-time list of leading prizemoney earners.
