CRYING NEED FOR A RAY OF LIGHT
“IF WE don’t get those lights, we’re in real trouble.”
The frustration in Townsville Turf Club president Malcolm Petrofski’s voice is evident. Fed up with southeast Queensland tracks getting funding for upgrades when Cluden Park’s off- track facilities haven’t had a facelift for years, Petrofski says introducing Townsville night racing is crucial to ensure the club’s long- term future.
Today’s Cox Plate meeting is traditionally one of TTC’s best money spinners, but today there won’t be a horse to be seen as Queensland clubs go on strike over perceived poor treatment from the State Government.
They are demanding an increase in prizemoney via funding from the Point of Consumption tax. Victoria and NSW are currently booming because they have done so.
As a sports journalist who heads to the track every so often to cover a race at a weekday race meetings, the stands are bare aside from the connections of the horses.
Petrofski is adamant installing lights is the only alternative as the club battles to be financially viable.
He said you need only look at Toowoomba and Sunshine Coast, whose bottom lines have boomed after introducing night racing, to realise you have to spend money to make money.
“If you look at the Sunshine Coast’s annual report they’ve got $ 4 million in the bank, Townsville’s got four dollars,” he said.
“You’ve got lights at Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast, and they’re talking about putting another set of lights on the Gold Coast.
“Why jam another set there when those clubs are within two hours of each other, when you could actually save a race club in North Queensland by putting a set of lights here?
“The financial year before we lost $ 530,000. This year we’ve clawed that back to about a $ 100,000 loss, but you can’t continue doing that.”
On face value it makes plenty of sense. Not only is there potential for more spectators to attend after work, the cooler racing conditions would be welcomed by jockeys and horses alike.
“Night racing is the future of Townsville racing. If we don’t get it, we’re just in a holding pattern,” he said. “It’s much better for the participants in the middle of summer and it changes the whole dynamic of the people who are able to come.
“It changes the future of what racing would look like in Townsville.
“It’s almost self funding because it would improve betting.
“If we timed it right, what can happen is we have a product that Racing Queensland sells to Sky Channel and it leads into overseas racing like Hong Kong or Singapore.
“Once a person starts betting on the local races, because of the time difference people are still betting right through until 11 or 12 at night. The income from that and the POC tax could almost fund the lights.
“I’d be happy for it to be on a Tuesday or Thursday night, and lead into some of those Asian meetings so people continue to bet.
“If the racing kicks off at 6pm after work, all of a sudden we’d have a whole generation interested in the industry.”
The Cluden Park track had a $ 7 million upgrade in 2015 but unlike other similar projects at Queensland clubs, the surrounding infrastructure like function rooms wasn’t.
“It gives you a real good racing surface but it does nothing for the club but raise our costs by $ 200,000 a year to maintain it,” Petrofski said.
“In our centres when they put in a new racetrack they upgraded the patron facilities, and the clubs make money out of that non race day revenue, and that helps pay track costs.”
Petrofski said the club isn’t simply putting the cap out for funds. They’re willing to help work with authorities to become more self- sufficient.
“That corner block of land we’ve got valued at $ 4 million, we could give that to the State Government and they can build a school or whatever they want there, and that’s our contribution to the lights.”
The other major issue at Cluden Park is it is the only Queensland TAB club without on- course stabling, which greatly increases their operating costs.
Then there’s the archaic condition of the female jockey change rooms, which haven’t been upgraded for many years.
When they were built it was to accommodate a former hoop Dawn Andrews, then the only female jockey in Townsville. But in many jockey apprentice schools now, females outnumber the males.
“At the time someone with some foresight said we should build it for two, in case another female jockey comes along,” Petrofski said.
“At our last meeting there was 12, in this little tiny area that is smaller than our office.
“They’re doing a $ 13 million redevelopment at Ipswich, but we’ve got our female jockeys trying to fit into an area designed for two.
“It’s got to the stage where one of the girls actually puts the seat down and sits on the toilet.”