Racing club letting the public see past the post
It’s only taken 143 years but Taranaki Racing is finally holding an open day at Pukekura.
Formerly the Taranaki Jockey Club, the Taranaki Racing Club and Taranaki Thoroughbred Racing, the club has been at its Pukekura site all that time without ever showing the public through its entirety.
Not that chief executive Carey Hobbs can remember, anyway.
Hobbs has been at the helm for three decades and said the reasons for the open day were that a section of the general public would have no idea of what went on behind the scenes and to show people just what facilities were on offer.
As well as tours of the site and stabling areas, trainer Janelle Millar would be available to explain just what sort of work went in to train thoroughbred horses.
‘‘We must continue to make people aware of the importance of our industry to Taranaki and New Zealand,’’ Hobbs said.
Hobbs believed the timing of the open day was also topical as the New Zealand Racing Board had just commissioned a study to investigate the size of the industry in the country.
The last study, conducted in 2009, showed racing in Taranaki contributed $25.9m to the Taranaki economy, employed 261 full-time staff while more than 1800 people in the province were involved in some way.
Total racing wages and salary within Taranaki added up beyond the $12m at that time.
While the raceway was a popular spot for functions and events, Hobbs said the club had invested a lot into modernising its facilities and he wanted the public to know what was on offer.
As well as the tour the club would put live music and a complimentary barbecue.
- The open day is Sunday, October 29 from 11am-3pm.