127 year old Taranaki club to close?

The Taranaki racing community has mixed reactions to an independent industry report calling for the sale of nearly half the racing clubs in the country, including two in the province.

The report, by Australian racing identity John Messara, has recommended the closure of 20 racing clubs from August 2019.

Sales from the closures would be put toward a six year programme to upgrade the remaining 28 clubs.

Among those recommended to close are Stratford Racing Club and Egmont Racing Club, with New Plymouth, Waverley and Wanganui to be retained.

The others recommended to close are Dargaville, Avondale, Thames, Rotorua, Wairoa, Waipukurau, Woodville, Reefton, Greymouth, Hokitika, Motukarara, Timaru, Kurow, Oamaru, Waimate, Omakau, Winton, and Gore.

Those unaffected include Ellerslie, Matamata, Te Aroha, Pukekohe, Te Rapa, Te Awamutu, Tauranga, Ruakaka, Taupo, Te Teko, Awapuni, Trentham, Hastings, Otaki, Tauherenikau, Gisborne, Blenheim, Riccarton Park, Ashburton, Wingatui, Ascot Park Invercargill, Kumara, Cromwell, Waikouaiti, and Riverton.

Stratford RC and Egmont RC are both freehold courses while New Plymouth and Waverley are leased from the New Plymouth, and South Taranaki District Councils respectively.

Local racing identities contacted by the Taranaki Daily News/Stuff agreed the racing industry, described in the 57 page report as being in a ‘‘deeply distressed state’’, needed a shake-up.

New Plymouth trainer Allan Sharrock and former Waverley, now Palmerston North, trainer Kevin Gray supported the recommendations

The racing industry is ‘‘going through a slow death’’, Sharrock said. ‘‘It’s going down the dunny and this report will shake it up.’’

‘‘The industry has been doing poorly for a considerable time. The changes have to be done.

‘‘It’s unfortunate for those clubs which may have to close but we have to look at the bigger picture.’’

Sharrock did not think closing Stratford and Egmont clubs would greatly affect the Taranaki racing community.

‘‘They don’t lose their identity if they shift meetings to New Plymouth, and they don’t have the upkeep on their own courses to deal with.’’

Gray said he was ‘‘gutted and disappointed’’ that Ha¯ wera, which he considered the best track in the province, could close. However, with the decline of interest in racing nationwide there needed to be changes.

‘‘If it is not getting a return then you have to pull the pin, like any business,’’ he said.

‘‘Everyone I talked to seems pretty happy with the proposals. It’s the best move to happen.

‘‘We can’t kiss the industry goodbye.’’

Stratford Racing Club president John Gray said the proposed closure of the 127-year-old racecourse was premature and would impact directly on local trainers, farriers and feed merchants.

While the club held only three meetings a year, between eight and

12 trainers used the track to train

60-80 horses each month, he said. Both Gray and Egmont Racing Club president Karl Stratton said the clubs were being squeezed every year by the New Zealand Racing Board.

Gray said the SRC expected to lose its racing licence in August 2019 and the December 29 meeting would be the last to be held on the course.

‘‘They want us to sell our course and put the money into an allweather track in New Plymouth,’’ he said.

‘‘We’re really concerned about the racing industry’s future in Taranaki.’’

Egmont RC has another four years on its licence.

‘‘The idea is right but implementing the recommendations will be hard,’’ he said. ‘‘For the Hāwera community it is another iconic sporting event finished.

‘‘I don’t know how they explain that Kumara, with only one meeting a year, is kept open.’’

Both Gray and Stratton said the courses were being targeted for closure because they were freehold.

‘‘It costs us nothing to run meetings at Egmont because we own it,’’ Stratton said. ‘‘They (NZRB) can’t sell Waverley or New Plymouth because they are leased from the district councils.

‘‘We’ll be fighting hard to stop Egmont club from closing.’’

Taranaki Racing chief executive, and Egmont RC racing manager, Carey Hobbs said he did not want to make a comment until he had read the ‘‘comprehensive’’ report fully.

‘‘The industry as a whole has been going backwards for years. It’s been a downward decline for some time,’’ Hobbs said.

The industry has been doing poorly for a considerable time, the changes have to be done. Trainer Allan Sharrock