RACING POWER

INFLUENTIAL TRACK FIGURE

A DAY at the races is a perfect fit for the Gold Coast, right?

Well, the racing landscape is moving and the Gold Coast Turf Club is moving with it, led by the efforts of chairman Brett Cook.

“The main important part of the racing industry over the last four or five years in particular is obviously non-race day revenue,” Cook explained.

“Clubs have to be a lot more self-sustainable so we’ve gone down the business model of trying to expand our business.

“This year we’ve made a million, a million and a half, so for a non-for-profit organisation that’s a pretty good achievement and that money goes back into our facilities.”

High on the agenda is major upgrade works in the pipeline to improve their training and track facilities as well as creating a consistent revenue stream.

“Our big ticket item is obviously development oppor- tunities inside the precinct, so we’re looking at accommodation with motels, strata titled units and a licensed club,” Cook said.

“The licensed club we have to get over the line.

“The main reason behind that is at the moment we make all our money pretty much on a Saturday when we race. If we have a licensed club, we can operate seven days a week and obviously bring in more key staff.”

Though classified as a provincial club, the Bundall site already boasts a significant presence as home to the megarich Magic Millions.

Cook’s decade-long place on the board, six years of which have been as chairman, has been borne out of a long love of racing dating back to his upbringing in the Darling Downs.

“Out in the country, there’s not as much to do as here on the Gold Coast so every Saturday morning as a young fella I would jump in the car and we’d go to all the local meetings,” he recalled.

“We would travel three or four hours each way on a Saturday just to go to the races.”