Phar Lap draws good crowd
Warm weather drew hundreds of punters to Phar Lap Raceway on Sunday as the South Canterbury Racing Club continues its fight to retain thoroughbred racing in Timaru. Chris Tobin reports
Summer-like weather drew hundreds of punters to Phar Lap Raceway on Sunday as the South Canterbury Racing Club continues its fight to retain thoroughbred racing in Timaru.
‘‘This is a pretty good crowd,’’ club president Noel Walker said.
On Friday, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) released its racing dates for the 2021-22 season allocating only three galloping meetings for Phar Lap Raceway, thereby throwing the course’s future into doubt.
‘‘We have to get at least 10 meetings a year to break even,’’ Walker said. ‘‘We’ll keep on fighting. We’ve still got a few options.’’
Chairman of the Phar Lap Raceway trustees, owners of the raceway, Kevin Brosnahan said they were ‘‘pretty disappointed’’ by NZTR’s decision.
He said between four and five full-time trainers operated at the raceway with other part-timers around the district also used the facility.
‘‘We’re lucky we’ve got an excellent caretaker. Trainers say he’s one of the best in the South Island, and he proved it today.
‘‘One horse broke 1 minute 10 seconds in a sprint. That’s unheard of at this time of the year.’’ Brosnahan said many trainers south of Timaru also valued Timaru and a new synthetic track being built at Riccarton did not suit them.
‘‘Coming from Wingatui, if they go to Riccarton it’s a two-tothree day trip which means more costs to the owners, and people get bored going to the same race meeting. ‘‘A lot of horses won’t like running on it (synthetic).’’
The Canterbury Jockey Club’s synthetic track at Riccarton, which has received $10.5million of taxpayer money from the Government for the $13.5m project, was due for completion in August. ‘‘It would be fairer if they spent $2m on Timaru, Ashburton and Oamaru spreading the racing around more,’’ Brosnahan said.
The Government commissioned Messara Report, released in 2018, placed Phar Lap Raceway on a list for closure from the 2024/25 racing season.
‘‘We hope we can get a few more (racing) days to keep us going until we look at outside development,’’ Brosnahan said.
Two long-time supporters of Phar Lap Raceway, Leigh Sadler and John Allnutt, both of Timaru, hoped racing would continue at Phar Lap. ‘‘It’s a shame what they’re doing and what will they end up with? You don’t know,’’ Allnutt, a spectator at the raceway for nearly 40 years said.
Sadler, who has been attending Timaru race meetings for 60 years, said it was disappointing for people who had given their lives creating facilities like the raceway and then ‘‘someone can wipe it away’’.
‘‘We have to get at least 10 meetings a year to break even.’’
Noel Walker South Canterbury Racing Club president