Imagine a new Greenfields Site for Riccarton or the CD?

[Chief Stipe]

RV secures land three times size of Flemington

www.racenet.com.au

Racing Victoria has signed off on land – three times the size of Flemington racecourse – near Melbourne Airport to future proof the industry.

The actual land size and price paid, subject to strict confidentiality provisions and due diligence, will be released by RV, following a three-month process to start shortly.

Victoria Racing Club, while not financially involved in the transaction, played a significant role in negotiations with the vendor.

The land is less than 10 minutes from Melbourne Airport and close to Living Legends, home of retired champions including Cup winners Prince Of Penzance, Almandin, Efficient, Rogan Josh and Brew.

The actual long-term future use of the land, contrary to speculation, has yet to be determined.

All potential future options will be the subject to extensive consultation and planning in coming years.

The farming land has the potential to be developed for many purposes, including a new training centre, a new racetrack, equine welfare programs, quarantine facilities and workforce development and education.

Outgoing RV chief executive Giles Thompson is pleased to have secured the “significant parcel of land”.

Racing Victoria chief Giles Thompson says the land purchase will “future proof our industry. Picture: Hamish Blair

“This land helps future proof our industry and delivers a valuable asset for Victorian racing,” Thompson said.

“Its size and location provide the industry with a number of potential uses which will be workshopped and planned in the years to come.

“Any development of the land will only occur following a detailed feasibility and planning process involving extensive consultation with all our key industry stakeholders.”

RV’s highly-anticipated infrastructure ‘green paper’ will be released in coming weeks.

The publication will consider the racing and training needs of the Victorian industry for the next decade.

RV is seeking to finalise an infrastructure blueprint for Victorian racing by mid-2023.

[Doomed]

Certainly a different approach to NZ.  I wonder if they intend selling off Pakenham, Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and a few others to fund it?

[Chief Stipe]

3 hours ago, Doomed said:

Certainly a different approach to NZ.  I wonder if they intend selling off Pakenham, Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and a few others to fund it?

Sandown.

[Freda]

Reefton has been tossing this idea for Riccarton around for a fair while, it's not a new concept.   The difficulty would lie in overturning the 'deed of gift' or whatever it is called, of the parcel of land that is now Riccarton Racecourse.  This was given to the people of Canterbury by the founding fathers of Christchurch City for the purpose of ' the racing and breeding of thoroughbred racehorses '.  The breeding concept has obviously disappeared, but the intention was that it was never to be sold.

That, however, was shoved aside pretty effectively when a tract of that land was sold for the housing development now well on the way.  I'm sure, given that actuality, that the rest could be flogged off if there was sufficient will.   The property arm of Ngai Tahu will have done particularly well out of it so far, smart operators that they are.

 But, interestingly, John Austin [ former head of the TAB and CJC Chairman ]  also had that idea, many years ago.  It was tossed aside as cloud-cuckoo stuff...but the man who is more known for refusing to consider that 'internet stuff' for TAB customers certainly had at least that innovative notion.

[Reefton]

2 hours ago, Freda said:

Reefton has been tossing this idea for Riccarton around for a fair while, it's not a new concept.   The difficulty would lie in overturning the 'deed of gift' or whatever it is called, of the parcel of land that is now Riccarton Racecourse.  This was given to the people of Canterbury by the founding fathers of Christchurch City for the purpose of ' the racing and breeding of thoroughbred racehorses '.  The breeding concept has obviously disappeared, but the intention was that it was never to be sold.

That, however, was shoved aside pretty effectively when a tract of that land was sold for the housing development now well on the way.  I'm sure, given that actuality, that the rest could be flogged off if there was sufficient will.   The property arm of Ngai Tahu will have done particularly well out of it so far, smart operators that they are.

 But, interestingly, John Austin [ former head of the TAB and CJC Chairman ]  also had that idea, many years ago.  It was tossed aside as cloud-cuckoo stuff...but the man who is more known for refusing to consider that 'internet stuff' for TAB customers certainly had at least that innovative notion.

I was going to say hasn't there been someone on BOAY flogging that idea for years?

The whole bottom line is that racing is an immensely rich industry making piss poor returns on what it is worth.  And the vast vast vast majority of that worth is held by the big Clubs in land holdings.  AND if they cashed up those land holdings they would be in an incredibly powerful position to eradicate the smaller venues because of the stakes they would be able to pay.

The Victorians recognise it whether the sale of Sandown is popular or not.

Whether the CJC can get a decent percentage of any value out of Riccarton is the question and there seems a hell of a lot of mystery about how much they got out of Ngai Tahu, whether any or all of it has ever been paid, how much they got as a settlement on that grandstand,whether any or all of that has been paid, how they got ownership of Rangiora without apparent payment and what their plans are for Rangiora.  

Let's see if the Rangiora assets now go directly to the Authorities under the new Racing Act.  Not holding my breath

[Freda]

I would assume ( rightly or otherwise)  that said assets would go to the CJC given their 'assumption' of the ownership of Rangiora. 

[Reefton]

28 minutes ago, Freda said:

I would assume ( rightly or otherwise)  that said assets would go to the CJC given their 'assumption' of the ownership of Rangiora. 

well no Freda because you see the new Act makes it clear that when a venue is declared 'surplus to requirements' by the code governing body those assets, or the proceeds thereof, are, subject to negotiation, mediation and, if necessary, seizure(read theft) via Ministerial Order to be turned over to the Code body.

You can see that in train with the recent Timaru Herald article about how Harness is stopping racing at Orari, Rangiora and Washdyke.  How long do you reckon NZTR will allow Thoroughbred racing to continue at Washdyke once Harness chuck the towel in?  And while that venue is held on perpetual lease that lease would have a substantial value if the property were to be turned over to developers.  And that value will not be going to the South Canterbury people as I bet the SCRC constitution says - it will be going into the hot little hands of Mr B Sharrock and his henchmen to be dished out to the bloated overfunded underperforming 'big' clubs.

And once the two codes smell the money pot how long do you think racing in either code in places like Waterlea, Richmond, Westport, Reefton, Oamaru, Gore or even Cromwell will carry on?  At least in our case the property is small and worth eff all(comparatively) so we may be able to ward the hyenas off. 

It's coming and in the case of Thoroughbred racing it is coming because the provincial growth fund has been allowed to be grossly misused

[Doomed]

39 minutes ago, Reefton said:

well no Freda because you see the new Act makes it clear that when a venue is declared 'surplus to requirements' by the code governing body those assets, or the proceeds thereof, are, subject to negotiation, mediation and, if necessary, seizure(read theft) via Ministerial Order to be turned over to the Code body.

You can see that in train with the recent Timaru Herald article about how Harness is stopping racing at Orari, Rangiora and Washdyke.  How long do you reckon NZTR will allow Thoroughbred racing to continue at Washdyke once Harness chuck the towel in?  And while that venue is held on perpetual lease that lease would have a substantial value if the property were to be turned over to developers.  And that value will not be going to the South Canterbury people as I bet the SCRC constitution says - it will be going into the hot little hands of Mr B Sharrock and his henchmen to be dished out to the bloated overfunded underperforming 'big' clubs.

And once the two codes smell the money pot how long do you think racing in either code in places like Waterlea, Richmond, Westport, Reefton, Oamaru, Gore or even Cromwell will carry on?  At least in our case the property is small and worth eff all(comparatively) so we may be able to ward the hyenas off. 

It's coming and in the case of Thoroughbred racing it is coming because the provincial growth fund has been allowed to be grossly misused

I think Nelson just rent their track off the Agricultural people, at least that's how it used to be, much like Claudelands used to operate.

The precedent will probably be Forbury. Once it is sold and the money is used to fund the latest grandiose idea in the NI the flood gates will open. Anything that isn't tied down will be sold off to fund some extra consultants and add a new management tier at head office.

[Reefton]

1 hour ago, Doomed said:

I think Nelson just rent their track off the Agricultural people, at least that's how it used to be, much like Claudelands used to operate.

The precedent will probably be Forbury. Once it is sold and the money is used to fund the latest grandiose idea in the NI the flood gates will open. Anything that isn't tied down will be sold off to fund some extra consultants and add a new management tier at head office.

Even if they do rent it there will be an enormous value (in a place like Nelson) in forgoing the lease.  I imagine it will be a perpetual lease so freeing up the ground would be worth an absolute fortune(the precedent of course being Riccarton getting big dollars for the ground it gave up to Ngai Tahu)

[Freda]

An interesting flow-on from the above discussion is the plan to build more stabling at Ashburton.

Also in the discussion stage is the idea to build a dog track as well.

Where is the funding coming from?  Hardly likely to be from private sources, one wouldn't think.  Ashburton racing don't have the dosh.

So...NZTR?  HRNZ?  CJC ?   given that Ashburton is their nominated 'secondary' Canterbury club with the intended demise of Timaru, Rangiora already lost to gallopers and the already completed deaths of Waimate, Geraldine and Motukarara venues.

 

[curious]

4 hours ago, Freda said:

An interesting flow-on from the above discussion is the plan to build more stabling at Ashburton.

Also in the discussion stage is the idea to build a dog track as well.

Where is the funding coming from?  Hardly likely to be from private sources, one wouldn't think.  Ashburton racing don't have the dosh.

So...NZTR?  HRNZ?  CJC ?   given that Ashburton is their nominated 'secondary' Canterbury club with the intended demise of Timaru, Rangiora already lost to gallopers and the already completed deaths of Waimate, Geraldine and Motukarara venues.

 

From discussions I have been involved with about adding a greyhound track to a thoroughbred facility, the funding would come from the greyhound club and/or GRNZ.

[Freda]

10 minutes ago, curious said:

From discussions I have been involved with about adding a greyhound track to a thoroughbred facility, the funding would come from the greyhound club and/or GRNZ.

Makes sense.

The stabling costs interest me, as they could hardly be limited to one code, surely ?

[Reefton]

5 hours ago, Freda said:

An interesting flow-on from the above discussion is the plan to build more stabling at Ashburton.

Also in the discussion stage is the idea to build a dog track as well.

Where is the funding coming from?  Hardly likely to be from private sources, one wouldn't think.  Ashburton racing don't have the dosh.

So...NZTR?  HRNZ?  CJC ?   given that Ashburton is their nominated 'secondary' Canterbury club with the intended demise of Timaru, Rangiora already lost to gallopers and the already completed deaths of Waimate, Geraldine and Motukarara venues.

 

Shiite I hadn't thought of it in that way

Canterbury down to two galloping venues.  And the only southern galloping venues north of the Waitaki river other than our three.

No wonder the game is dying but equally what hope for us to retain three?  Virtually none one would think.  Still I suppose it is a way to get myself out of pouring dosh into a losing industry.

 

 

[curious]

1 hour ago, Freda said:

Makes sense.

The stabling costs interest me, as they could hardly be limited to one code, surely ?

In this case the greyhounds were to convert an existing unused building for that purpose at their expense.

[Freda]

32 minutes ago, curious said:

In this case the greyhounds were to convert an existing unused building for that purpose at their expense.

 But the track?

[curious]

48 minutes ago, Freda said:

 But the track?

They were to pay for the track including adjustment to existing thoroughbred training tracks. It was to be a straight GH track.

Edited May 29, 2022 by curious

[Freda]

48 minutes ago, curious said:

They were to pay for the track including adjustment to existing thoroughbred training tracks. It was to be a straight GH track.

I do like the idea of a straight track for greyhounds.

The injuries they must sustain from scrambling around tight turns doesn't bear thinking about.

[Huey]

51 minutes ago, Freda said:

I do like the idea of a straight track for greyhounds.

The injuries they must sustain from scrambling around tight turns doesn't bear thinking about.

I would not be investing a dime in the Greyhounds, they are facing insurmountable challenges and association may not be a good thing.

[Chief Stipe]

22 minutes ago, Huey said:

I would not be investing a dime in the Greyhounds, they are facing insurmountable challenges and association may not be a good thing.

I agree.  I think they are gone within a year.  Harness is the next on the target list for the anti-everything mob.  Then.....

[Reefton]

1 hour ago, Huey said:

I would not be investing a dime in the Greyhounds, they are facing insurmountable challenges and association may not be a good thing.

Didn't look good on three tonight for the greyhounds.  Got RSDF funding to correct a safety issue then promptly reinstated the same scenario with he same safety concerns.

Sort of like if you applied to the PGF for funding to benefit the provinces then used it to the detriment of the provinces.  Nobody in racing would do that surely?

[Doomed]

19 minutes ago, Reefton said:

 

Sort of like if you applied to the PGF for funding to benefit the provinces then used it to the detriment of the provinces.  Nobody in racing would do that surely?

Yes, almost impossible to get one's head around the logic of that decison.

Edited May 29, 2022 by Doomed