New D-Day for Rosehill after intervention on eve of crucial vote

Racing NSW has made a dramatic eleventh-hour intervention to again delay a vote on the potential sale of Rosehill Racecourse to be turned into a “mini-city” of 25,000 homes, saying it was concerned the Australian Turf Club had not given members enough information.

The powerful racing regulator announced on Friday it had instructed the ATC to delay the vote until May 12, due to what it said were concerns about “insufficient” information given to members about the vote.

A vote on the controversial proposal to sell Rosehill Racecourse for housing has been delayed after Racing NSW intervened.Credit: Getty Images

“This decision follows concerns raised by members of the ATC and industry participants that the information that has been provided by the ATC is insufficient (both in respect of the “Yes” and “No” positions) to enable them to make a properly informed decision on the proposed resolutions,” it said in a statement.

The regulator’s intervention comes less than a week before the ATC was due to hold an emergency general meeting to vote on whether to push ahead with a proposal to sell the historic course to the Minns government for at least $5 billion to make way for a “mini-city” of 25,000 new homes.

The deal would still need to be accepted by the government, but Premier Chris Minns has repeatedly made favourable remarks about the proposal despite questions over whether the land is worth the $5 billion pricetag.

It marks the second time the vote has been pushed back – it was initially due to take place in late 2024 – and members opposed to the sale immediately accused Racing NSW of intervening to stop the proposal being voted down.

In a statement, a spokesman for Save Rosehill, the main group of ATC members opposed to the sale, said it was “urgently seeking legal advice on whether the decision by Racing NSW and the ATC to postpone the vote is valid”.

Online voting has been under way since mid-March, and the group said it viewed the delay as “a clear attempt to ignore the majority who voted ‘no’ and a clear deprivation of members’ rights”.

“It has been consistently stated at all levels that any decision about Rosehill Gardens is to be decided by the members of the Australian Turf Club,” the group said.

The proposal to sell Rosehill has proven bitterly divisive within the racing fraternity, with high-profile trainers such as Gai Waterhouse vocally opposing the sale. The lead-up to the vote has also been dogged by controversy.

Earlier this month, the club was accused of running a “push poll” after The Sydney Morning Herald revealed it employed a call centre encouraging them to vote on the “a once-in-a-generation opportunity” to secure the ATC’s future with the sale of Rosehill. The club denied it was a push poll.

In a statement, the ATC said it “must comply” with the Racing NSW direction.

“ATC members will receive further information on the vote regarding Rosehill Gardens following further discussions with Racing NSW,” it said.

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