Racing Confidential: Australian Turf Club members vote on Rosehill racecourse sale delayed … for a second time
The Australian Turf Club has announced a further 15-day delay to the vote on the possible sale of Rosehill racecourse as it continues to finalise plans and provide more information on the proposal.
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The Australian Turf Club members vote on the $5 billion Rosehill racecourse sale proposal has been delayed for a second time.
ATC chairman Peter McGauran advised members via email on Tuesday that the vote has now been pushed back to May 27 so the club can finalise plans and provide more information on the proposal.
Members were scheduled to vote on April 3 on the possible sale of Rosehill racecourse to make way for 25,000 new homes. The vote was then reset for May 12 before the announcement of a further delay of 15 days.
ATC has confirmed those votes received prior to April 3 are now void and the club’s 11,000-plus members would be required to vote again on the future of Rosehill.
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“The 27th of May is a new meeting, and because members are voting on new resolutions, constitutionally that means the voting process must start afresh and members are required to vote again,’’ the email read.
The Rosehill sale proposal is such an important decision for the future of Sydney and NSW racing, members are entitled to have as much information as possible before voting.
As it stands, there is no certainty about a new racetrack being built to replace Rosehill.
But members should be made aware that if there is a replacement racetrack, where will it be located? Will it also be used as a training centre?
If a new training centre needs to be built, where will it be located?
What will these new facilities look like and when will they be opened?
How will the extra money be used and invested for the betterment of the sport?
These are just some of the crucial questions members want answered prior to voting on the proposal. Hopefully by delaying the vote until later next month it gives the ATC enough time to finalise plans and provide all the relevant answers.
The Rosehill sale proposal has divided the racing industry like nothing we have seen since the tumultuous TVN days. Sadly, friendships have been destroyed on both sides of the debate.
But it’s time for commonsense and knowledge to replace distrust and misinformation.
ATC members deserve the right to be able to make an informed decision on the future of Rosehill.
Just like the upcoming Federal Election, not everyone will agree with the outcome of the vote but that is how democracy works.
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CHAMPION mare Via Sistina has won the four highest-rating races of the season, according to Timeform.
Via Sistina returned this season’s highest individual Timeform rating of 132 and a race figure of 129.2 when she demoralised the Cox Plate field by eight lengths in track record time last spring.
Her win in last week’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes comes in next with a race rating of 127. The mare returned an individual 123 rating.
The champ Via Sistina claims the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes with ease, equalling Winx's record of 7 Group 1's in a season! 🤩 What a mare!@cwallerracing | @mcacajamez | @YulongInvest | @aus_turf_club | @WorldPoolpic.twitter.com/oMBNGpAyv8
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 12, 2025
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Via Sistina did return a higher individual rating of 126 winning the Champions Stakes during spring but the race itself rated 125.9 to be third in the rankings.
The Ranvet Stakes won by Via Sistina comes in next with a 125.5 race rating while the mare produced a 121 figure that day.
Pride Of Jenni’s win in the Feehan Stakes rounds out the top five. She ran to a 123 rating beating Mr Brightside for a race figure of 125.5.
Via Sistina’s peak Timeform figure of 132 ranks her among the top 20 all-time Australian racehorses since the ratings system was introduced about 70 years ago.
The only mares rated higher than Via Sistina are the unbeaten Black Caviar on 136 and the incomparable Winx on 134.
🆠Via Sistina v Winx ðŸ†
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 26, 2024
Their two Cox Plate track records side-by-side is incredible viewing 🙌 pic.twitter.com/1xvBXt39xY
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The legendary Phar Lap remains the highest-rated Australian racehorse with a lofty 141 figure from Bernborough and Tulloch on 138, then Kingston Town and Peter Pan on 137.
The world’s best racehorse on Timeform ratings is the undefeated English superhorse Frankel on 147.
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HONG Kong Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Englebrecht-Bresges was a guest at Day Two of The Championships at Royal Randwick last week – and liked what he saw.
He was impressed by Via Sistina’s win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and said Treasurethe Moment looked terrific taking out the ATC Australian Oaks.
“It was a good day of racing,’’ he wrote in his HKJC blog. “The simulcast turnover was very good in Hong Kong, we were up (year on year) so that was pleasing.’’
Englebrecht-Bresges also met with Yulong owner Yuesheng Zhang to try and persuade him to take champion mare Via Sistina to Hong Kong for the International Cup in December and a possible showdown with superstar Romantic Warrior.
“I expressed to the owner Mr Zhang that he should consider coming to Hong Kong for the Longines Hong Kong International Races and a race between Via Sistina and Romantic Warrior, which is what the racing world is waiting for,’’ he said.
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IT WAS with sadness I learned of the passing of respected journalist, Richard Zachariah, last week. He was 80.
Zachariah, a former Daily and Sunday Telegraph colleague, was an accomplished broadcaster, writer, winemaker and raconteur.
He had a lifelong passion for horse racing and wrote about the sport in his unique, colourful but compelling style.
Zachariah would often declare “I am no shrinking violet” as he showed during a stand-off with the then-Australian Jockey Club after he penned a series of articles criticising the club’s management and financial position.
The AJC responded by withdrawing Zachariah’s media privileges and potentially compromising his well-read “Zac at the track” columns in the Sunday Telegraph.
Zachariah was undeterred by the AJC snub and wore his ban like a badge of honour.
For the next month or so, he wrote his Sunday Telegraph racing column from the bar of his local eastern suburbs pub where he watched the Saturday afternoon races and upped the ante with his criticisms of the club.
The Zachariah ban became a PR disaster for the AJC and the club eventually was forced to reissue the journalist with his media pass.
There was another occasion when Zachariah’s much-publicised love-life made the front pages after it was revealed he had just entered into a new relationship.
Zachariah didn’t mind the publicity but realised the front page expose had its down side: “It’s ruined me with every other girl in Sydney,’’ he quipped.
The decade or so that I had the privilege to work with Zachariah has left me with many wonderful memories of a loyal friend and mentor, a colourful, humorous character, and an outstanding journalist.
Zachariah’s funeral will be held in Warrnambool, Victoria, on April 23.
Originally published as Racing Confidential: Australian Turf Club members vote on Rosehill racecourse sale delayed … for a second time
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