Moruya Jockey Club applies for million-dollar upgrades to attract city trainers

A south coast jockey club has applied for million-dollar plans which they believe will attract city-based trainers to the region. Read about the plans.

Moruya Jockey Club has applied for $1.1m worth of upgrades.

A well-known jockey club on the NSW south coast has revealed plans to grow their facility in an attempt to attract city-based trainers to the location permanently.

Moruya Jockey Club – south of Batemans Bay – applied for the $1.1m upgrades last week, which if successful, would see two large scale stables constructed on the land and various amenities from food stalls to tack rooms.

The plans currently sit on public exhibition on the Eurobodalla Council website.

Moruya Jockey Club manager, Ken Brown, explained to The South Coast News why he believed the upgrades were “needed”.

“We’re trying to make our racecourse as big as it can be,” he said.

“The more horses that are housed here, then the more jobs we can attract to our facility.”

Plans reveal two separate stables to be built on the land, each featuring 15 to 20 stalls for horses.

Moruya Jockey Club manager, Ken Brown.

Mr Brown said the idea was to have a large number of stables built on the land, ultimately allowing city-based trainers to permanently house their horses to the Moruya facility.

“If we build these, we can have trainers permanently keep 10, 15, 20 of their horses on the property,” he said.

Mr Brown said the plans also included the construction of food stalls, a tea room, horse showers, tie up stalls and tack rooms with bathroom facilities.

“These upgrades will attract city-based trainers but I think the location of Moruya and the training facilities we already have are also a big selling point for trainers looking to make a move to the coast,” he said.

The proposed upgrades come only weeks after the Sapphire Coast Turf Club – a horse racetrack in Bega, south of Moruya – applied for similar upgrades.

Plans showcase the size and location of the proposed stables.

The stables are expected to attract city-based trainers to Moruya.

The Far South Coast club applied for $880,000 worth of upgrades, including the construction of stables to attract city-based trainers.

Chief executive officer Rob Tweedie shared Mr Brown’s sentiment, saying the upgrades would “grow the club and horse racing industry on the south coast”.

“Over the last few years, trainers have wanted to move here but we haven’t had the infrastructure in place to see that happen,” he said.

“It makes sense as a business for trainers to lease stables as the availability of land around the racecourse is scarce.”

Mr Brown said he expected Moruya Jockey Club’s upgrades to begin construction before Summer of 2025, contingent on council approval.

Once constructed, Mr Brown said the upgrades would only strengthen the club’s events, such as the upcoming South East Country Championships.

The proposed Moruya Jockey Club upgrades will remain on public exhibition until March 11.