Despite having an envious bank balance the Tweed Coursing Club is struggling to find a new home-

THE cashed up Tweed Heads Coursing Club could throw a lifeline to the Gold Coast’s beleaguered harness racing industry, but club bosses have a few conditions.

Border Park Raceway secretary Stephen McGrath says despite being cashed up the club is truggling to find a new home.

THE cashed up Tweed Heads Coursing Club could throw a lifeline to the Gold Coast’s beleaguered harness racing industry.

According to the clubs secretary manager Steve McGrath the coursing club would not rule out any possibilities.

But any support would come with a caveat.

“I would be naive if I refused to look at any proposal that was put in front of us and conduct due diligence in regard to that proposal,” Mr McGrath said.

“However, in any venture that saw us sharing a facility with harness racing we would only proceed if our name was on the land deed.”

The club is wallowing in cash after selling its Border Park Raceway to the Gold Coast Airport.

Last race meeting at Greyhound track Border Park. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

While the club has committed to building a new greyhound racing facility somewhere in the Tweed or southern gold Coast, Mr McGrath said the task was proving harder than anticipated.

“As a greyhound club we didn’t think it was so hard to reinvest in the industry,” he said.

“Council is hard to work with, the state government’s very hard to work with and Greyhound Racing NSW is even harder to work with.

“They all have lot of money and they seem to not want to have someone build them a new facility.

“We are putting a proposal before Greyhound Racing NSW in February, but we have not been overwhelmed by their response so far.”

Mr McGrath said the club would not proceed with any purchase if it did not have iron-clad support from either the NSW or Queensland racing industry bodies, and warned that a lack of support could see the club take its funds, estimated to be more than $15 million, and exit the industry.

Duranbah trainer Trevor Wilson’s dog, Smooth Jake, was one of the last to race at Border Park. Photo: David Clark

“If Greyhound Racing NSW don’t wish to accept our proposal the club will look at other forms of investment for out funds.”

The coursing club’s move comes as several racing bodies in the region eye off a site for a potential racing super-precinct that could bring all the racing codes together.

It’s understood that the groups are looking at council-owned land close to Robina Stadium. The groups are pushing for a plan in which Racing Queensland trades the Gold Coast Turf Club’s Bundall site to the Gold Coast City Council for land to build a new thoroughbred racing complex.

Harness and greyhound racing bodies would also buy adjacent properties with all three sharing a carpark which could also be used for overflow parking from Robina Stadium.

The precinct could also provide a home for the Gold Coast Show.

It follows reports that the Gold Coast Harness Racing Club was sizing up land in the Gold Coast’s northern suburbs as a potential joint home with greyhound racing and the Gold Coast Show.

However, Gold Coast Harness Racing Club president Barry Grimsey warned the code was very much in danger of disappearing from south east Queensland.

“We don’t have enough horses to run in races because too many are being raced outside the TAB races,” he said.

Mr Grimsey estimated that more than local 100 horses had left the code since the club was turfed from its Parklands home in 2013 to make way for the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village.