ATC members have an 111-page document to make a more informed decision on the sale

With a 111-page document about infrastructure plans should Rosehill be sold, ATC members can make an informed decision as they begin casting their votes.

Australian Turf Club members have begun casting their votes again on the $5 billion Rosehill racecourse sale proposal.

The first vote in early April was aborted when Racing NSW intervened so ATC could provide more information to members about infrastructure plans if the Rosehill sale was to proceed, making way for the creation of 25,000 new homes.

Members received a detailed 111-page document on Tuesday to consider ahead of the club’s Extraordinary General Meeting on May 27 where votes from the 11,000-plus membership base will be collated to determine the future of Rosehill racecourse.

ATC members now have the opportunity to make a more informed decision on the Rosehill sale proposal.

A first look of the $800 million Warwick Farm Racecourse transformation that will go ahead if Rosehill Gardens is sold. Picture supplied.

There is an expectation members will reject the proposal but if they vote to sell, then $800 million will be spent to rebuild Warwick Farm racecourse with a reconfigured course proper and grandstands, a new inside course, four training tracks, and facilities for 1000 horses.

Critics have suggested Warwick Farm is “too small, flood-prone and geographically inferior to Rosehill”.

But Warwick Farm’s footprint is on 87 hectares compared to Rosehill’s 60 hectares, and ATC has met with Liverpool Council and Department Planning engineers to determine measures that mitigate any flood zone issues.

ATC is also considering parcels of land near Penrith to build a new training facility if Rosehill is sold.

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There are some suggestions if ATC needs to sell an asset, then it should be Canterbury and not Rosehill.

But Canterbury is on a significantly smaller parcel of land and would not bring anywhere near the potential proceeds from Rosehill if members do vote to sell that racetrack.

It is understood a large portion of the Canterbury site would be required for “green space” thus reducing the amount of land available for housing development purposes.

There are suggestions to sell Canterbury racecourse instead of Rosehill.

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What hasn’t received much attention since Tuesday are plans to establish an independently governed Racing Future Fund to secure proceeds from the Rosehill sale if it is approved by members.

This fund will be managed by “investment advisors, to provide stable long-term revenue, insulated from wagering or government volatility”.

There are also plans to create a Racing Advisory Board which would consist of an independent panel of ATC members and experts to recommend allocation of sale proceeds.

Both suggestions have real merit and perhaps could still be implemented in some form to manage industry funds and expenditure even if members vote against selling Rosehill.

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Trainer James Cummings lodged his application for the vacant Leilani Lodge stables at Randwick before the 5pm deadline last Monday.

Trainer James Cummings has submitted an application to train at Leilani Lodge. Picture: Getty Images

Racing Confidential understands there are at least three trainers keen to occupy the famous stable block which has room for 60 horses.

The ATC board is expected to decide which trainer is given the keys to Leilani Lodge before the end of this month.

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Giga Kick, winner of the 2022 The Everest, is close to a handicapping certainty in the Group 1 $1 million Goodwood at Morphettville on Saturday.

Under the set weights and penalties conditions of the Goodwood, Giga Kick gets in with only 54.5kg because he has not won a race for nearly two years.

Group 3 and Listed winners are giving weight to Giga Kick, a multiple Group 1 winner of $12.7 million prizemoney.

If Giga Kick wins the Goodwood, he will earn another $547,250 and move into eighth on the all-time list of leading prizemoney earners.

Originally published as ATC members have an 111-page document to make a more informed decision on the sale