ATC offers members free membership and puts $1000 behind the bar to encourage sale of Rosehill

Australian Turf Club members are being offered free lifetime membership and $1000 to spend on food and drinks at racecourses if the vote on the sale of Rosehill Gardens goes through.

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

Australian Turf Club members are being offered free lifetime membership and $1000 to spend on food and drinks at racecourses if the vote on the sale of Rosehill Gardens goes through.

Around 11,500 members of the ATC will vote on May 27 on whether to sell Rosehill racecourse for $5 billion that would secure the future of the racing industry and create space for 25,000 homes to help solve the NSW housing crisis.

Today ATC members were told they would be entitled to free membership for the next five years or for life if they had been a member for more than 20 years and $1,000 to spend on food and drink on course.

Australian Turf Club Chairman Peter McGauran said the membership package deal for existing financial ATC members was “aimed at revitalising flagging race day attendances”.

“It rewards loyal and long-term Members by sharing in some of the proceeds (of the sale),” he said. “We know that attendance patterns have changed, and this Loyalty Program directly incentivises Members to re-engage with the thrill of racing.

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

“These are funded commitments, backed by independent governance structures, long-term financial oversight, and the support of a majority of the ATC Board.”

The sale of Rosehill Gardens has split the industry with many including high profile trainers Gai Waterhouse and Chris Waller speaking out against it.

The 111 page document outlines how the $5 billion would be spent including an $800 million upgrade of the existing Warwick Farm racecourse to include a revamped track, new grandstands and stabling and training facilities for 1,000 racehorses.

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

However a spokesman for the Save Rosehill campaign said it would still be advising members to vote against the proposal despite the new incentives.

“The loyalty programme and lifestyle facilities represent an inappropriate incentive to mask the ATC’s failure to answer the members’ concerns about the future of racing in NSW.”a spokesman for the Save Rosehill group said.

It had previously said it was “shocking” to see Warwick Farm being proposed as an alternative to Rosehill. “It is too small, flood prone and geographically inferior to Rosehill,”the spokesman said.

There has also been criticism that an alternative parcel of land to be developed into a new Group One racecourse has not been identified. The memorandum to members said the ATC was still looking for land that could be bought and turned initially into a training facility.

“A new freehold site in the Greater Sydney region is to be acquired using sale proceeds and developed initially as a world-class training facility with future potential to be developed for Group 1 racing,” it said.

The memo warned members the sale was a once only opportunity that was dependent on it going ahead in time for the new Rosehill suburb to be serviced by a new Metro West Station to be built.

Originally published as ATC offers members free membership and puts $1000 behind the bar to encourage sale of Rosehill