Radical plan to move Rosehill racecourse to Homebush – and the frog that may kill it

A surprise plan to relocate Rosehill racecourse to the historic brick pit at Sydney Olympic Park is being quietly devised in a bid to win over aggrieved trainers who oppose the redevelopment of the track to make way for a new mini city.

A formal proposal has not been lodged with the Minns government, but senior Labor sources not authorised to speak publicly are aware of the plan – the brainchild of several players in the racing industry – which would entail a new racecourse at Homebush to replace Rosehill.

The former brick pit at Sydney Olympic Park.Credit: Wolter Peeters

The appeal of the Sydney Olympic Park site is its public transport links and the existing entertainment and accommodation precinct, but a sticking point with the brick pit is it is home to endangered green and golden bell frogs.

The frogs were discovered in the abandoned brick pit in the lead-up to the 2000 Olympic Games, which forced organisers to shift the tennis venue site.

A potential deal between the Minns government and the Australian Turf Club was announced late last year under which Rosehill would be sold to developers to build about 25,000 homes, and an extra stop for the Metro West train line would be built.

However, a decision for the Rosehill track to be relocated to an upgraded Warwick Farm has enraged leading trainers, including Randwick-based Gai Waterhouse, who commands significant influence in the racing industry.

The green and golden bell frog.Credit: Nick Moir

The ATC’s 11,000 members need to agree to sell their land at Rosehill and Waterhouse, as well as others such as Chris Waller, the country’s most successful trainer, do not want the deal to go ahead.

Waller spoke at Parramatta Council’s meeting on Monday night, where a motion was being considered to reject the Rosehill housing plan and to heritage list the racetrack. It was defeated.

However, Waller told councillors the idea to sell Rosehill to developers had “upset a lot of race club members and racing participants, as well as members of the public”.

“Keeping Rosehill is a commonsense approach,” he said, suggesting selling off part of the land instead of all of it. “A race meeting brings together all generations, from young to old, all genders and all nationalities and religions.”

Waterhouse has also been very vocal, telling a heated meeting of ATC members last month: “You are flogging this because you have got yourselves into debt, and you should be ashamed of yourself.”

The ATC is yet to lodge its unsolicited proposal for the Rosehill plan with the state government. It will first need to convince its members that the redevelopment, which could bring in as much as $5 billion for the cash-strapped club, would be the best option for racing in NSW.

The board of Racing NSW, headed by Peter V’landys, has approved the Rosehill deal in principle, and V’landys has flagged his support, describing it as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity”.

Under the Registered Clubs Act, disposal of land requires 50 per cent support of members.

Matthew McGrath, who was ATC chair from 2018 to 2022, said if prominent trainers such as Waterhouse and Waller maintained their fierce opposition, the deal would struggle to pass.

“They might get 2000 voting. But I think the silent majority will vote ‘no’. The silent members are the problem, not the noisy ones,” McGrath said this week.

ATC chairman Peter McGauran has previously said that with a Metro station at the site, $5 billion was a conservative estimate for the land’s value, and it was “impossible to say no”.

“For $5 billion, we can do things to secure the ATC and Sydney for the next 100 years,” he told Sky News in December.

An ATC spokesman said: “We are looking at several locations but due to commercial and property sensitivities we are not in a position to publicly identify potential sites.”

The brick pit, closed in 1988 after a 100-year operation in which it produced three billion bricks, was later turned into a sanctuary with an elevated circular walkway to keep the frogs safe.

In a series of major housing announcements meant to cap off Labor’s first year in power, the Minns government confirmed it would create eight major density precincts surrounding transport hubs, while there would also be the snap rezoning of 400 metres of land surrounding 31 train stations across Sydney, the Hunter and Illawarra.