A new 388-vehicle car park has been built in the centrefield at Ellerslie racecourse opposite the two grandstands, ready for the sale of 1.4ha of existing car park land beside the Southern Motorway.
When the horses flash over the finish line and you watch or photograph them from the stands, those vehicles will be sparkling in the background.
Experts say that’s entirely in line with overseas design and makes sense.
Paul Wilcox, Auckland Thoroughbred Racing chief executive, said it was logical to put cars beside the new StrathAyr track, with a tunnel beneath so vehicles can drive under that track to their new parking lot. The upgraded but downsized Ellerslie is due to hold its first race on its fancy new track come January.
“There is a lot to consider when deciding how we utilise any piece of land. Whether it’s moving the carpark to the infield or renovating and changing the orientation of the stable block, we think carefully about how the change impacts our many stakeholders and then consult accordingly. Factors include how it improves the visitor experience, benefits to stakeholders, how it will benefit Auckland Thoroughbred Racing now and in the future.”
He says it’s about future-proofing the club so it remains a top entertainment destination.
Earlier this year, Ellerslie hosted Barfoot & Thompson’s centenary celebration. A marquee was erected for 3800 people to have a sit-down dinner, described as New Zealand’s largest event of its type.
The training track inside the main course was removed, enabling the carpark to be built, he said. Training, as well as racing, will now both be on the StrathAyr.
Matt Lowrie, of Greater Auckland, said Ellerslie had the right to put carparks wherever it liked “although I can think of better uses for the centre of the track”.
Michael Guerin, Herald racing editor, thinks the carpark is fine there: “Most major racetracks like Royal Ascot and Randwick have carparks and in many cases hospitality areas in the middle. Some have golf courses so car parking isn’t an issue.”
Guerin reported on the track upgrade on August 9, writing that a drier spring than Auckland’s waterlogged winter will have Ellerslie on target to host one of the most anticipated racedays in New Zealand in January.
The carpark change is just one of many at Ellerslie where $50m has been spent lately, funded by extensive land sales and further planned sales which will take Ellerslie from 62ha to 52ha.
“We’re better off because we have a new track, we’ve changed where the carpark is and upgraded the buildings,” said Wilcox.
The StrathAyr track has more uniformity and its design helps cushion the impact when horses run, which lowers their injury rates, he said.
Last year, Fletcher Living bought the 6.2ha steeplechase hill to build 370 apartments, duplexes, terraced and detached housing as well as a retirement village for Vivid Living.
The Auckland Council’s valuation of the 46ha property at 100 Ascot Ave where the Ellerslie Racecourse is puts that at $210m. Annual rates are $397,886. Of the $210m valuation, only $30m is buildings. All the rest is the land.
Auckland Thoroughbred Racing Inc, previously the Auckland Racing Club, filed its annual report last October. In the year to July 31, 2022, it had $12.08m revenue but Wilcox called the result disappointing. Operating expenditure was $20m and the net loss before fair value property sales and revaluations was $7.6m.
But when the Herald visited on August 7, Wilcox expressed confidence and satisfaction with the changes.
“We’re on the home straight,” he said of the $50m upgrade. Around 11km of drainage has been laid to ensure the track copes better with rain. An extensive irrigation system is also in place on both sides, to keep the grass green in dry times.
HEB did the civil works and had been working at Ellerslie since March 2021. Stands will be painted. Ascot Stand is already partly under protective covers. The track is 1.8km long and has new plastic fencing - not metal or timber - so if horses hit that, it’s a much lighter-weight, less damaging material, Wilcox said.
Around 1m of water flooded Ellerslie Stand’s ground floor earlier this year. Wilcox said it caused extensive damage, including to lift electronics. All up, repairs cost around $1m but were fully covered by insurance. He told how the water poured off the motorway and directly through the carpark and then into the Ellerslie Stand.
As well as changes to Ascot Stand and Ellerslie Stand and track, $6m has been spent on the stables and another $1m on the tote building. The stables were finished in 2019 and Tote on Ascot was completed in early 2020. The stables have 126 tie-up outdoor stalls and a public observation area.
Wilcox relishes the grass growing on most of the new track, saying everything rides on the next two months.
Ellerslie has hosted racing since the 1850s so here’s hoping this spring will be drier than our winter so it’s all ready for January.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 23 years, has won many awards, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
'Apartments on the site and more than likely offices' – Andrew Moore, CMP Construction.