Sprawl pushes horses further out to grass

By JAMES GARDINER

Takanini, a town built around the horse-racing industry, is about to lose its heart.

The 70-year-old training track used daily by hundreds of New Zealand's top thoroughbreds - including legends such as Sunline, McGinty and Uncle Remus - will be bulldozed next year to become part of a 100ha housing development as Auckland's urban sprawl continues.

It has taken more than four years of planning, dogged by vehement opposition, but rising land values and the need for better facilities have convinced the financially struggling racing industry it has no alternative but to move.

The Auckland Racing Club established the track when urban development drove trainers away from its Ellerslie base.

It now plans to shift from Takanini across the motorway to Price Rd, Puhinui, 10km away in the green belt west of Manukau Central.

In a deal that appears almost too good to be true, the racing club has agreed to exchange its 28ha at Takanini, valued at between $3.5 million and $5.5 million, for a $12 million facility built by Hawkins Construction, with no money changing hands.

Facilities touted as the best in Australasia will mean a fundamental change in the way the racing industry is run in the northern North Island.

Instead of keeping horses at their own stables, most trainers will rent space at the training facility - a system used by many overseas racing clubs.

But many established Takanini trainers, track riders and others associated with the industry are not happy.

They will either have to sell up and move to be closer to their horses or face the time-consuming and costly task of transporting horses to training each day.

Hawkins has plans and conditional agreements with surrounding landowners at Takanini that will enable it to begin a huge residential and commercial development covering about 70ha of a total suburban development of 100ha.

In place of traditional 10-acre (4ha) blocks and larger, rezoning by Papakura District Council will allow about 1000 houses on 300-500sq m sites. These will be built over the next 10 years.

Hawkins has bought 63ha of land at Price Rd for about $3.5 million, says racing club chief executive Dave Lloyd.

Another $8.5 million will be spent building training tracks and accommodation.

Hawkins is also paying the cost of building and resource consents from the Manukau City and Auckland Regional councils to do earthworks, plant shelter belts and build stables for 400 racehorses.

But the plans, unveiled in 1999 and revised again last year, have not gone without hitches and many are hoping they will fall at the final fence.

The New Zealand Trainers Association was never consulted, says executive director Mary McCarty. "They [the ARC] dealt with trainers on an individual basis."

That created concern and questions about what was happening - or whether anything would happen.

Owner-trainer Brian Wadham said many small and medium-sized trainers felt "shut out" so they organised their own meetings, which opposed the plan.

"First they said they needed 800 horses to make it viable, then it was 400, now it's 300," Mr Wadham said. "There's 56 trainers in Takanini and as far as we can tell only three or four have said they're going. We can't believe they've got 13."

But Dave Lloyd insists that is the number of licensed trainers and represents 290 horses.

He won't identify them but says they do not include owner trainers and other from outside Takanini who have expressed interest.

Rumours filled the information vacuum.

Mr Lloyd said he went to one public meeting and spent most of the time speaking and answering questions.

One thing he did was publicly acknowledge - and adamantly deny - rumours of bribery and corruption.

"Half a million [dollars] I'm [supposedly] getting. I keep looking in the bank but it's not there.

"I've heard there are a number of people getting backhanders.

"I can give you a total assurance that that's not true.

"It is absolutely scurrilous to say that me and other people are getting backhanders."

Megan Liefting, part owner of AMS Saddlery, said the racing industry provided about a quarter of the company's business, but it was unlikely to move to Puhinui.

A part-time jumps jockey, Mrs Liefting said small trainers would struggle to find casual track riders, who mostly lived in Takanini - the heart of the Auckland equestrian belt stretching from Karaka to Clevedon and Whitford - and would be reluctant to battle traffic.

Most owner-trainers kept their horses at home and walked or rode them to training.

Majestic Horsefloats part owner John Kenny said the delays meant his company, which had been considering shifting nearer to Puhinui, had decided to stay in Takanini and had upgraded its depot in Kindergarten Dr.

The shift would mean more driving for his staff, but the proximity to the airport was a bonus.

Don Williams of Takanini Horse Feeds said he would not be moving. "It's immaterial. We'll still supply our regulars."

One of the biggest trainers, certainly the biggest land owner near the current track, is Trevor McKee, who a year ago was going to Puhinui but is now building his own training track on 36ha he bought at nearby Ardmore.

If Price Rd gets consents and proceeds, Trevor will take the money Hawkins has offered for his 20ha in Porchester Rd, Takanini, and he and son Stephen will probably move their stables and 40 horses to Ardmore.

"If Takanini stays, I'll stay."

Of the other big trainers, Frank Ritchie and son Craig (20 to 30 horses) have agreed to move to Price Rd and sell Frank's 6ha.

Colin Jillings and partner Richard Yuill (35 horses, 4.6ha) will also move.

Craig Ritchie: "We think it's a good idea. They are going to put in good training facilities and it's also close for the clients to be able to come and see their horses."

He had worked under a similar set-up for Australian trainer Bart Cummings at Randwick, Sydney.

Trainer Colin Curnow (4ha) said he would not miss having to daily take 22 horses across a busy 100km/h strip of road to the track.


Jillings, who has been on the verge of retirement for several years, still doubts the change will happen.

But Dave Lloyd, who has borne the brunt of the ARC workload on the project as well as the antagonism of the opponents, can see light at the end of the tunnel.

Or, to use racing parlance, as he does: "We're in the home straight."