Racing: Trentham woes in cross-hairs

A board of management has been appointed to look into problems at the Wellington Racing Club.

This follows the abandonment of Saturday's Wellington Steeplechase fixture for the second year in a row. Four other meetings at Trentham have been transferred in the past year because of track concerns.

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) chairman Guy Sargent announced the new board at yesterday's annual meeting of NZTR.

He stressed it was not a board of control and the new group, which includes three members of the Wellington Racing Club committee, would be looking for short and long-term solutions to the club's track and financial problems.

The daily operations and race fixtures will remain in the control of the club's committee and management.

"The NZTR board sees Trentham as a strategic racing venue and we want to identify and find solutions to its problems," Sargent said.

"The industry board is in place to determine what is required to be done to ensure a strong future for Wellington."

The management committee will be headed by NZTR board member Keith Neylon who will be joined by New Zealand Racing Board chief executive Graeme Hansen and Manawatu club president Dave Bennett, representing the Central region cluster.

The three Wellington members will be John Fokerd, Gerry Morris and Wayne Guppy.

Sargent said Trentham racecourse was a vital cog of New Zealand racing.

"In Wellington there is probably three iconic venues - and they are Te Papa, the Cake Tin and, we believe, Trentham," Sargent said.

That comment was reiterated by Neylon.

"It makes a major contribution to the economic wellbeing of the area, hosting such races as the Wellington Cup, New Zealand Oaks, Telegraph Handicap and Thorndon Mile," Neylon said.

"Critically, it is also recognised as one of New Zealand racing's strategic venues."

Wellington club president Mike Brown welcomed the new board and said he was pleased the code was now working with the club.

"We have now got a broad band of people involved who have the best interests of racing in the Central Districts [lower North Island] at heart," Brown said.

"We can no longer work in isolation and it is important the code is fully involved. The whole business has been to put the venue on a proper footing for the future."

The new board has no set time frame to come up with answers but it is expected it will report back before the end of the year.

The club has already conducted an extensive review of its track and has formulated plans to upgrade it at a cost of approximately $600,000. However, it currently has no funding for the proposal.

- NZPA