Otaki TodayŌtaki-Māori Racing Club says it’s keen to collaborate with other lower North Island tracks slated for closure.
There are plans for Levin and Foxton race tracks – as well as the iconic Trentham race course in Upper Hutt – to close and be sold under an infrastructure plan outlined recently by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) and Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ). Both Levin and Foxton are no longer used for racing, but trainers utilise them for training and “jump-outs” – an educational device for younger horses, or for conditioning.
Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club general manager Ben Jamison. Photo Ōtaki Today
With the harness racing Manawatū track also to close under the plan, Ōtaki would be the only venue on the North Island west coast up to Awapuni in Palmerston North.
Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club manager Ben Jamison says he’s pleased his club isn’t under the axe, but he feels for the other racing clubs.
“We’re here with open arms to anyone who feels we can help somehow. It might be to help fight the recommendations or working collaboratively to help retain autonomy to a certain degree.”
If Trentham did close, Ben would be keen to attract some of its feature races to Ōtaki, but believes realistically that they will go to another metropolitan track, such as Awapuni. That might be the new venue for the Wellington Cup, for example.
Ben says he expects Ōtaki and the other remaining clubs to receive more investment to allow them to operate effectively, but he has no idea when that might happen, or how much it might be.
He says what still concerns him is that the initial recommendations from the consultants who drafted Project Stamina were for Ōtaki to be shut down.
“We’re grateful for NZTR for immediately firing back on that – obviously it would have been a political nightmare [for them] in terms of our heritage.”
The plan suggests closure of seven racing tracks: Trentham, Rotorua, Avondale, Manawatū, Wyndham, Hāwera, Ōamaru, and Gore. “Non-racing” tracks include Levin, Foxton, Kumeū, Spotswood Farm, Waikouaiti, Balfour, Thames, Te Awamutu, Ōpaki, Wairoa, and Stratford.
The racing bodies will now consider whether to implement all or part of the plan.
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