It took a while coming and it is going to take a while to come to fruition, but the news confirming a massive $38 million redevelopment of the Gold Cost Turf Club will ultimately provide a great boost for both the Queensland racing industry and the Gold Coast economy.
By far the most exciting aspect of a multi-faceted upgrade plan is the installation of lights at the Gold Coast venue which will transform the racetrack into a night racing venue. The Surfer’s Paradise backdrop to the track is already a special spectacle, but it is not hard to imagine what a vibe the addition of a night racing attraction in the area would create, especially as it sits right on the doorstep of the glitter strip.
The Queensland State government has committed $31.5 million to the project on top of the $1.5 million that has already been provided for planning. The Gold Coast Turf Club will inject $5 million of their own into the scheme.
Apart from the lights, the project will include upgrades to the current racing surfaces and also a new all-weather synthetic track and a tunnel to the infield.
The Gold Coast Turf Club is a very proactive club, and it certainly has not been marking time while waiting for this final approval of the redevelopment project.
It has been out there trumpeting their cause and it has already secured two major coups in recent times, persuading two champion, high profile trainers in the form of John Moore and Lee Freedman to set up their training businesses at the Gold Coast.
Before relocating to Australia, Moore was a seven-time Premiership winning trainer in Hong Kong where he saddled a record 1735 winners, most notably guiding the champion Beauty Generation through his magnificent career … while Freedman, of course, amongst other significant Group 1 achievements, is best known for his association with the mighty Makybe Diva who he sent out to claim three successive Melbourne Cup victories.
The combination of the coming, significant infrastructure improvements and the quality of participant it is attracting to set up shop in the precinct will serve the Gold Coast Turf Club well in its endeavour to increase its Metropolitan racing share of the cake moving into the future … a target which the Club has always kept firmly within their sights.
That has been a long and somewhat difficult road to follow but, undeterred, the Gold Coast Turf Club has just got on with, buoyed by self-belief and purpose, and, like the now approved redevelopment project, few would bet against them getting their desired and much sought after, added-value Metropolitan status in the coming years.