ATC announce plans to close Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
Rosehill Gardens Racecourse will be closed down and replaced by 25,000 houses under a $5 billion plan announced by the Australian Turf Club.
The proposal, which is subject to the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposal process, would see the horse racing facility replaced by a housing and entertainment mini city adjacent to a new Metro station as part of the Metro West project.
Rosehill Gardens Racecourse is situated approximately 22 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD in what is the geographical heart of the metropolitan area. Opened in 1885, the course hosts the annual Golden Slipper race day and can comfortably accommodate 20,000 spectators.
Under the proposal, the ATC would use the revenue to build a new world-class racecourse in Sydney, with several sites across Sydney earmarked.
A new training Centre of Excellence would be built at Horsley Park alongside the Sydney International Equestrian Centre to cater for current Rosehill Gardens stables and extra trainers, while the stables and training infrastructure at Royal Randwick Racecourse would be rebuilt and expanded.
Warwick Farm and Canterbury Park would also be developed, with improvements to spectator facilities and the track.
ATC Chairman Peter McGauran said the proposal was the most significant opportunity in the history of Sydney racing and that it “future-proofs Sydney racing for a century to come”.
Rosehill Racecourse will be gradually moved to a new site by the end of the decade, including the relocation of 300-400 horses from the stables, according to the ATC.
