Skip to main content

Future of Historic Thames Racing Club Looks Uncertain

Recently updated on February 2nd, 2019

The 150-year-old Thames Racing Club could be closing its doors in the 2019/20 racing season. It is one of the ten horseracing venues around New Zealand that are facing a shutdown.

The Thames Racing Club, which celebrated its 150 years of existence last year, hasn’t been able to race its own track for the past three years. This is due to a combination of climate change and track issues. Despite the important role in New Zealand’s horse racing industry, the announcement isn’t surprising to some.

thames racing club horses running

Thames Racing Shutdown “Disappointing But Not Surprising”

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson said he was disappointed but not surprised by the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing proposal. “The Thames Racing Club has a long and proud tradition and I’m sorry this decision has been flagged and looks almost certain to mean an end to thoroughbred horse racing in Thames,” he said.

Poor Upkeep a Root Cause

For some, the shutting down of the Thames Racing Club is due to the poor upkeep of the race track. President of the Thames Jockey Club Kevin Hansen believes that the lack of an irrigation system is what put the Thames racing track in disrepair. He added that this is the reason why the Thames club had to move its meetings to Te Aroha, which is irrigated and supported by trainers and sponsors.

However, the Thames Racing Club believes that it wouldn’t be worthwhile to install an irrigation system – set at NZ$50 000 – just to race on the track once a year. “With the changing seasons over the last few years, the chance of any rain on a track without irrigation comes with a risk of having an unsafe racing surface for the jockeys and horses,” said Hansen.

Chances of Saving Thames Racing?

The New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) chief executive Bernard Saundry said the NZTR Venue Plan document is waiting for feedback from the industry in February. They will be visiting the regions over the following weeks to hear about their concerns. “The future of the [Thames Racing] track itself is a conversation for once the consultation process has been completed and will be up to the club,” he said.

The Thames Racing Club has until March 19 to give its feedback.

Learn more about sports betting in New Zealand with New Zealand Casino Sites.



Related Posts

SkyCity Shows Concern Over Crown Resorts Investigation

SkyCity concerns about crown resorts investigation

Recently updated on August 17th, 2019SkyCity Entertainment owns three casinos with two in New Zealand and one in Adelaide Australia. In the past days, there have been revelations that the big Australian casino operator, Crown Resort was involved with junket operators that are supported by powerful crime gangs. As a result, the Australian casino is […]

New October Pokies at Wild Card City Casino

October Pokie Wild Card

Recently updated on September 30th, 2020As a brand-new casino, Wild Card City is still coming in hot with new October pokie releases and exciting offers. Almost every game offers 10 free spins if you play the game within the first month, so we recommend checking them out. After all, there’s a mix of new slots […]

Survey Shows Younger Aussies Gamble Less

Research Shows Aussies gamble less recently

Recently updated on April 21st, 2019A recent survey from Roy Morgan Research has revealed that younger Australians are gambling less nowadays. The study which was conducted in December 2018 involved seven thousand individuals. It found that the number of Aussie adults taking part in some form of gambling is down to 47.9% from 50.1% in […]

Addiction Warnings on Lottery Tickets Recurs in Florida Legislature

Recently updated on April 7th, 2019House Bill 629 for lottery tickets has survived a vote in the House Commerce Committee. The approval of the bill paved its way for a full House floor appraisal. A matching piece of legislation was presented in the Senate, but that it is still yet to be reviewed by members […]

Novomatic AG Finalises Ainsworth Pokies Acquisition

Novomatic AG Acquires Ainsworth Pokies NZ

Recently updated on January 10th, 2018Gaming software giant, Novomatic AG, has just bought controlling shares in their Australian rival, Ainsworth Game Technology Limited. Their 52% stake in the company has been approved by a number of regulatory bodies. More so, the deal was finalised last Friday before founder, Len Ainsworth, announced that he would be […]