12 | T T Richard Loader Track repairs get thumbs up from horsemen Ruakaka a training Mecca REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Ruakaka Racecourse Alexandra Park With a proud history that spans 133 years, Auckland Trotting Club’s Alexandra Park is one of only two premier trotting clubs in New Zealand. Located in the heart of Epsom, Alexandra Park hosts 32 night-trotting events under lights annually and plays an important role within the community, with track and hospitality facilities being used on a daily basis, by a diverse range of community groups. On the afternoon of Friday the 27th of January this year, Auckland received forty percent of its annual rainfall, followed by a second bout from Cyclone Gabrielle. With flood waters at biblical levels, the Park’s soak holes and storm water drains had no chance of coping and water flowed through the clubrooms at ground level and onto the all-weather track in torrents, significantly damaging the racing surface and subbase. Club President Jamie MacKinnon says it was impossible to race on the track without major repairs. “Before we could renew the racing top surface, we had to repair the subbase. A lot of the top surface was washed onto the infield. The top surface had been contaminated and it had to be graded off, loaded onto trucks and disposed of. The subbase was repaired with gravel dust with layers of granulated limestone on top. That sets like concrete and on top of that goes the racing surface.” The racing surface is a mix of sand, and crushed oyster and scallop shells dredged from the East Coast. “The track is also cambered to help the horses scoot around the bend. Over the decades some of the camber had been lost, so the floods provided an opportunity to re-camber the track, with the help of surveyors. We had our first race meeting last week on the third of March. The horsemen, trainers and drivers gave it a big thumbs up. It needs a bit more consolidation because it is only new, but they are very happy with it.” Complementing Alexandra Park’s all-weather track are two grandstands and a number of function rooms. At ground level is The Alex Bar and Eatery which is open to members and the public alike seven days a week and offers a variety of spaces including a courtyard, lounge areas, TAB, gaming room and a private function space. “A number of community groups use the facilities at the Park on a regular basis including the Auckland Rugby League Referees who meet here and then enjoy some hospitality here. The Auckland Chess Club is another one. We also have Kids Carts, which is a bit like a pony club but with miniature horses and sulkies. The kids learn to drive the horses, care for them, and learn good habits with animals. They get to race every night at Alexandra Park, so it prepares them if they want to participate in our industry as a career either as drivers, trainers, stables hands or some other part of the business.” In addition to providing its facilities free to community groups, Alexandra Park also leases rooms on a permanent basis to organisations like Sport Auckland and the Auckland Blues. “Auckland Rugby also lease facilities inside the grandstand. So we have quite a collection of sporting groups around us. We neighbour the Auckland Show Grounds and the Auckland Trotting Club has provided parking for the many events at the showgrounds including the Easter Show, Boat Show, and Home Show, which provides the Park with additional income.” T T from page 10 Training activity at the Ruakaka course has varied over the years, and the Covid restrictions greatly reduced the number of horses in training because there were no local meetings either there or in Auckland. “The venue is slowly building back towards a hundred horses in work, and the option of exercising along Ruakaka Beach is a valuable attraction to trainers and of great benefit to the horses,” Bill says. “There’s been training activity on the course since it was started in 1976, and it’s produced a number of top-quality horses, trainers and riders.” The region’s highest-profile trainer is Donna Logan, now based in Singapore as one of the leading trainers there. While based at Ruakaka, Donna won the Caulfield Cup with Rising Romance and her training partner of many years, Chris Gibbs. Two local trainers, Michelle Bradley and Anthony Burton continue to train at Ruakaka, having learnt their trade under Donna’s tutelage. New Zealand’s current top apprentice, Kelsey Hannan, is from Whangarei and she had her early riding skills developed with the Ruakaka team at Rae Racing Stables, headed by Kenny Rae and Krystal Williams. The Whangarei Racing Club was established in 1902 at that city’s Kensington Park but was moved in 1976 to its current location at the southern end of Peter Snell Road, Ruakaka, adjacent to Bream Bay. The club facilities are small and intimate with a provincial atmosphere, with west-facing elevated and covered seating that gives excellent views of the 1850m track. The racing surface is of kikuyu turf with ryegrass undersown in the winter. lionred.co.nz Proudly Supporting Ruakaka Racecourse Supplying quality coffee beans & equipment to cafes, restaurants, hotels, offices and homes for over half a century. +64 9 573 5446 | coffex.co.nz | newzealand@coffex.com.au
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