Gai Waterhouse voices opposition to Rosehill sale

Gai Waterhouse said she “felt embarrassed for the Board” following a meeting between the Australian Turf Club and its members over the proposal to sell Rosehill racecourse.

ATC chairman Peter McGauran delivered a brief of the club’s plans at a members’ forum on Tuesday night where Waterhouse made it clear she was opposed to the idea.

In response to a subsequent News Limited article, Waterhouse again reiterated her concerns on Wednesday, saying the members in attendance were as passionate as her in their belief Rosehill should not be lost.

“ATC members were extremely vocal in their opposition to the proposed sale of the ATC’s most valuable asset, Rosehill Racecourse,” Waterhouse said on Twitter, also known as X.

“I felt embarrassed for the Board.”

It has been reported that champion trainer Chris Waller also spoke at Tuesday’s meeting and was just as unequivocal in his stance that Rosehill racecourse be retained by the industry.

McGauran has said the ATC stands to make a conservative $5 billion from the sell-off of Rosehill, a figure he believes will secure Sydney racing’s future for decades to come.

Under the plans, Rosehill would be developed into a precinct slated to include 25,000 new homes, a school and public greenspace, along with a Metro West line station linking it to the city and Parramatta.

The three other Sydney tracks – Randwick, Warwick Farm and Canterbury – would be refurbished as part of the proposal, while the Rosehill trainers would be transferred to a new complex in Horsley Park, western Sydney.

Tuesday night’s meeting is expected to be the first of several forums the ATC holds with its members to discuss the proposal.