Members News

2nd September, 2025  

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN SEPTEMBER 2025.

As always, I present this message with pride and with unwavering optimism for the future of Moruya Jockey Club; pride in the fact that the Club has excelled in all performance categories and optimism underpinned by that performance and with the knowledge that the commencement of our huge building program is now palpably close.

Moruya Jockey Club was named the 2024 Racing NSW TAB Country Club of the Year in its category. Your Club had won this award previously and I believe, is ”London to a brick on”, in the words of that famous racecaller, to win it again.

Executive Officer Ken Brown is largely responsible for the continued excellent performance of the Club; he is never satisfied with the status quo and strives always to make improvements. A Thoroughbred race club is nothing without good racing and training surfaces and Track Manager, Neil Perryman, with advice from consultant Brent Hull from the Moruya Golf Club has produced consistently good surfaces through a particularly difficult winter period in which five race meetings were held.

Staff are employed in the general running of the club but there are many volunteers who give gladly of their time to assist before, during and after race meetings and as always, I mention the amazing work of the volunteer barrier attendants, widely recognized as the best in the SERA. Staff and volunteers working seamlessly together is another strength of the Moruya Jockey Club.

All income streams have shown excellent results and the rise in corporate sponsorship will ensure that this year’s trading figures will be the highest in the Club’s history.

Strong new and ongoing sponsorships are the result of hard work and good public relations efforts by Executive Officer Ken Brown. The Legend of the South is a $42,000 feature race and is sponsored by local company SCB Distributors. Other major supporters are North Ryde RSL Club which sponsors the Moruya Cup and brings many of its members to the Calcutta and the race day and Tyre Torque Batemans Bay who will again sponsor the Narooma Cup. The Batemans Bay Cup will now be run in January following the Narooma Cup in December and the Moruya Cup in early January. Strong sponsorship is integral to the success of Moruya Jockey Club and the Board thanks all sponsors for their contributions. Their enthusiasm on the day, and for the future of the Club, is something few clubs enjoy.

Attendances were up 4% on 2023/24, these numbers being the envy of many similar category country race clubs. Our crowds are well dressed, well behaved and there to enjoy the days, which feature music, Fashions in the Field, entertainment for children and several food and beverage outlets including the Rotary kiosk. The number of young people attending is increasing, particularly over the summer period; they are the future of racing and the Club will continue to make a day at the races for them, as for all racegoers, something to remember.

Moruya Jockey Club is proud of its ability and desire to help the community of the Eurobodalla; on some projects the Club works with the Rotary clubs of the shire, particularly the Rotary Club of Moruya and in recent years, donations and support have amounted to almost $300000.

Field sizes are up on last year, bucking the trend in many other areas of the state and reflecting the high regard that trainers and connections have for the tracks and facilities offered in Moruya. The Club, with Racing NSW, paid $2,651,901 in prizemoney and returns to the industry in the past financial year.

In 2021, on the information I had at the time, I told Members that the planned major building works comprising Racing NSW infrastructure and Members facilities would be completed in 2023. The commencement of any building was contingent on the fact that fire and other safety issues identified by council in the original Development Application, were addressed. These issues were not addressed by Racing NSW, the owners of the racecourse, and the Board was unsuccessful in its many attempts to communicate to them its concerns and the need for immediate remedial action.

In brief, I can tell you that an Amended Development Application has now been submitted to the Eurobodalla Shire Council for its consideration and the process of obtaining quotes has already begun.

I cannot thank Deputy Chair Chris Gandy enough for the many hours he has dedicated to working with the Project Managers and their many contractors and consultants, to arrive at this point. His has been a phenomenal effort, his enthusiasm never waning in the face of the many regulatory and officious obstacles and “choke points” blocking progress.  In my Christmas message to you I will have much more detail on building costs and timeframes.

The Board has always focused on the safety of all workers and horses at the racecourse and on appropriate, modern and comfortable facilities for jockeys, Members, participants and the public, facilities of which all race goers can be proud and which satisfy the race day needs of all.  Not long now!

Peter Atkinson.

Chairman Moruya Jockey Club