Twenty new stables are being built at the Gawler and Barossa Jockey Club to meet demand from local and interstate trainers. An equestrian arena is also being developed in the centre of the race course.
Gawler and Barossa Jockey Club CEO Nicole Arnold is hopeful the new stables will be ready for horses to move in by August, and there are further plans to expand.
“Now that we have all these extra facilities like the treadmill and the pool that Racing SA has funded for us, more trainers are showing interest in wanting to come to Gawler,” Arnold said.
“The stables are being built on the blocks of land that the club has recently purchased and hopefully we can get more funding to build another two stables on the site that we’re currently working on.
“There’s already been a great deal of interest from trainers at Morphettville and even interstate in wanting to move over. We’ve also got some interest from current Gawler trainers looking to expand so we expect these stables will be snapped up quickly,” she said.
The new stables are funded by a $400,000 State Government grant, and the land they are being built on has been purchased by the club using a loan from Racing SA. The club is also supporting trainers with an equestrian arena in the centre of the track.
“A lot of trainers wanted an extra medium to help with their training so this equestrian arena will help them with that. We hope local equestrian clubs can also benefit from making use of the middle of the course as well,” Arnold said.
“After discussions with (Racing SA Operations Manager) John Cornell we also thought the arena will be of some benefit in helping train and rehome ex-racehorses.”
To register interest for the stables go to: https://theterracefunctioncentre.com.au/stable-lease-eoi/
