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Thoroughbred Park

Fact Sheet: Thoroughbred Park and the Canberra Racing Club playing a role in the future of Canberra

What sort of entity is the Canberra Racing Club (CRC) and how does it operate?

  • CRC is a not-for-profit community Club, responsible for Thoroughbred Racing in the ACT. 
  • Thoroughbred Racing in the ACT accounts for over 500 full-time equivalent local jobs.
  • The CRC has operated at Thoroughbred Park since 1961 and holds a lease for the lands until 2100.

 

As a non-for-profit, how does the CRC spend its funds?

  • All surplus funds are invested back into the club, our sport and the community and below are examples of how these funds have been used in the past 18 months.
  • CRC has invested significant capital in the installation of a world-class Polytrack Racing and Training track. This significant project undertaken was made to promote industry leading equine and rider welfare outcomes. 
  • CRC has recently invested in the purchase of new Steriline starting stalls, used in leading international jurisdictions and are heavily padded and ergonomically designed to increase safety for horses and horse people. 
  • CRC undertook a full refurbishment and modernisation of an area now known as the Owners and Trainers Lounge. The now transformed space is used as an Owner and Trainers room on race days showcasing the best food and beverages from the Capital region supporting local business and an event space for the community and partners throughout the year. 
  • CRC has installed a total of 200kw of solar at Thoroughbred Park to reduce our carbon footprint. 
  • CRC invested in upgrades to its internal roads with new asphalt surfaces enabling it to further diversify and hold large scale events such as the Canberra Festival of Speed.
  • CRC operates our racing and events business year round. 
  • Thoroughbred Park has stabling for up to 400 horses who conduct training on the grounds maintained by the Club year round.

 

How does the CRC support the Canberra Community?

  • Thoroughbred Park hosts 25 race days and around 120 other events per year including the Canberra Festival of Speed, the Canberra Brickshow, Special Children Christmas Party, GammaCon and the ACT Government Sustainability Expo.
  • The site has capability to deliver both indoor and outdoor events year round and compliments the large scale facilities at EPIC.
  • Established the Canberra Community Chest Race Day to profile Canberra Charities and host and event for them to engage with their supporters. Donated a prize pool of $50,000 in 2023.
  • Subsidies 8 charity race days each year which raises hundreds of thousands for our community heroes.

 

How does the CRC interact with the ACT Government?

  • Thoroughbred Racing in the ACT is responsible for generating over $80m in value to the ACT economy per annum according to an independent IER report.
  • CRC received $6.8m per annum via the Memorandum of Understanding with the ACT Government in financial year 2023 and $7m in financial year 2024, a figure far eclipsed by the revenues raised by the Betting Operations Tax (known as Point of Consumption Tax in other states/territories or PoCT) which was estimated to raise $32m annually in revenue for the ACT Government.

 

How are the CRC and the ACT Government working together for the redevelopment of Thoroughbred Park?

  • The ACT Government has established the Thoroughbred Park Housing and Revitalisation Steering Committee which is made up of the CRC, numerous government agencies and other stakeholders.
  • The Steering Committee is a clear endorsement of the outcomes delivered by our masterplan and highlights the importance of Thoroughbred Park's redevelopment to the future of Canberra.
  • The CRC is working with the ACT Government on a $2bn masterplan which would see 3,200 homes as well as restaurants, cafes and shops on 17 hectares of land to sit alongside racing facilities and complement EPIC to ensure an important events precinct remains for the community.
  • The CRC’s ambition is to build a worldclass equine precinct – Canberra’s home of the horse. This would support multidiscipline equine sporting events, training and services for the Capital Region and far beyond it.