Waller slams Rosehill sale
Australia’s most powerful trainer Chris Waller has slammed the plan to sell Rosehill – and the economic rationale behind it – describing it as “crazy”, and said those promoting the sale were “living in dreamland”.
Saying the mooted financial windfall from the idea did not add up, Rosehill’s largest tenant also said the proposal to build “affordable” housing on the racetrack’s site was disingenuous.
Waller broke out from his usual runners’ previews in his weekly video posted on social media to voice his strongest opposition yet to the Rosehill plan.
The idea was to have been put to a decisive vote from ATC members on Thursday, until the vote was last week postponed by the club – under orders from RNSW – until May 12.
Critics say that move was prompted by an overwhelming majority of members having already lodged online votes opposing the sale. RNSW said the delay was caused by “concerns raised by members of the ATC and industry participants” that not enough information had been provided to inform voters on the issue.
Asked on his video by assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth whether Rosehill would be sold, Waller said: “I wouldn’t think so”. He then examined financial aspects of the planned move, which the ATC has said would raise $5 billion, to be spent in areas including building a new replacement track and refurbishing Warwick Farm and Randwick, with a hotel built at the latter.
“I don’t think they can build what they’re saying they’re going to build, plus get a new replacement track for $5 billion,” Waller said. “Why are you selling it if you’re not going to … supposedly they’re going to have a couple of billion in the bank, but it just doesn’t happen like that.
“They’re building an Olympic Stadium in Brisbane. It’s going to cost $4 billion. We’re going to build a racetrack, redesign Warwick Farm and supposedly put Flemington inside of that, going to do amazing things at Randwick and build hotels and things like that?
“So it’s just crazy.”
With the Rosehill plan structured on an idea, in conjunction with the NSW government, for a mini city of 25,000 dwellings to be built on the site, Waller said various other areas existed where housing could be built.
“We need more affordable housing, but you only need to drive down the road and you see where they can put plenty of housing along existing railway lines,” he said.
Waller added there were “lots of ways to get more affordable housing”, before questioning whether homes mooted for the Rosehill site in fact qualified as “affordable”.
“Affordable housing? You’re talking about $900,000 for a two-bedroom unit. They’re not really affordable housing,” he said.
“They’re living in dreamland, and they haven’t sold themselves very well.”
Duckworth said Waller’s comments had cleared up questions he’d received alleging Waller had “jumped the fence” and sided with the plan to sell the racecourse.