The year is 1996 and several thoroughbred Racecourse Managers from across Australia assemble at the Rosehill racecourse in Sydney under the guise of a Conference with the objective to work together to improve track management practices and efficiencies. It’s a successful event and quickly becomes an annual occurrence.
ARMA is Founded
The Racecourse Managers in August of 2004 travelled across the Bass Strait for the Racecourse Managers Conference to be held at the Mowbray Racecourse (Tasmania Turf Club) where it was agreed the group be formalised and the Australian Racecourse Managers Association (ARMA) is born.
Delegates of the Conference unanimously supported the proposal as an important milestone in the industry quest for improvements in race and training track construction, management, and presentation of racecourses, to promote and advance best practice, facilitate research and development, and represent racecourse managers, as required, on racing industry matters.
ARMA thrives under the formalisation and extends invitations to their colleagues in New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and the United Kingdom, with New Zealand (2017) and Singapore (2013) becoming future destinations for the newly labelled “Australian Racecourse Managers Association Conference”.
The ARMA Conference
The ARMA Conference has become such an important event in the Australian racing calendar where Racecourse Managers, representatives of the different State’s governing bodies and industry suppliers gather to discuss important industry issues, trends, practices and innovation as well as to highlight support networks.
So, the blight of COVID-19 and the corresponding impacts of the pandemic not only forced the cancellation of the Conference for two years, but also increased the strain and stress imposed on Racecourse Managers across both Australia and New Zealand as they worked within reduced budgets, staffing levels and strict protocols to ensure that the thoroughbred racing industry could continue to keep the industry going and everyone associated employed.
Such was the struggle; it became never more important for a Conference to be held.
The 2022 ARMA Conference was finally held from 18-20 August and hosted by the Australian Turf Club at Royal Randwick Racecourse. Beginning on Thursday 18 August, over 160 delegates and sponsors attended each day of the Presentations & Trade Shows with delegates flying in from every state of Australia, a strong contingent from New Zealand, with some even travelling from the United Kingdom to partake.
ARMA Chairman Lindsay Murphy was delighted with the event that saw a record number of delegates in attendance and a record number of partners. “We are extremely grateful to all our Members who not only made the trip to attend the Conference but contributed throughout all the facets of the event. After three long years of cancellations and postponements, it was a huge thrill to have all our ARMA Members together again.
The support from our 33 partners has been overwhelming as the show doesn’t happen without them, it’s that simple. A special thank you to Jackie Hanslo and the Polvin Fencing Systems team for their support as the naming rights sponsor of our event.
We would like to thank Michael Wood and the ATC (Australian Turf Club) for hosting the Conference. The new facilities of the Winx Stand are amazing, and the event and catering staff and service were all tremendous.
We would also like to thank all those that presented at the Conference, with many of them flying into Sydney just to present for the betterment of our Delegates. We worked hard to provide a range of highly qualified speakers to present across a range of topics and we hope that all our Members are going back to their Clubs after the Conference, armed with new ideas and information to help them succeed in their roles.
Topics that were covered throughout the Conference included;
- Using drones for racecourse aerial surveying and analysis
- The impact of climate change on turf management practices
- Major industry project updates of the construction of the Caulfield Inner Track as well as the Gold Coast Turf Club Master Plan
- Recognising and addressing mental health
- The important role Racecourse Managers play in the media
- Advantages of foliar feeding
- Leadership discipline, culture and tackling conflict
- Preventing racehorse injuries with Professor Chris Whitton
- How UK Racing navigated through Covid-19 and TurfTrax future developments
- The impact and management of recent NSW floods on the turf industry
Jason Petch, an ex-horse trainer and founder of Behind The Barriers presented on day one of the Conference about the importance of recognizing and addressing your mental health. Behind The Barriers is an industry- focused mental health support service which Jason explained before announcing that the organisation has generously opened their service to now include all Racecourse Managers. Behind The Barriers provides free, immediate and confidential support to Racing industry participants and immediate family members suffering mental health issues due to the demands of the industry.
2022 Toro Industry Services Award
One of the highlights of any ARMA Conference Dinner is the announcement of award winners and the 2022 renewal was no different. In front of more than 180 guests in the Winx Stand of Royal Randwick, it was Sheldon Simmonds from Toro Australia who announced that the winner of the 2022 Toro Industry Services Award was Warren Williams (Racing Queensland) to an eruption of applause.
“Warren’s contribution to the Industry has already spanned almost 40 years so it was such an honour to be able to present this award. He is such a worthy winner” Sheldon explained post announcement.
ARMA Chairman Lindsay Murphy was quick to heap praise on to Warren; “ARMA is so thrilled that Warren’s tireless and continued contribution to the racing industry, which includes his important work with our Association, could be formally recognized tonight in front of his peers and friends.”
Warren Williams was overwhelmed by the announcement. “This was so unexpected. I’ve always thought it was important for ARMA Members to have an annual gathering to better the management of racecourses and for this Conference to still be thriving in 2022 since beginning in 1996 is something I am quite proud of. It’s almost been 40 years since I first started at Moonee Valley and I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve had along the way, with a lot of those people in the room here tonight.”
Anco Turf VRC Carnival Experience
Anco Turf proudly again offered the Anco Turf VRC Carnival Experience which is open to young and enthusiastic racecourse employees to work alongside Liam O’Keeffe, Racecourse Manager of Victoria Racing Club (VRC) during the 2022 Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington. Anco Turf’s Projects and Commercial Sales Manager Tim Elligate announced that given the missed opportunities through the COVID pandemic, Anco Turf, in conjunction with the Victoria Racing Club were awarding two winners in 2022. Tim announced the winners were Scott MacKinnon from the Sunshine Coast Turf Club (QLD) and Wayne Tucker from the Bendigo Jockey Club (Vic). Both award winners qualified for the award as full-time employees of an Australian Racetrack and work on the track. ARMA encouraged Clubs to enter a staff member for the award as the winner will be provided with a unique opportunity to work within the biggest horse racing event in the Southern Hemisphere.
Another highlight of the Conference was the guest speakers during Thursday night’s Conference Dinner, with Richie Callander interviewing jockey Hugh Bowman, aptly held in the Winx Stand. Hugh provided some amazing insights into riding the four-time Cox Plate winner and what his own future holds, while Richie’s comedic efforts were enjoyed by the crowd as always. Many thanks to Evergreen Turf for organising both Richie and Hugh to attend.
The 2022 Polvin Fencing ARMA Conference concluded on Saturday when all in attendance at the Group 1 Winx Stakes Race Meeting were treated to a magnificent day of high-quality racing and hospitality at Royal Randwick, with Anamoe the star of the show as he dominated the Group 1 Winx Stakes for a successful start to what looks like another epic Spring Carnival preparation.
The ARMA Conference Organising Committee are now working hard behind the scenes to finalise the host Club, date, and a range of other details for the 2023 ARMA Conference.
To ensure that you don’t miss out on your place in 2023, please register your interest – www.racecoursemanagers.com.au/2023-conference
