Wagga Harness Racing a step closer to finding home

WAGGA Harness Racing Club (WHRC) is one step closer to finding a new home in the city.Harness Racing NSW (HRNSW) officials were in Wagga yesterday where they nominated a block of land on the corner of Copland Street and Kooringal Road as the preferred site for its new complex.HRNSW chairman Graeme Campbell and racing manager Adam Fairley met with Wagga City Council (WWCC) and inspected the site where it hopes to build a new $6 million facility.The site is currently zoned industrial and is unable to facilitate harness racing but officials discussed its options with WWCC director of planning Andrew Crakanthorp and other WWCC representatives.At the same time as naming its preferred location adjacent to Equex Centre, Campbell explained there was still several hurdles to clear.“It’s a great site but there is issues with it,” Campbell said yesterday.“We’re not ruling it out. It just needs rezoning to do it and council needs to see if it fits in their redevelopment plan.“We hope to hear back from them in the short to medium term future.”Campbell revealed WHRC would ideally share the new facility and be co-tenants with another group, ideally Wagga Greyhound Club.The HRNSW boss said plans could include a multi-purpose venue with a greyhound track and a harness racing track either side of a grandstand.This would be instead of the traditional set-up of a greyhound track inside a harness racing track.The interest in the new Equex site pours cold water on a move to Charles Sturt University, something that had been explored for the past two years.Campbell though refused to rule anything out.“We haven’t written it off,” Campbell said.“There is more research to be done.”WHRC chief executive Graeme White said a site in the city is preferred.“People just don’t travel to events anymore,” White said.“For the future of the sport it’s got to be in town.”White confirmed the new track would be 1000m, significantly bigger than the current track at Wagga Showground.Campbell said the best-case scenario would see the track ready to race as soon as the end of next year.WHRC and HRNSW will now wait to hear back from WWCC about the possible rezoning, along with any other potential sites.