At Murrumbidgee Turf Club's (MTC) annual general meeting, Stuart Lamont will officially sign off after 34 years on the board.

Lamont has been president for the last 15 years and has overseen arguably the most successful period in the club's history.

The MTC has a bank balance most clubs would envy after eight surpluses in a row. Record prizemoney. Strong sponsorship. One of the best facilities in country racing. The list goes on.

Lamont admits he will leave the MTC on Thursday night a satisfied man.

"I think I'm feeling very satisfied that the club is in a really good financial position and racing is in such a good spot all through NSW," Lamont said.

"It's very satisfying to leave when the club is in a really good position."

Lamont followed in the footsteps of his father Colin in joining the MTC board. They overlapped for a couple of years in the late 80s and both will have served the club as president for 15-year periods.

"I am proud of it. Dad certainly set the bar pretty high with his effort that he put in. I believe he was a very good chairman," he said.

"It was very nice to join the board while he was still chairman, for those two years I was there while he was on. That was a great thrill and likewise it's nice that now (Lamont's son) Angus have become involved as well.

"The tradition of having members on the board has certainly continued."

Lamont has witnessed a huge amount of change during his time on the board.

"I think probably having this grandstand built was huge, and obviously the track redevelopment," he said.

"The grandstand, we're just so fortunate. It was actually my father who was president at the time and Bob Rowland Smith was the racing minister. He had a bit of a whisper in Dad's ear that there will be some more funding coming through so don't rush it and you'll get the right result and that's what happened. We did wait another three years and we were able to get a facility like this, which was really double the funding that we would have been offered initially.

"There's nowhere else that has this type of facility in the country on country tracks.

"It was certainly worth the wait and it's stood the test of time. It's still a very modern facility and fits in so beautifully with the grounds."

While pleased with the facility the club now boasts, it is the performance of the MTC board that Lamont is most proud of during his time as president.

"I think I'm probably most proud of the fact that we've had a really good board of directors, a really respectful association with the staff and all the racing participants and that's a really big thing," he said.

"If everyone is pulling in the same direction, you'll really get a lot done and this has not been a factional board over the past, at least, 12 years and it's been a pleasure to be involved."

Lamont also pointed out that his time has not been without its challenges. The biggest being in 2010-11 when the club found itself in court successfully fighting charges in regards to its liquor license on Gold Cup day.

"There is always plenty of challenges whether they be with Racing NSW or whether they be with liquor licensing or whoever it may be, there is always something," he said.

"The liquor licencing would be one of (the biggest challenges), really.

"The fact that we have put a policy in place that so many other clubs have taken on. It was really quite groundbreaking, our alcohol management plan, with Michael Inglis driving that for the committee.

"As its turned out, instead of coming down on us more strongly, they've respected us for the fact that everything has been put in order and we haven't had any issues since."

Lamont believes horse welfare is the biggest challenge facing the industry going forward. It's something that he will address a lot more in his new role as president of Thoroughbred Breeders NSW (TBNSW), which also gives him a seat on the Thoroughbred Breeders Australia (TBA) board.

"Racing is always going to have its challenges and obviously this whole welfare business is at the forefront of challenges at the moment," he said.

"That is something that is not going away, It's something that we as an industry really have to deal with and in my new role with Thoroughbred Breeders that's very much front and centre with what we're dealing with at the moment.

"That would be one of racing's challenges at the moment for sure. And you've got those other challenges there, such as sports betting, such as the corporates. If all of a sudden racing's going to lose turnover due to the welfare side of things then that takes some turning around so there are lots of challenges."

Lamont believes the lack of stables available at Wagga is the biggest challenge in front of the MTC. It is a problem the club hopes to solve with the construction of a new $6.9 million stable complex.

"As far as this club's concerned, I think the stabling is a concern for the club in that we really just don't have any amount of off-course stabling, or not nearly enough. And we certainly don't have enough to attract new trainers from interstate," he said.

"If we have the opportunity, which is hopefully going to happen in the not too distant future, to build this stables inside the course here it will absolutely transform the place and it will also means there will be continued growth at the club."

Lamont is confident the project will get off the ground.

"I am confident it will happen one way or another. Whether its with the assistance of the NSW Government or with the assistance of Racing NSW," he said.

"The club itself has also invested quite a bit already to get it up to the stage where it is with plans, DAs and bits of pieces.

"It has to be (a game changer) because at the moment we can't continue to grow our numbers when we just don't have the stabling. There's been a lot of trainers that would love to come to a facility like this. The fact that it really is only four hours to Warwick Farm is a pretty easy run these days to so many tracks.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there were satellite stables set up here for instance that people could really get horses fit and then have a city stable as well. Because where would you want to be, you've got the situation here where you can do things for half the price you can in the metropolitan areas and you've got great facilities."

Lamont named 2017 Wagga Town Plate winner Santa Ana Lane, as one of the best horses to run at Wagga during his tenure.

He gave honourable mentions to local warriors such as Green Ridge and Merriwagga.

Lamont named Dave Heywood as the standout trainer through his time.

"When you talk about trainers that have been here the whole way through, someone like Davey Heywood has always had a good horse in his stable," he said.

"He's always had a city class horse in his stable and multiple, multiple winners. All those horses his brother in law, Russ Milne, had. King Of Indies, Pride Of Indies, Prince Of Indies, then (Heywood) obviously had Green Ridge. I think for consistency over many years in having a decent horse in their stable I think he would have to be rated pretty highly."

Lamont rates Michael Cahill's efforts in the saddle highly.

"Probably the likes of a Michael Cahill, that did a lot of his riding in the SDRA. Who would of thought three decades later he would still be a top rider in Brisbane," he said.

"He was a heavyweight jockey here so I thought his future would be limited but he's still booting home winners. I think he's been a real surprise packet.

"That move he made to Queensland has just paid huge dividends for him. I think he's a jockey that just really surprised me. He was always well-regarded here but weight was always a problem."

The Wagga Gold Cup carnival has gone from strength to strength during Lamont's time on the board, and particularly during his time as president.

Next year, the Town Plate and Gold Cup will both be run for a record $200,000.

"I think the only change will be that its probably going to be more difficult for the locals to be winning a lot of the races, certainly the major races," he said.

"Purely because going to $200,000 for both races, the metropolitan trainers are going to bring horses for both races now. Whereas they always usually just focused on the Cup.

"So a lot of the other races are going to be as equally difficult to win but in saying that, if you've got the right horse you can win. Its great that the Wagga Cup does have a couple of ballot free races that does give the locals an opportunity to get a start and the Town Plate will need to do the same to ensure it gets a couple of local runners as well."

Lamont believes the Town Plate will be in a position in the next five years to make a case to be a listed race. He is not a big believer in a standalone Saturday meeting for the Cup.

"You certainly couldn't rule it out. It might be just geographically that little bit too difficult to fill all the fields," he said.

"I don't know what more would be in it for the club if we did do a standalone, apart from the recognition of having it, I don't know in dollar terms whether there is a benefit in it.

"The crowds that we've got are so strong for our two days, you think why change something that's working so well."

The other big race meeting that has shown enormous growth during Lamont's time as president is 'Aggies' race day. The social raceday now attracts a crowd of 7000 plus.

Lamont can see it soon rivalling the Wagga Gold Cup for the club's most-attended meet.

"I don't think there's any doubt about that," he said.

"I think there is a real opportunity for it to be equal to a Gold Cup crowd, which is fantastic for the club and its fantastic for the Ag Club as well because they give so much back in charity. Its a really good concept. They help us and we help them.

"It just goes to show what the power of social media can do. The demographic that's attending, they're generally, 95 per cent of them would all be under 30, and once something is a success, the word gets around and everyone wants to be there."

As he prepares to walk away, Lamont is happy knowing he leaves the club in a strong position.

"I think it's placed really well," he said.

"The fact that we've been a profitable club now for so long and they're really good surpluses that we've been making. And a lot of that then we've been able to put that back into facilities and things as well.

"The fact that the prizemoney has been lifted too for our major races is certainly going to strengthen our Cup carnival and I think overall it's in a really good place."

Will he miss the role?

"I will. I'll miss the comradaerie with the directors and other participants and staff but they're comes a time to pass the baton," Lamont said.

"I've enjoyed my time here. I've enjoyed all aspects of it really."

Lamont is proud of the success MTC's 100 Club has become and thanked all the club's sponsors and staff.

"The other thing we're proud of is our sponsors and the fact the 100 Club has been such a success over many years. It's been professionally run and businesses are really very keen to be involved," he said.

"Our partnership with Lyon, it will be going on for 20 years by the time this next contract is up so they're also a very professional group of people to work with.

"All of our Cup day sponsors and everything else, a lot of that comes down to the CEOs we've had that have been really good in running that side of things.

"I'd certainly want to pay tribute to Scott Sanbrook over many years. His input to this club was really of great benefit to all the participants, he was a very good CEO and obviously Steve (Keene) also will leave his mark as well."

He saved the biggest thank you for his wife, Penny.

"Someone that never gets thanked is my wife. I'm certainly very grateful," he said.

"We were only married for three years before I got on the board so she's very much been along for the ride and very much part of it. I've got a lot to thank her for."

READ MORE