Bob Rowles admits the overhaul of Royal Randwick will take some getting used to.
The jockey room supervisor at the racecourse since 1946, Rowles concedes he’s a bit stuck in his ways ahead of the $150 million redevelopment of the iconic Sydney track.
“I’ve been here so long it’s like a second home,” he said.
“It’ll be the same, only in a new place, but it will take a bit of time to get used to.
“I feel some regret about it but that’s progress and you’ve got to go with what people think.”
Rowles was on hand on Saturday along with a crowd of 15,575 racegoers who rolled up for the last race day at Randwick before work starts on a major facelift of the course.
Saturday’s `Grandstand Finish’ meeting celebrated the old course and included the burying of a time capsule filled with track memorabilia, a vintage fashion competition and a marching band performance.
The redevelopment, due to finish in autumn 2013, comprises a refurbishment of the Queen Elizabeth II grandstand and the demolition of the public grandstand which will be replaced by a larger state-of-the-art structure.
There will also be a new betting auditorium and parade ring, which will be behind the new grandstand, as well as upgraded members and corporate areas.
Australian Turf Club chairman John Cornish said the redevelopment was overdue.
“We’ve been racing here for 167 years, like anything else it needs refreshing,” he said.
“The two stands that have been coming down have been there for almost four decades, they’re tired and have outlived their usefulness.
“The new stand has a more modern look, there will be glass both sides and seating both sides.”
He was especially excited about the new parade ring which will allow racegoers to get closer to jockeys and horses than they can at the moment.
“There will be a Theatre of the Horse where the horses will parade and mount up behind the stand and then go through a tunnel and come out on the track to run,” Cornish said.
“Royal Ascot does that, the Hong Kong Jockey Club have it at Sha Tin as well – it’s a thing that’s catching on worldwide.”
Randwick will still host 17 meetings including feature autumn and spring carnival days next year during the redevelopment.
Bob Bouffler, Randwick’s resident bugler, was also enthusiastic about the new 4,500 seat parade ring, despite not knowing where exactly he’d fit.
“The saddling enclosure is at the back, so they’ll probably still have me out the front, but sometimes overseas they have the bugler out the back, so I’m not sure,” he said.
However, he was certain of one thing.
“I’ll still be here, that’s for sure.”
AAP TURF
