Embattled Gosford trainers facing eviction will try to bolster their case with an online petition.
Most of the 15 trainers only found out from media reports last Monday about plans to close the track as a training facility at the end of next year.
NSW Trainers Association chief executive Steve McMahon, who met with the affected trainers and club officials on Thursday, called on the club to come up with a plan for the future.
Since then a campaign has started on change.org calling on the Gosford club to reverse the decision.
Many trainers, including Kylie Gavenlock and Angela Davies have children in school in the area and have spent thousands of dollars upgrading their stables.
To add to Gavenlock’s woes, her horse float has also been damaged by vandals.
“The livelihood of Gosford trainers and hundreds of staff are at risk with the decision to close training at Gosford in December 2016,” petition says.
“We need the board of Gosford Race Club (now known as The Gosford Entertainment Grounds) to reverse this decision.
“We also call on Racing NSW to do whatever they can to assist trainers at Gosford. This decision will add to the unemployment of hundreds of people and local businesses that supply everything from horse feed to vet supplies etc.”
Around 100 horses are trained on the track at the Central Coast, an area with a high unemployment rate.
“We need the support of Gosford community and Gosford Race Club members to help us make the necessary changes to improve our training track at Gosford,” the petition says.
“We implore you to support us and save our livelihood and to continue to employ our local youth on the Central Coast.”
The club says it is not financially viable to upgrade the Pro Ride training track when the insurance runs out at the end of 2016.
