NEW Dubbo Turf Club chairman Michael Edwards has plans to transform the club into a premier racing centre, but has warned any progression will not be made overnight.
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Edwards took over the role when a new board came in at the club's annual general meeting last month and has spent his first three weeks in the job reconnecting with stakeholders.
There has been a clean-out at the club in recent months, with Mark Day quitting his post as secretary-manager, his offsider Allyson Neave relinquishing her role and none of the former board members standing for re-election at the AGM.
That upheaval has come at arguably the club's busiest time of the year, with the big Derby Day and Melbourne Cup meetings now less than a month away.
"I've spoken with everyone from the bosses at Racing NSW to the club's sponsors and Dubbo City Council," Edwards said.
"What's happened is in the past now, it's a fresh start for the club and we really just want to look forward.
"I was privileged to go to Sydney recently for the Country and Provincial awards night, and a secretary-managers forum as well, and that enabled me to engage with a lot of people as well."
Dubbo was recently announced as one of six venues across NSW that will host heats of the new Country Championship series that will culminate on the opening day of The Championships at Randwick in April.
The heat, which will be held on March 22, will carry $100,000 in prize money with the first two placegetters getting an opportunity to run for the $300,000 on offer in the final.
While next month's meetings and the March meeting are short-term priorities for Edwards and his new board, they also have some long-term goals they hope to achieve.
"We want to look forward and develop the club, and see it realise its full potential," he said.
"Currently I believe it is quite underutilised. We only race here 13 times a year which isn't enough for a major regional centre.
"Hopefully we can get that number up to 20 in time. You look at a place like Tamworth, they have 23 meetings a year so there's no reason why we shouldn't be close to that.
"There's a strong indication Racing NSW will secure funding for track and facility improvements so hopefully if that happens it will be the first step in us moving forward."
