\u201cWhat I will say is I\u2019ve spent most of my life in racing, I\u2019ve always had a passion for the sport, and if the ATC thought I could help, I\u2019d be more than interested.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be more than confident I can help the ATC become one of the leading race clubs in Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have everything there. They have a good product. In two or three years, I could see the club humming. I\u2019ve known a lot of people and trainers for a long time, and I\u2019ve always worked well with Peter \u2013 every club needs to have a good working relationship with Racing NSW to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
It emerged in September the ATC owed Racing NSW $145 million in the form of a non-interest loan, which is only repayable if it sells a major asset. The club also owes the Commonwealth Bank $30 million, which is due in October 2026.<\/p>\n
The ATC sacked its CEO Matt Galanos, in September, which led to two directors, Ben Bayot and Natalie Hewson, quitting the board in the same week<\/a>. Bayot said it was \u201cuntenable to continue working with a dysfunctional board\u201d.<\/p>\n Loading<\/p>\n The botched $5b sale of Rosehill to the state government in May heaped pressure on the ATC to perform financially. The club posted a $2.59m operating loss last financial year, but claimed $2m was spent on making sure members knew exactly what they were voting for when it came to the Rosehill deal.<\/p>\n Hale wrote to members to inform them the \u201cclub\u2019s core businesses are performing well\u201d, and they had the benefit of owning the land at Rosehill and another racetrack, Canterbury.<\/p>\n