Sweeping changes at the debt-ridden ATC designed to tackle fresh challenges

Major changes at the helm of the Auckland Trotting Club announced today will reposition the club for the challenges that lie ahead, says new president Jamie MacKinnon.

In sweeping changes at the club, CEO Mauro Barsi has resigned after two and a half years, his position to be filled in the interim by Rod Croon, who has stood down as president but will remain a board director and become vice president.

Elected director Graham Harford has also retired, but will retain his position as club lawyer, with his place at the table taken by the country’s leading trainer Robert Dunn.

Independent board member Shaun Brooks, formerly of the TAB, has been reappointed.

MacKinnon takes up the president’s role with the club still $100 million in debt after its disastrous apartment development and jokes there wasn’t a big queue for the position.

“Its going to be a lot of work, a full time job. The club has a number of challenges, but if we bite things off in small pieces we’ll get there.”

MacKinnon says there was no major bombshell or development that led to the changes and Barsi goes with the blessing of the club after doing a great job during a very trying time for the club.

“Mauro is looking at other things and we have come to a mutual arrangement.

“A lot of trainers don’t know him and haven’t recognised his real value but he was terrific at navigating through problems with the development and the two contractors.

“And he had special skills dealing with the banks. He had a magic touch at keeping people calm and letting them know we knew what we were doing and would get through it.

“But our focus, apart from retiring debt, now has to be on sorting out our racing, not on property.

MacKinnon says Croon’s understanding of the club, and his skills as a solution provider, would be invaluable to the club while it looked for a new CEO.

But in Dunn, the ATC believes it now has someone on the board who can get racing back on track at the Park.

Alexandra Park, the home of the Auckland Trotting Club which is $100 million in debt.“Robert is there to drive racing. We have a big issue with the dates and the TAB and we have to find ways of boosting stake money.

“He has an intimate knowledge of the Pukekohe training centre and understands tracks and track management.”

MacKinnon, who says he always aspired to be club president, first served a nine year term on the board, the last two as 2IC to the late Kerry Hoggard whose vision with the apartments was to set the club up for life.

“I came back three years ago because I wasn’t happy with some of the direction the club was taking.

“I think I bring good mix to the role. I’ve been heavily involved in racing as a breeder, owner and punter, and I’ve been in business all my life.

“I’d say I’m in the mould of an old fashioned president. I’ve always been a members person and they know they can always talk to me.

“Members need more of a voice and I’ll be trying to improve what we do for them. There’s no point belonging to the club if there’s no value for members.”

MacKinnon says while communication might not have been the best at times when the club was up to its ears in the development crises, “people didn’t understand we were hamstrung by legal issues and could only say so much.”

MacKinnon says it’s important he has the confidence of the members and the board.

“With the problems that have best the club it’s going to be a difficult job and I’m sure I’ll make good decisions and bad decisions.

“We have a scaled down operation now but still have a lot of issues with staff, the property, the Alex bar, racing, debt and Pukekohe.

“A lot of time will need to be spent on the relocation of Pukekohe but we made it clear last year that it’s not the focus at the moment.

“But it’s hard to imagine us being there in five or six years with houses all around. The zoning will take its course and any deal we do will need a lease back option for three or four years.”