VISION FOR THE FUTURE

The Mount Barker Turf Club (the Club) has been active since pre-1945, providing a thoroughbred racing venue for Great Southern trainers, spectators and industry participants.

The Club has been involved with numerous industry projects and research over the past years to identify opportunities to develop long term viability, sustainability and to prosper.

This research coupled with a desire to move forward has resulted in a five year action plan which will see the Club provide new facilities such as an on-course training track, an extension and realignment of the racing track to incorporate a 1,600m chute and on-course stabling. New marketing strategies will also be identified and implemented to improve the Club’s ability to compete in the entertainment market.

The close working relationship with the Shire of Plantagenet, industry leaders and support businesses has given the Club confidence that the plans for the next five years are realistic, achievable and will deliver the desired outcomes.

Our Vision

To build the thoroughbred racing industry in terms of customers, yields, jobs, participants, training opportunities, economic impact and marketing strategies by performing effectively in the racing business to bring prosperity to the Mount Barker Turf Club and the network of community and corporate organisations that support the Club.

Marketing Racing in the Great Southern

In October 2002 John Kroeger, Executive Chairman of IER Strategic Planning, presented the ‘Strategic Marketing Plan to Grow a Viable Thoroughbred Racing Industry’ document to local clubs via the Great Southern Development Commission.

The Strategic Marketing Plan focused on joint marketing initiatives between Albany and Mount Barker racing clubs. While the document has not been adopted in its entirety, both Clubs have adopted a number of the recommendations contained within the plan to develop feature events which assist racing to compete with the numerous other forms of entertainment available to the population.

The Grapes and Gallops feature race day, growing in popularity annually, is a marketing strategy identified within the Kroeger Plan.  The event is unique in Western Australia and marries premium wines from the region with racing. The Club is working on the potential to expand the feature day to include other products of the region such as gourmet food. Other opportunities include the joint promotion of wild flower and racing, a ‘Kids Day Out’ and ‘Girls Day Out’ (now known as the “Pretty in Pink” day)

The influence of Sky Channel has also exposed Mount Barker nationally and internationally and with the recent inclusion of Singapore Sky Vision it would now seem that the “the skies the limit”.