Between Legends Day in February and early April, things tend to go quiet on the Waikato Thoroughbred Racing (WTR) calendar. However, for Bart Cowan and his dedicated team (Keith Melville, Damon Anaki and Jack NcNab) this period is anything but a break. Instead, it marks the time for their annual track renovation—a crucial process that ensures Te Rapa remains one of the best racing surfaces in the country.
We caught up with Bart Cowan, the Track Manager at Waikato Thoroughbred Racing, to find out more about the work he and his team do to keep the track in top condition, as well as his passion for the turf industry and the challenges that come with it.
A Life in Turf Management
Bart’s journey into the world of turf management began in Cambridge, where he was surrounded by horses from a young age. “Mum and Dad both trained horses in Cambridge, so I was brought up with them,” Bart explains.
His love for racing led him to pursue a turf apprenticeship at the Cambridge Jockey Club right after school, a decision that set the stage for his long career in the industry.
After spending 20 years in Adelaide including time spent managing the three metropolitan tracks there, Bart returned to New Zealand in 2018, and he’s been overseeing Te Rapa’s track ever since.
“Coming home is always fun, and I’m really enjoying my time back in New Zealand,” he says.
Bart’s return to the region has felt like a “homecoming.” He managed the Cambridge Jockey Club at just 26 years old, and the recent merger of Waikato Racing Club with Cambridge and Waipa has only reinforced his connection to the area. “It’s great to be back, and I’m happy I get to help Derek (the track manager at Cambridge) out. He has one of the toughest jobs in the industry,” Bart says. “He has one thousand horses there a month, it’s a big, big operation, it’s every day and comparatively, we only race 20 times a year.”
The merger has provided the added benefit of sharing resources and knowledge between clubs, ultimately strengthening the racing scene in the Waikato.
Racing is in Bart’s blood, and it extends to his family as well. “It’s definitely a family affair,” he says. His daughter is part of the WTR team during the busy summer months, and his 87-year-old mother still takes an active interest in the sport.
“She still comes to races and follows all the Waikato Thoroughbred Racing pages on Facebook etc, which is nice,” he adds.
Annual Track Renovation: A Vital Process
When we visit Te Rapa in mid-February, the track is undergoing its annual renovation—a vital procedure to maintain the surface’s quality—and it’s all hands on deck.
“We take all the grass off, probably about 300 cubic meters of it, which equals around a hundred truckloads,” Bart explains. The process starts with mowing the grass down to about 50 millimeters high, followed by scarifying, which helps improve air circulation and growth.
Next, the team verti-drains the track to relieve compaction and improve drainage, before top-dressing it with 350 tons of Revital sand from Cambridge. This sand improves the track’s surface, particularly during the winter months when drainage issues can be more prominent. Once the sand is applied, the team cores the surface again and undersows it, all in preparation for the next racing season.
“The track gets a beating over the year, so this is our chance to give it some love,” Bart says. The tight turnaround means that, after seven weeks of care, Te Rapa will be ready for racing by mid-April.
Although it’s not ideal to carry out such a major renovation in the heat of summer, Bart explains that race programming leaves little opportunity to do so in the spring or autumn. “We take the chance to give it some love when we can,” he says.
This year’s renovation is slightly different, with extra sand being applied this year to ensure drainage is at an optimal level.
Bart explains, “We’re putting on 3 to 3.5 millimeters of sand over the entire width of the track to improve drainage, especially for the upcoming winter. After the sand is in place, the team will work on decompacting the surface and allowing the grass to regrow.”
Tackling Thatch and Track Maintenance
Thatch is a common issue for many tracks, and Te Rapa is no exception.
“Thatch is the build-up of organic material just above the soil profile, and it’s a big issue for tracks everywhere,” Bart explains. Thatching can cause slipping and is something racecourse managers work hard to prevent.
Annual track renovations are crucial in managing thatch and ensuring the track remains safe and consistent. “We need to deal with lateral growth and compaction. If we don’t, the tracks struggle,” he says. This ongoing maintenance helps ensure that Te Rapa’s surface is of the highest quality year-round.
The Role of a Track Manager
Being a track manager is a challenging job, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to recruit for.
“It’s an exciting and rewarding career, and I’ve had the opportunity to work in America, Asia, Australia, and South Africa,” Bart says. He encourages young people with an interest in racing or farming to consider the profession. “It’s a global industry, and there are opportunities everywhere,” he adds.
Bart himself has had an adventurous career, including working on a complete track rebuild at Morphettville in Australia.
“We were part of the project management team, so we saw it from its infancy right through to horses racing on it,” he says. A rare opportunity in an industry so established globally. “To build a track from scratch again would be incredible, and I’d love to be a part of that,” he says, referring to the potential Greenfields development project. “I'll be 62 years old by then so it can be my last hurrah!”
Bart refers often to his team, and credits their dedication to Te Rapa as a key pillar in the tracks’ success.
Keith Melville recently ticked over the remarkable achievement of completing 37 Waikato Cups with the Te Rapa team, showcasing the longevity and dedication a career in turf management can offer. He is an invaluable member of the team, whose wealth of experience and commitment are greatly respected. The youngest member, Jack McNab (brother of Michael McNab), has joined the team this season, and Bart sees him as the future in “the game”.
The team’s diverse pathways into turf management further enrich its strength. Damon Anaki, for example, has been involved in the racing industry since the age of 15. Starting as an apprentice jockey in Matamata, Damon eventually moved overseas to pursue a career as a hurdles jockey. After returning to New Zealand, he joined the Waikato team more than 30 years ago. With his background as a jockey, Damon brings a valuable perspective to the team, and his extensive experience continues to be a cornerstone of the operation.
The Thrill of Raceday
For Bart, the excitement of raceday never fades. “It’s awesome to see good horses come here and race on a surface that we’ve worked so hard to prepare,” he says. He describes Legends Day as one of the highlights of the racing calendar, with the combination of top horses, a great crowd, and an electric atmosphere.
“You want everything to go perfectly on big days, but we prepare the track the same for a Wednesday meeting as we do for Legends Day,” Bart explains. The goal is always to provide the best surface possible, regardless of the occasion, though those big days do come with plenty of pressure.
With the industry experiencing renewed optimism, seen here in the Waikato via the record crowds and turnover at Waikato Cup Day, Bart feels positive about the future. “With all that energy around the industry, there's money being reinvested and that can only mean better equipment, better irrigation systems, more funds for annual renovations etc.”
“Everything can now slowly evolve and improve. My hope is this reinvestment back into the industry sees more money going back into infrastructure. It’s one of the biggest issues that racecourse managers face. We're preparing a Group 1 surface for Australasia now which is huge and it’s great WTR invests in projects like this annual renovation to ensure we can continue preparing the best possible tracks.”
When asked about his favourite raceday, Bart doesn’t hesitate. “I’ve always been partial to the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival but closer to home, I’ve got to say Legends Day,” he says.
“There’s something special about seeing those really good horses return to the track and that last one? Holy s***, that would have been probably the best raceday in terms of fields we've had here since in my seven years. To get that Australian interest, a decent crowd, those returning horses, it's just a special day.”
“And what I love to see on that day is it’s all about the sport and the athletes. The attendees are here for that, they are here for the horses which is wonderful to see.”
As for his favourite racehorse, Bart admits to a bit of bias. “I’m going to say Clean Cut. He was Mum and Dad’s jumper, and he won heaps of jumping races, including the Taumarunui Gold Cup and the Waikato Hurdles.”
A Strong Team Behind Te Rapa
Bart’s pride in his team is clear. “WTR has one of the best groundkeeper teams in the country,” he says.
Bart, Keith, Damon and Jack’s dedication to their work and pride in the track here at Te Rapa is evident, and Bart credits his team as being essential to the successful preparation of the surface.
In the end, it’s clear that our team’s passion for turf management, their connection to the sport, and their commitment to maintaining the best racing surface possible are what makes Te Rapa Racecourse one of the best tracks in New Zealand racing. We’re lucky to have each and every one of them!