Warwick brings wide range of industry experience to NZTR Chair

With the backing of a lifetime spent at all levels of racing, Russell Warwick is up for the challenge of taking the reins as Chairman of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing.
Just weeks after being appointed by the NZTR Members’ Council to the Board of the gallop code’s governing body, Warwick has been selected by his fellow Directors to take the place of outgoing Chair Cameron George.
Over the past decade the racing industry has undergone immense – and at times tumultuous – change, but with the past 12 months ushering in a strategic partnership between the TAB and Entain under the umbrella of global betting giant Ladbrokes, the ship is well on the way to being turned around.
For the thoroughbred code that has meant a stakes uplift in the region of 40 per cent, which along with a raft of associated incentives across all three racing codes has laid the platform for a future that little more than a year ago seemed beyond reach.
“The industry has come a long way in a short time thanks to Entain and everything that has come with the strategic partnership, and now it’s up to everyone to take up the challenge and make the most of the opportunity,” Warwick said in a sit-down with RaceForm.
Where racing now finds itself is a far cry from what Warwick and so many others have witnessed over the years. His journey began in his early teens growing up in the racing and breeding heartland of Cambridge, but even so having no interest until the spark was lit and he became fully immersed.
“I had never touched a horse until I was 13 and a half, yet once I did, that was it. My father Graeme, who had a farming background, was a publican by then and when he got an owner-trainer’s licence I was his stablehand.
“Within two years I had an amateur rider’s licence and when I was 17 I won the Carbine Plate at Ellerslie on my father’s horse Turfmaster. The placegetters were ridden by two of my heroes, Denis Gray and Kenny Browne, that was something I’ll never forget.”
By the time Warwick had completed his secondary education his mind was made up, leading to a job as a studgroom with the man who he still regards as the greatest influence on his career, Cambridge Stud founder Patrick Hogan.
In time Warwick was to become involved with his own thoroughbred nursery, Westbury Stud, originally in Cambridge, then in Karaka, and these days encompassing that and another extensive property in Matamata that he manages under the ownership of one of Australasia’s biggest industry players, Gerry Harvey.
Cambridge had also been the genesis of Warwick’s involvement in racing administration, beginning as a committee member of the Cambridge Jockey Club. After relocating to Karaka, he joined the Board of the Auckland Racing Club, where he rose to Chairman.
That coincided with former Chief Stipendiary Steward Cameron George’s time spent as CEO of New Zealand’s leading club, and now Warwick finds himself succeeding George at the top of the table at NZTR.
“We can never lose sight of the superb job that Cameron, his Board and management team did during Covid, which was racing’s most challenging period in recent memory,” Warwick says. “Covid hit just after Cameron became Chair and to his credit he stuck with the role for longer than he originally intended.
“You could say I’ve chosen a wonderful time to come on board, and while that’s true there’s still a lot of work to do. There’s one word – sustainability – that is the key to racing’s future. Entain want that, NZTR want that, and the whole industry should work together with that in mind.”
Warwick has never been one to keep his opinions to himself, which includes a ‘blue paper’ he wrote several years ago recommending an overhaul of the feature race calendar. Historically that has been based on tradition, but Warwick saw it differently as the best means to keep pace with a rapidly changing landscape, both nationally and globally.
While his draft plan failed to gain significant traction at the time, he admits to a degree of satisfaction that recent moves around the calendar incorporate similar principles.
“I was perhaps a bit ahead of myself at the time, but it was at least an opportunity to consider what a refreshed calendar might look like. The Karaka Millions meeting is an obvious example of what innovation can bring, and now we see significant changes including the range of innovation races that have been introduced. Probably most exciting of all is Champions Day at Ellerslie in March with New Zealand’s first slot race, the NZB Kiwi.
“Club structures have also undergone major change to make that model more fit for purpose. Bringing the Auckland and Counties Clubs together as Auckland Thoroughbred Racing, followed by Waikato, Cambridge and Waipa combining to become Waikato Thoroughbred Racing, those types of innovation are to be applauded.”
Warwick’s historical connection to major northern clubs as well as his prominent role in breeding are clearly obvious, and while he doesn’t resile from any connotation, he insists that in both respects a national view is foremost in his mind.
“Everything I look at, every consideration, must be at a whole of industry level. That’s the approach taken around the NZTR Board table, with our CEO Bruce Sharrock and his senior management team.
“Even so, hand on heart there’s no ignoring that our pool of owners is made up of 50 per cent breeders who one way or another end up racing their own horses. One of the challenges we’re facing is how do we grow ownership; syndication has become an increasingly important contributer, and initiatives such as the Entain Racing Club are also involving more people.
“The diminishing foal crop is something we have to manage strategically, with the challenge now being how to utilise those 3,000 foals to best advantage.
“That takes me to what I believe are two of the most significant challenges facing us – investment in quality tracks, which must include training surfaces and facilities to get the best from our racehorse pool, and programming to provide those horses with the necessary range of opportunities.”
While not attempting to wear rose-tinted glasses in his overview of what’s ahead, Warwick’s optimism is clear to see. “We have come a long way in a short time but there’s still plenty of work to do. My short time within NZTR tells me that under Bruce Sharrock we have an excellent culture with exciting progress in the young people that have been recruited to the management team.
“I bring industry experience to the Board, but alongside that there’s a whole range of expertise amongst my fellow Directors, all of which has relevance to the job ahead.
“For me personally, my role at Westbury will continue, but it’s with Gerry’s blessing that I’ll endeavour to do my best and commit to making this wonderful industry even stronger and better.”