About Us
What perhaps is to often taken for granted but which has its history dating back to 1920 when a formidable list of prominent Franklin businessmen were responsible for the formation of the Franklin Racing Club and the purchase of a 96 acre dairy farm situated on the Pukekohe – Buckland Road is the now 200 acres of “Pukekohe Park”.
Virtually in the centre of Pukekohe it is the home of Thoroughbred Racing, Motor Sports, The Pony Club, the Auckland District Apprentice School, the Counties Function Centre, sixty registered Thoroughbred Trainers, up to 300 race horses in training at any one time together with other recreational activity users.
The now named “Counties Racing Club” is a substantial rate payer, land owner and administrator of what surely is an asset of Franklin bringing to the district the diversity of its sporting and horse racing activities, function centre and the resulting monetary flows, jobs for its employees and contractors and its huge influxes of visitors to its various events.
Administered by a voluntary committee committed to ensuring the positive future of “Pukekohe Park”, the tasks can be at times daunting. In 2005-06 faced with its horse racing activities curtailed by the District sewage and drainage scheme improvements which run through the Clubs property the Counties committee set upon a plan to ensure the asset base established by those businessmen back in 1920 and their successors over the years was utilised to secure the future of Pukekohe Park for the district in the years ahead.
The current committees plans provide for the strengthening and development of the potential of Pukekohe Park as a Franklin and Thoroughbred industry asset. September saw the opening of stage one in the “Pukekohe Mega Centre” a development which the Counties Club will with its joint venture partner develop in order to gain positive cash income to meet the operational costs of running the Clubs Thoroughbred interests. This future income when combined with that of the Motor Sport track is essential to secure the Clubs future as a viable asset, for the community in a format we all can be proud of.
The development of the Hampton Downs Mercer Motorsport circuit will bring added competition to the Pukekohe Motor Track, but the Counties Club sees its history as a proven motor track well liked by motor racing enthusiasts as a vital ingredient in ensuring the Motor Circuit, home over the years to so many events not the least being both the International and New Zealand V8 events remains long term. Each November see's the NZ V8 event running at “Pukekohe”, and throughout the year Driver training schools and other motor sport groups ensure the track is virtually “booked out”.
“Counties Racing” has recently completed a redevelopment of its facilities with new stand improvements, thoroughbred facilities and purchased the control of the motor track and infrastructure facilities of the overbridge and pits area. No excuses should be made by Franklin citizens not to be in attendance each November when Counties celebrates the running of the DHL Counties Cup meeting. See the Fashion in the Fields competitors, view horse racing at its best with a table in one of the Glamour Marquees for a day of Champagne and fine food. Even just to sit on one of those grassy banks to take in the vibrancy of the days racing action and remember what input has gone into this historic Franklin asset with business and community family icons like the names, Motion, Fulton, Rouston, Massey, Dayesh and more recently Mollett, Krilitich, McLeod, Crawford and Reynolds.
I guarantee you will enjoy it and perhaps venture further by joining the Counties Racing Club as a member and attend its meeting and activities partaking in the ambiance of their new million dollar members and guests lounge refurbishment which needs the participation of a new “young set”, thereby ensuring the future in Franklin of 'Pukekohe Park'.
Brian Collins
Chairman
Counties Racing Club (Inc)