DAVE ANDERSON – HAS CLIMBED A NEW EVEREST

KEMBLA Grange won’t be the same!

Having been such an integral part of Illawarra Turf Club’s “furniture” for more than four decades, Dave Anderson is riding off  – but definitely not into the sunset.

The ITC’s highly respected racecourse manager has climbed a new Everest, having landed the position of the Australian Turf Club’s racecourse manager at NSW racing’s headquarters at Royal Randwick.

Anderson, 56, saw the unusual side of the appointment when he took time to chat with Provincial RacingNSW.

“It’s a bit different,” he laughed. “People generally leave Sydney later in life, but I’m going in the other direction.

“Nonetheless, it’s very exciting for both myself and my partner Amy and family.”

Anderson will finish his duties at Kembla Grange at the end of the month; his final race meeting being Saturday, August 30.

Then he heads to Randwick to start there on September 1 on the eve of Randwick’s spring carnival, featuring of course the world’s richest sprint, the $20m The Everest (1200m), on Saturday, October 18.

Anderson modestly says he was “very fortunate” to secure the Randwick role, but in fact it is his impending new employer which is the fortunate one – a fact the ATC quickly acknowledged in announcing his appointment.

Head of Racing and Wagering Nevesh Ramdhani, himself a former Randwick racecourse manager, said the club was fortunate to secure a track official with the skills and experience of Dave Anderson.

“Leading the tracks teams at Royal Randwick is one of the most coveted roles in Australian racing, and we are delighted to welcome Dave,” Ramdhani said.

“Dave’s depth of knowledge and experience coupled with a great dedication and passion for the racing industry is a rare and valuable asset.

“He has an established record in mentoring and developing staff who have progressed to more senior roles which will also greatly benefit our tracks teams.”

Anderson joined Illawarra Turf Club on December 10, 1984 as an assistant greenkeeper under the chairmanship of the late Keith “Shoulders” Nolan, and has never forgotten his guidance.

“Illawarra Turf Club would not be what it is now without Keith’s drive,” Anderson said.

“The club was so vitally important to him, and he never gave up to ensure it got off the ground and became one of the five provincial clubs.

“Keith was tough but always very fair, and I held the greatest respect for him.

“The current course proper began racing in February 1984 and I joined the club in December that year.

“John Hull was the course manager at the time, and I became assistant to him in 1990 and took over in 1992.”

Anderson also fondly remembers the late Bert Lillye, the doyen of Sydney racing scribes.

“Bert always had a real soft spot for Kembla Grange, and publicly supported it through his widely read Sydney Morning Herald columns,” he said.

“It was fitting that he also became an ITC Board member, and contributed significantly to the club’s progress.

“I have had a great relationship with Board Directors over the years. They have been very supportive of me.”

Anderson says he has been able to develop his skills set over the last 10 years, courtesy of the major development of tracks at Kembla Grange.

“I’m especially proud of the installation of the PolyTrack,” he said.

“It was a game changer for sure. That put our trainers on another level because they could work their horses regardless of the weather.

“Previously the grass might have been closed for days because of heavy rain.

“The club was set to upgrade the inside turf track when COVID hit five or six years ago.

“Thankfully that has now been done, and it is fantastic.

“It won’t be long before the club is able to conduct race meetings there to give the course proper a break at various times during the season.”

Whilst Anderson will be leaving the ITC at month’s end, he will be taking a bevy of wonderful memories – a number of them pictorial - with him.

Such as the great New Zealand champion Rough Habit galloping at Kembla Grange for his very popular trainer John Wheeler, the Queensland champ Vo Rogue (ridden by the late Ken Russell, another Queenslander) in an exhibition gallop there, and subsequent Group 1 winners Stylish Century (Brian York) and With Me (Malcolm Johnston) winning the 1989 and 1900 Brambles Classic (then the club’s feature two-year-old event) respectively.

“Kembla Grange has produced some magnificent racehorses during my time,” Anderson said.

“The late Bede Murray and Gwenda Markwell had Group 1 horses Universal Prince and Grand Zulu, and more recently our leading trainers Rob and Luke Price won The Gong in 2021 with Count De Rupee.

“That was such a terrific result for the locals in the club’s $1m flagship race.

“Count De Rupee was ridden by Brock Ryan, who has just returned to riding after spending eight months with me as a member of our tracks team.

“And Kerry Parker did such a great job with his now retired champ Think It Over, winning three Group 1s with him, including that memorable 2022 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick when Nash Rawiller skirted the outside running rail in the straight on a very heavy track.”

Anderson says it is the right time to take on a new challenge.

“The ATC has great staff working on the tracks at Royal Randwick, and I’m also fortunate that I’ll have the support of both former racecourse managers Nevesh (Ramdhani) and Michael Wood, who has been appointed to General Manager of ATC racecourses.

“To have those experienced men there and be able to call on them for advice when necessary is of course very important to me in taking up this new position.”

. HOOFNOTE: Perhaps it is not generally known that one of Anderson’s “students” on his track team at Kembla Grange was the now assistant Broncos rugby league coach Trent Barrett.

“Trent was playing for the Illawarra Steelers in the NRL competition at the time, and Keith Nolan was adamant I should give him a job,” Anderson said.

“Trent is a great guy and went on to represent his country in rugby league. I always enjoy catching up with him whenever the opportunity arises.”

Story John Curtis, August 3, 2025