Greg Gangle’s perspective on racing Down Under

The Canadian native has made the move to the other side of the world with young family during the COVID pandemic and is looking to make his mark.

After working at the two biggest tracks in Canada, Gangle will embark on a very different experience when he officially starts in his new role on September 6.

However for almost two months now he’s been a regular at Riverina Paceway on Fridays and hopes the footing he’s created will allow him to get a better understanding of his new environment.

“I’ve been coming in to pretty much get my feet wet, meet everybody as I want to be able to hit the ground running come September,” Gangle said.

“It gives me an opportunity to get some feedback from participants, from the committee and staff so I can re-evaluate where we are at and where we need to be.

“I’m using this as a prep period really.”

While the horses are all standardbreds, it is one of the few similarities between racing in the Northern Hemisphere and Australasia.

Gangle is hoping to mix the advantages of two industries to showcase the multi million-dollar facility.

“There are so many things that are different and it’s not necessarily in a bad way,” he said.

“I think it just comes down to the culture.

“When we are in North America everything was done a certain way for so long and it is the same thing here.

“It’s just part of the culture and part of the racing here in Australia so there are some things I have ideas about that I think that can be implemented here and some things that probably can’t.

“It gives me an idea to have a couple of different options and I guess that’s what happens when you bring a guy in from across the world. You can’t help but get different ideas and a different approach to how things might go.”

Promotion is one thing Gangle is really looking to emphasise early on in his tenure.

He’s confident with the excellent facilities the track can be used a lot more.

“I really want to increase the brand awareness and I think there is a major opportunity with the marketing, and I have a background in marketing and promoting,” Gangle said.

“I want to give a lot of attention to the participants as there are a lot of part-time trainers so hearing their stories I think is going to go a long way in promoting the sport.

“I think it is really cool as back home there are so many people who are full-time trainers, that is all they do, and it is very rare to have a part-time trainer but here it is exactly the opposite.”

Getting more spectators on track is another thing Gangle would like to see happen, COVID restrictions permitting of course.

He also wants to make the club have a bigger role in the wider community.

“There are some charitable events that I have done back home that I want to continue to do here,” Gangle said.

“I really want to incorporate the track with the community of Wagga.

“I want us to be called on as a partner and integrate the track with the community, whether it be through fundraising or charitable events where the community can count on us to provide a service.

“It coincides with the overall branding and promotion of the club.

“I also want to focus on Christmas parties and getting people to the track.

“With the uni down the road there is a great opportunity there and while there’s a skeleton staff with the use of technology you can use that to your advantage.”

By Courtney Rees republished from The Daily Advertiser