The future of the 140-year-old Rosehill Gardens racecourse has been the subject of fierce debate since the NSW government reached a 2023 agreement with owner the Australian Turf Club to potentially redevelop the western Sydney site.
Under the plan, the land would be sold to developers to build more than 25,000 homes, with the proceeds - potentially worth up to $5 billion - funnelled into other racing, training and stabling venues.
But it has faced an uprising among some turf club members, who have opposed the sale with the backing of high-profile trainers like Gai Waterhouse and Chris Waller.
The proposal is due to go to a vote on April 3 and NSW Premier Chris Minns on Monday said the plan for much-needed housing would not go ahead if the club opted against it.
"We're not going to, in a compulsory way, take Rosehill off its members," he told reporters.
"We'll be disappointed, but we've got to get on with it."
While providing an update on tunnelling for the Sydney Metro West, a 24km underground line between Parramatta and the city centre, Mr Minns added the window was about to close for adding another stop to cater to the Rosehill housing plan.
"This line and the potential for a (station) box at Rosehill is really only going to come about one time and the decision is going to be made in the next month," the premier said.
Nine stops are already planned for the metro line, which is due to open in 2032, but Rosehill is currently excluded from those plans.
In addition to internal opposition, the potential redevelopment hit a stumbling block in late 2024 over claims Mr Minns failed to reveal a conflict of interest flowing from his long-time friendship with turf club official Steve McMahon.
The claims were raised by a Liberal-led committee following a parliamentary probe into the Rosehill proposal, which heard from Mr Waller - the Rosehill-based trainer of champion mare Winx - as well as a prominent backer in Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys.
In December, an Independent Commission Against Corruption assessment panel, including the watchdog's three commissioners and senior staff, found no evidence of wrongdoing by the premier.
The turf club declined to comment.
