A new grandstand at Belmont Park, improving other facilities and bringing crowds back to the races are the priorities for Perth Racing’s new chief executive officer James Oldring.

The former British racing administrator and amateur jockey started his new job on March 28 after he was appointed to the role in January.

He hopes to tap into his experience in the racing industry and at the British Horseracing Authority and Great British Racing International, where he played a key role in establishing the successful British Champions Series.

“I’m at the start of my third week and I’ve just about got my feet under the table,” Oldring said.

“A role like this has been something I’ve had my eye on for some time.

“I’ve been in racing my whole life and I’ll always be a fan of racing.

“I definitely see this as a long-term role, assuming everything goes well.”

Belmont’s dilapidated grandstand is in desperate need of a complete replacement, but the cost is a challenge for Perth Racing.

“Ascot is in pretty good shape but obviously Belmont is a different story and that’s been well-documented,” Oldring said.

“We all know the grandstand needs to be knocked down and rebuilt.

“Work towards that starts now and we’re in discussion with the local government and Town of Victoria Park.

“The opportunity at that location is massive.

“We need to be clear that we’re not trying to create another Ascot, but we hope it can be like a Happy Valley in Hong Kong in the future.

“The key thing for me is we’re the best race club we can be and that starts with providing the best and most safe tracks and infrastructure for patrons.

“It’s so unusual coming from the UK and walking into a race club where prize money isn’t the No. 1 issue.”

Oldring, who moved to WA in 2020 with his Albany-born wife and their daughter, is also keen to tap into the Asian racing market and develop partnerships with Asian race clubs.

He said this week’s popular Good Friday meeting at Ascot and the return of the Italian day Roma Cup meeting to Belmont next month were upcoming highlights for Perth Racing.

The club has battled recent crowd restrictions because of the pandemic, but they will be eased for Good Friday with only the 2sqm rule in play.

The club has undergone a raft of changes in the past six months including appointing a new track manager, Brett Sipthorpe, who was previously the curator at the WACA Ground and Optus Stadium.