As Racing Te Aroha prepares for the return of the jumps season this June, there’s plenty of work unfolding behind the scenes with the track currently undergoing its annual renovation. At the centre of it all is Track Manager Ryan Gartner.

Ahead of the Harcourts Central Region Raceday on Tuesday 11 November, we caught up with Greg Sheppard, owner of Harcourts Waihi Beach.

“It’s only his first season this year, so you’d think they’ll only get better with the more they do.”