LAST week’s withdrawal of the Yatala Harness Racing proposal could lead to legal action between harness industry heavyweights and Racing Queensland on the future of Albion Park.

The Yatala proposal included the gift of land at Yatala by harness benefactor Kevin Seymour and his wife Kay, estimated to be worth $3 million, and a business proposal with forecast non-core business revenue of $8 million a year.

However, Yatala Harness Racing Club president Greg Mitchell wrote to participants last week informing them the proposal had been withdrawn.

“There has been no appetite from the RQ chairman Steve Wilson or the board to engage and make the project work,” Mitchell said.

“With the latest paltry prizemoney distribution of $400,000 to harness racing and the complete lack of vigour from this board, does it really want harness racing to survive?”

Seymour said the site had full approvals from Gold Coast City Council for a harness racing facility, but RQ failed to take up the offer.

“It is disappointing, however life goes on and I’m hopeful Racing Queensland will fund another site with a similar cost base and the ability to earn significant revenue from non-harness racing operations,” he said.

It had been proposed Yatala would replace the former Gold Coast harness facility, which was closed, with no compensation to this point, to build the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village.

At the same time, Seymour and the Albion Park Harness Racing Club are threatening legal action over the promised $15 million grandstand redevelopment at the facility.

The standoff got ugly last year when RQ proposed redeveloping Albion Park and moving harness racing to another facility.

Seymour countered with a proposal of his own to develop Albion Park, but with harness to remain at the venue.

Wilson accepted the Albion Park issue needed to be resolved before harness’ future could be determined.

“It’s not our desire (to end up in court). I have always said we will honour all our legal obligations. Sometimes that means if you have to discover what those obligations are in court, so be it,” Wilson said.

“The value of that entire site is an asset of all three codes of racing. There’s no dispute over who owns it. It’s owned by Racing Queensland and Racing Queensland’s charter is to achieve the best outcome for all three codes.

“We’ve never said we would sell Albion Park. Our research shows it’s not the best place for the long-term future of either greyhounds or harness.”

Racing Queensland has promised two greyhound tracks, but Wilson said the project was delayed because “it’s taken longer than we thought to get the right land, but we’re still fully committed to it”.