Award caps track team’s loyalty at Ipswich

By Jordan Gerrans

They are one of the tightest teams in the racing industry in the Sunshine State and now they have the award to prove it.

The Ipswich Turf Club track team have been together through thick and thin over the decades with several of their contingent clocking big milestones for their longevity.

Ipswich Track Manager Sean Tou recently ticked past 22 years of service in June and his close offsider Chris Wallace has also been at the club for 25 years.

Tou and Wallace lead the crew at the Bundamba-based facility, with the loyal track team also including Darrell Bell, who is clocking up 45 years this year, as well.

The track has its big day in the sun every year during the Queensland Racing Carnival when they host their popular Ipswich Cup day program, but they also regularly hold provincial and metropolitan meetings on a consistent basis.

For that, Tou was recently named Australia’s Regional Racecourse Manager of the Year.

The award was announced at last month’s 2026 Evergreen Turf Australian Racecourse Managers Association Conference in Adelaide.

The prize acknowledges Tou’s dedication, innovation and consistently high standards in racecourse management within regional racing.

Ipswich Turf Club Chief Executive Officer Nathan Exelby lauded Tou’s efforts, as well as his broader team.

“This is such a deserved award for Sean and the whole team,” Exelby said.

“The Ipswich track presents a unique set of challenges for track management and things can turn south very quickly, but thanks to Sean’s leadership and the dedication of each member of his track team, Ipswich has become renowned in recent times for being consistently one of the best racing surfaces in the state.

“I am thrilled the ARMA panel have recognised the expertise of Sean and by extension, the whole team.”

It has been a busy period at the Ipswich club, with their track recently going through its annual renovation period through September, with racing to resume at the venue next Thursday afternoon with a provincial program.

The recently awarded track boss is following a similar renovation program to the ones that have proven so successful over the past three years.

“The track is actually in much better condition this year compared to when we did the reno 12 months ago, so it’s done a great job,” he said.

When Tou entered the workforce a few decades ago, the chances of him leading a track team and winning awards for it were slim.

He started an apprenticeship as a carpenter, before the company he was working for ran into some trouble.

Tou eventually found his way to the Ipswich track and through a connection, began a new apprenticeship in the greenkeeping space and as they say, the rest is history.

“I actually thought, ‘I’d just do my course and I’d be out,’” Tou recalls of his early memories.

“But, 20 odd years later, I'm still here.”

While Tou enjoys his work on the tools and the atmosphere of being involved in the racing game, he notes the mateship within his team keeps bringing him back every day.

“Just the people you work with, the company itself, the Ipswich Turf Club, they're really great, a family orientated club,” he said.

“So pretty much, there's a lot involved with it all, but that was pretty much the main reason, the boys. I've got a really great staff behind me; they make my job a lot easier.

“The track itself is a different beast, as well. It is challenging at times, but again, the excitement that you get out of it, what you're creating for the industry is a different level.

“So, to be part of that, it's something that gets you out of bed, that's for sure.”

Tou, Wallace and Bell lead a dedicated team of staff, who enjoy spending time around each other at the track and away from work.

“They enjoy being outdoors, the guys that we have, they're a young crew, they love their sports, they love their footy,” Tou said.

“Being outdoors quite a fair bit, I think that's what it is, to be honest.

“We do have a few old fellas on the crew as well who help keep everyone in line. They're an exciting crew and I think they just love being around each other.

“I think they just turn up, do their job and they love the gags that come with it. I think race days is probably what they enjoy the most.

“They are a very tight-knit group here. I got my brother working here. They're a really tight-knit group here and definitely they're 100% family.

“I take these boys under my wing any day of the week, so I'm proud to have these boys under me.”

Wallace was an Ipswich local before starting at the club and believes being close to his family is key for his work-life balance.

“I hadn't had anything to do with horses or racetracks, it was all new to me when I started all those years ago,” Wallace said.

“I just came here as a labourer, did that for a bit, and after a couple of weeks of watching what they do on the barriers, I was thrown in the deep end.

“It has gone pretty quick, but I didn't think I'd be here this long. I am enjoying what I'm doing.

“It's a good place to work. You do get a bit of variety. The boys we work with, the staff we work with are good.”

Like Wallace and Tou, Bell couldn’t have envisioned his longevity at the club when he first started almost 50 years ago.

Peter Hughes is another team member, who has been with the club for an extended period. 

“It's crazy how life turns out,” Bell said.

“It's been good, really good. Probably just a good work environment, work security I suppose, as well.”

Ipswich conducted 45 meetings since last September’s annual renovation and the club has been afforded 43 meetings in the Racing Queensland 2026-27 calendar.

But, according to the long-standing club staff, one meeting stands out above the rest of the 42.

“The track itself, there's so much that goes into it,” Tou said.

“It's our big Cup day, we only have one big event a year and that is it. 

"So, the track itself is pinnacle for us.

“Making sure that we're doing the right thing, putting the right stuff on it, making sure that the surface is as best as we can prep it for that time of the year.”