President Michael Bowman prepares to retire after 36 years with Port Macquarie Race Club

He has been the face of horse racing in the Hastings for more than three decades since he first arrived in Port Macquarie back in 1986.

After 36 years in the job, now the time is right for Bowman to move on.

"I said I would [retire] sooner or later; you don't want to die in the position," he said.

"I want to enjoy things now - I've got four grandkids in Newcastle and not that I'll necessarily look to move down there, but it makes it easier to get away any time you want or do a bit of travelling."

Bowman acknowledged he first told the race club of his intentions to step aside 12 months ago.

Retirement had been on the cards for a few years before that, but he admits the COVID-19 pandemic has seen him extend his time at the track.

"It didn't work out that way with COVID-19 and there was not much point in taking an earlier retirement then. At the time everywhere was locked down or locked out and you couldn't go anywhere anyway," he said.

With the Port Macquarie Cup only four months away, Bowman was adamant he would enjoy Cup day from a different perspective - in the grandstand or under a marquee with the punters.

"I don't wish to hang around until the Cup this year," he said.

"But I want to make sure I can help out whoever is appointed to take over (as president) for a couple of weeks and make things simple for them.

"I can just take it easy and not wake up every morning and think 'I've got to drag myself out'. I can have four or five beers at the Cup now instead of two."

Since Bowman arrived in 1986 he has seen Port Macquarie racecourse grow from a dated complex which resembled little more than a betting ring into one which now houses a grandstand.

The majority of the remainder of the facilities have also been modernised over time.

"When I came here, the day stalls were pretty ramshackled," he said.

"It's been pretty interesting. There's never a dull moment when you look at what we've got now. It's hard to believe the stand has been here since 1997 which was a big step forward from the betting ring."

While Bowman admits he can't take credit for the growth of the sport over the last decade, he still gets satisfaction and pleasure from it.

"I'm pleased with the way racing is at the moment where there's a lot of interest in the prizemoney and showcase meetings and country championships," he said.

"There's also the TAB Highways where local horses compete in Sydney with other country horses."

But there's one thing for certain, he is likely to be part of a Port Cup crowd in October that will likely resemble what he's used to.

"We've got to get back into the trend of seeing 20 marquees and crowds of three or four thousand," he said.

However, the only numbers he'll be worried about on Cup day are likely to be those on his betting slips.

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