By DAVID SCHOUT
SANDOWN Racecourse will close for five months so its surface can undergo a $3.2 million surface upgrade, starting in September.
Management aims to bring the track surface “back to top condition”.
Both the Lakeside and Hillside tracks – which are incorporated in
the same circuit with the Hillside track some 200 metres longer – will
be upgraded.
Premier Denis Napthine, a former racing minister, said the work
would provide a consistent surface on both tracks. “This upgrade will
re-establish Sandown Racecourse as a first-class track and restore
confidence in the course’s racing conditions,” he said.
Despite the break, punters will miss out on only two race meetings, with 28 meetings scheduled at Sandown in the 2013-14 season.
The final meeting before the upgrade is the Australian Hurdle and Steeple Day on Wednesday, August 28.
The state government allocated $500,000 for the project, Melbourne Racing Club $1.6 million and Racing Victoria $1.1 million.
The upgrade comes as jumps racing protesters continue their fight against the practice.
Sandown is the last metropolitan racecourse to host jumps races.
