By ROY ASPINALL
THOROUGHBRED racing resumes at Sportingbet Park, Sandown on Wednesday, February 19 following the $3.2 million upgrade.
A total of 27 horses trialled over the new surface on January 31 as part of Racing Victoria’s return to racing program for the venue.
Racing Victoria’s Chairman of Stewards, Terry Bailey, oversaw the trials and said that the upgrade had achieved the desired result of a high quality surface that would serve the industry well in the future.
“The track played extremely well and all the feedback from the jockeys was positive so we were happy to give it the tick of approval,” Terry Bailey said.
“There was a good cover of grass and the track manager, Tim Bailey, has done a good job presenting the track as it is given all the hot weather we’ve experienced.
“As a workhorse for the industry, this upgrade will ensure that Sandown offers the best surface possible for racing, particularly during the winter period when they’re racing nearly every week.”
The upgrade, which saw the entire course proper surface replaced, was a $3.2 million joint investment by the Victorian Government’s Victorian Racing Industry Fund (VRIF), the Melbourne Racing Club and Racing Victoria.
The current Sandown Racecourse opened on June 19, 1965 before a crowd of 52,379. A week earlier more than 20,000 turned up to a free open day to inspect the only metropolitan racecourse in Australia opened in the 20th century.
The course underwent a large redevelopment in the 1980’s and now, almost 30 years later, it was overdue for an upgrade to restore the consistent racing surface of both the Lakeside and Hillside tracks.
In 2002 the track had a partial redevelopment with the introduction of the Lakeside and Hillside tracks making Sportingbet Park, Sandown the only metropolitan course with dual tracks.
The project provided a boost for East Gippsland with the turf being grown at Lilydale Turf’s farm at Lindenow South, near Bairnsdale.
