New Venue Needed For Grand Nationals
- Monday, 27 April 2015 08:09
There will be no metropolitan jumps racing in Melbourne for the rest of the season with meetings transferred from Sandown to allow remedial work on the troubled Hillside and Lakeside tracks.
Racing Victoria will work with other clubs to facilitate the transfer of 10 meetings from Sandown which was due to host the Australian Hurdle and Steeplechase on May 30 and the Grand National Hurdle and Steeplechase meetings on July 12 and July 26 respectively.
Already this year a hurdle and steeplechase planned for Sandown on April 22 were transferred to Ballarat the following day.
Racing Victoria's racing operations manager Paul Bloodworth said the meetings with jumps races programmed would still be run, but not at a city track.
"Racing Victoria will work with several Victorian clubs to facilitate the transfer of these 10 race meetings and we expect to be in a position to confirm new venues by the end of the week," Bloodworth said.
He said all transferred meetings would retain metropolitan status and prize money levels.
Wednesday's Geelong meeting is one of three transferred from Sandown in April because of remedial work on both courses following concerns with the surface.
Melbourne Racing Club chief executive Brodie Arnhold said independent analysis showed work needed to be done on both tracks.
"The object of the remedial work undertaken at Sandown is to return stability to the track by removing an excess of thatch that had built up in the surface, and encourage growth and strength in the roots below it," Arnhold said.
"It is typically an eight to 10 week process between renovation and return to racing, but we will allow a few additional weeks to ensure the track is in the best condition possible for the commencement of the upcoming season."
Racing is expected to return to Sandown on August 5.
