The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) and Racing Victoria (RV) are pleased to announce the opening of a new $4.56 million state-of-the-art synthetic training track, boosting the world-class facilities at Flemington Racecourse.
The project has been jointly funded by the VRC, the Victorian Government and Racing Victoria, with works commencing at the end of January this year.
Flemington’s dirt track has been replaced with a synthetic surface which will be used for jump outs as well as training.
The new 2,200-metre track provides a more forgiving surface for horses and will also reduce the training load on Flemington’s grass tracks, in turn helping with the condition of all other tracks including the course proper.
VRC Chief Executive Officer Neil Wilson said the synthetic surface is a significant addition to Flemington’s facilities.
“We are delighted to open this important enhancement to our facilities, providing Flemington trainers with another world-class track to prepare their horses for raceday,” Mr Wilson said.
“Approximately 600 horses utilise Flemington’s training facilities every day and it is vital they continue to be among the finest in Australia.
“This new track provides an all-weather year-round surface that will enable us to hold jump outs when our grass training tracks are unavailable due to wet weather.”
Mr Wilson thanked the Victorian Government and Racing Victoria for their funding support.
“We are grateful for the support of both the Victorian Government and Racing Victoria in the construction of a superior and more sustainable track for horses, jockeys, trainers and racing participants.”
Synthetic track statistics:
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Track distance
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2,210 metres
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Surface area of track
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20,000 square metres
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Dirt remove from old track
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7,000 cubic metres
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Concreate kerb installed for synthetic track
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4,420 metres
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Graded stone for drainage installed
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3,400 tonnes
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Open graded asphalt laid
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2,600 tonnes
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