Kilmore and Seymour meetings transferred due to track upgrades

Racing Victoria (RV), in conjunction with the Kilmore Racing Club (KRC) and the Seymour Racing Club (SRC), have today announced a series of transfers from both racecourses from October 2019 to February 2020 as a result of works to enhance both tracks.

RV and KRC have recently completed a major upgrade, with the support of the Government’s Victorian Racing Industry Fund, to widen the Kilmore track and improve its camber and drainage. All parties now wish to give the track sufficient time to consolidate over spring before the planned resumption of racing in January 2020.

As announced in May 2019 as part of the SRC’s track enhancement plan, the Seymour track will be over-sown with kikuyu grass at the start of December and thus will take a break from racing to allow it time to consolidate and bed down.

The Kilmore track has undergone a sizeable renovation over the past year with the home straight widened by five metres; the camber improved between the crossing and 1200 metre chute and around the home turn; and drainage improvements made between the 300 metre and 1200 metre chute.

While the track consolidates from the works, the following four meetings, including the Kilmore Cup, will be transferred from bet365 Park Kilmore:

• Monday, 7 October – to Benalla
• Friday, 1 November – to Tatura
• Sunday, 24 November (Kilmore Cup) – to Seymour
• Monday, 30 December – to Werribee

While it will be run at Seymour, the bet365 Kilmore Cup will retain its official race name and be run under the same conditions - as a Listed race over 1600m with a prize pool of $150,000.

To accommodate the 7 October race meeting, jump-outs at Benalla on 30 September will be cancelled.

In order to enhance the track at Seymour, RV and the SRC made the decision earlier this year to adjust the grass species at the track to ensure that it is best placed to race consistently throughout the entire year.

It is the aim that the current rye grass and the new kikuyu grass will combine to deliver a track that can perform to its best in both summer and winter.

The planned track enhancement, and the shift of the Kilmore Cup to Seymour, will require the transfer of four Seymour meetings to other venues. They are

• Monday, 25 November – to Wangaratta;
• Thursday, 12 December – to Echuca;
• Monday, 23 December – to Wangaratta; and
• Tuesday, 18 February – to Benalla.

Seymour is scheduled to host six meetings this spring, including the Listed Seymour Cup (1600m) on Sunday, 20 October, before the enhancement works begin.

KRC Chief Executive, Ben Murphy, said, “We are extremely grateful to the Seymour Racing Club for allowing us to host the Kilmore Cup at their track, which keeps the Cup within the Mitchell Shire.

“The Kilmore track has undergone an extensive and successful upgrade that is going to benefit the Club for years to come, so we have opted for a cautious approach to allow the track time to consolidate before we return to racing in January next year.”

SRC Chief Executive, Penny Reeve, said, “The Seymour track is in an improved condition from where it was 12 months ago and is ready for our busy spring program ahead.

“We are looking forward to having the Seymour Cup return on Sunday, 20 October, having missed last year, and we are also pleased to support the Kilmore Racing Club so that they are able to run their Cup, albeit at a different track, while their track consolidates from its major upgrade.”

As a result of the transfers, there will be change of distances required at the following venues:

Kilmore Transfers

Seymour Transfers