Racing Victoria (RV) and the Seymour Racing Club (SRC) wish to advise that the race meetings scheduled at Seymour on Saturday, 15 August and Thursday, 17 September 2020 have been transferred to Tatura and Echuca respectively.
Seymour underwent major track renovations last summer which involved full resurfacing with kikuyu grass and a subsequent oversow of rye grass in autumn to provide year-round performance and stability.
Racing resumed at the track in May 2020, with a determination made that it would benefit from conducting one meeting per month only throughout winter. It has since hosted race meetings on Thursday, 18 June and Tuesday, 14 July.
Whilst the track was deemed safe for racing by RV Stewards at the July meeting, some areas did not perform as expected due to its immaturity and some ongoing challenges the SRC is facing around damage to the surface caused by birds.
The SRC have since advised that it is their preference to transfer their two upcoming meetings to allow the track time to further consolidate with a view of returning to racing on Monday, 5 October.
RV and Country Racing Victoria (CRV) are supportive of the Club’s wishes and will review the track in mid-September with the SRC, Victorian Jockeys Association (VJA) and Australian Trainers Association (ATA) to consider its progress and determine its suitability to resume racing.
Given the nature of kikuyu grass, both RV and CRV are confident the racing surface will continue to improve as the weather warms up and that the track will benefit greatly in the long-term from a summer of growth and consolidation.
SRC Chief Executive, Penny Reeve, said, “Whilst it is disappointing to have to transfer our two upcoming meetings, the break in racing will assist with the recovery of the surface and allow us some additional time to address the issues being caused by the birds.
“The new racing surface is still immature, and we expect that the track will continue to improve and consolidate with the better weather that spring and ultimately summer will provide.
“It is our aim to return to racing in October and conduct our Cup on 18 October as programmed, however we will ensure that all parties are comfortable with the surface before doing so.
“I would like to thank everyone for their support as we navigate this challenging period and also the Clubs who have taken on our meetings. We are committed to working with RV and CRV in order to provide an improved racing surface at Seymour for participants and the community to enjoy.”
As a result of the Seymour transfer to Echuca, the meeting scheduled on Saturday, 12 September will be transferred from Echuca to Warracknabeal.
The updated programs as a result of the transfers are as follows: