- Published:
- Thursday 6 October 2016 at 3:19 pm
Minister for Racing Martin Pakula today unveiled almost $300,000 of upgrades to the Hamilton Racing Club, thanks to support from the Andrews Labor Government.
The works included a $110,000 refurbishment of the sand training track to provide extra cushioning for horses and improve safety for jockeys and horses.
A 10-centimetre top layer of sand was applied to the old deteriorated track, which had an inconsistent surface with stones coming through that could have caused injury to horses and riders.
The Government provided $55,000 towards the sand track upgrade, courtesy of its Victorian Racing Industry Fund, with the club contributing $44,000 and Racing Victoria giving $11,000.
The club has also installed a new $189,000 irrigation system and sustainable water plan to allow for year-round watering.
The new system will mean that trainers no longer have to travel to other locations because the sand and grass training tracks will be in peak condition all throughout the year.
The project involved installing an irrigation system, which will generate up to 30 megalitres of water per season. Last season, the club had access to only 15 megalitres of water which was well below what it required to maintain its tracks.
The Government provided $94,000 towards the project. Racing Victoria and Country Racing Victoria also made a combined contribution of $47,000, with the club providing a similar amount.
The Hamilton Racing Club is the second largest thoroughbred training centre in the state’s western region. The industry generates more than $100 million for the economy and helps sustain over 980 full-time equivalent jobs in the region.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Racing Martin Pakula
“The Andrews Labor Government is pleased to support the upgrades at Hamilton which will improve the safety of jockeys and horses training on the track.”
“The new irrigation system will help the club to maintain its tracks so they can be used throughout the year.”
Quote attributable to Member for Western Victoria Jaala Pulford
“The Andrews Labor Government recognises the importance of horse racing to the Western District whether that be through tourism, social events or in boosting the local economy – this is an investment which will bring a return."
Quotes attributable to Hamilton Racing Club Track Manager Harry Armstrong
“We are grateful to the Victorian Government for providing this funding to improve our training track and irrigation system.”
“We often have up to 20 horses training every morning and our regular trainers are very appreciative of all the work that has been done to ensure that they can train at Hamilton all year round.”