Over $400,000 is being spent on a redevelopment of the Warragul harness racing track which will make the circuit one of the best quality of its kind in Australia.
Nearly a decade after initial plans to replace the current track with a 1000-metre circuit, Harness Racing Victoria, Warragul Harness Racing Club and the Victorian Coalition Government will all contribute to a comprehensive $434,000 overhaul of the existing 835-metre track.
While the physical layout and size of the track will not alter, both the turns and straights on the track will have an increased camber applied, in line with current industry requirements relating to animal welfare and competitor safety.
The camber on the bends will rise from around 8 per cent to 12.5 per cent, while in the straights a current camber of around 2 per cent will increase to 4 per cent.
The track will also receive new surface gravel as part of the works, which should see Warragul's circuit retain its reputation as an excellent racing surface in wet weather.
While the finished product will look slightly different to the current track, the real changes will occur as far as safety and comfort for competing horses.
A good cushion of track surface material, increased cambers, and ensuring the straights connect smoothly with the bends, reduces the pressure on horses' joints while competing.
Scientific research has proven that horses will run faster and produce better efforts when they are racing under reduced leg stress.
The camber works and better quality racing surface should also equate to faster race times, and WHRC officials are quietly confident that the current race time records on the track will be bettered when racing recommences on Monday, December 1.
Contractors arrived on site on Monday, October 6, with the track expected to be under reconstruction for around six weeks before barrier trials are held to test the facility on Saturday, November 22.
Although half-mile tracks such as Warragul's are now seen by some sections of the trotting industry as outdated, WHRC officials believe their track will become a point of difference in Victorian harness racing, and the anticipated quality of the circuit will be a great marketing tool.
The current Warragul track was built in 1988 and at the time was considered to be a state of the art venue.
It was the first to be built with European-style cambered bends which have since been replicated and improved upon at other venues Australia wide.
The track now hosts nine race meetings per year, along with regular barrier trials, and is used daily by local participants for the training of their horses including the Gippsland Harness Racing Training Centre, which is based on course.
