Benalla return to racing program
03 Aug 2012 | Racing Victoria Ltd A return to racing program has been finalised for the Benalla Racing Club with an important milestone set to be achieved next week.
Weather permitting, the first of two sets of jump outs will be conducted on Tuesday for locally-trained horses only.
A Racing Victoria (RV) stewards inspection on Monday will determine whether the track is ready to proceed after recent rain.
A further set of jump outs are scheduled on 14 August, again for local horses only, with official trials for all comers to be run on 21 August.
These trials will ultimately determine whether the track is suitable for the resumption of racing as programmed on Tuesday, 11 September.
“The return to racing program at Benalla will be thorough and racing will not resume until such time as we are satisfied beyond all doubt that the track is safe for horses and riders,” RV Chief Operating Officer, Bernard Saundry, said.
“The program of jumps outs and official trials will be supported by on-going inspections and, together with the Club, we'll work closely with the Victorian Jockeys Association to ensure that riders have confidence in the integrity of the track before racing resumes.
“The Benalla Racing Club has not enjoyed the best of luck over the past two years and we are committed to helping the Club regain its standing as an important regional racing centre through this process and beyond.”
Racing has been suspended at Benalla since the Club's 20 March 2012 meeting was abandoned after a hole was detected between races on the outside of the track near the 1200-metre mark.
An extensive works program has seen the four stormwater culverts under the track replaced and all AG drainage removed from the beneath the racing surface.
A mixture of ground penetrating radars, drainage inspection cameras and stress tests have been utilised on the track as part of the process to return racing.
A further stress test will be conducted this month between the first and second set of jump outs.
Course proper training resumed at Benalla in mid-July following an engineer's sign off of the track with horses permitted to do light work only until the return to racing program has been successfully completed.