Geelong track to be closed for a year

Geelong's controversial ThoroughTrack will be closed for racing until April next year but the synthetic circuit will remain available for winter training.Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) on Monday announced it had deferred remedial work on the ThoroughTrack until next spring as, without the track, Geelong trainers would have been left without a training surface.Jockeys refused to ride at the return meeting on April 8 when they discovered stones in the track following drainage work.Stewards abandone

Geelong's controversial ThoroughTrack will be closed for racing until April next year but the synthetic circuit will remain available for winter training.

Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) on Monday announced it had deferred remedial work on the ThoroughTrack until next spring as, without the track, Geelong trainers would have been left without a training surface.

Jockeys refused to ride at the return meeting on April 8 when they discovered stones in the track following drainage work.

Stewards abandoned that meeting.

RVL has moved meetings on the ThoroughTrack to other venues until the Geelong turf track is ready to race on in July.

Due to the drought, the turf track is currently not operational for racing or training.

But the Geelong Racing Club has purchased 10 megalitres of water and is doing renovations with a view to having it available for training and racing from July 1.

"We're doing a complete renovation of the grass surface and weather permitting, the club is hoping the track will be back in a usable position by July," said Geelong Racing Club CEO Paul Carroll.

The Australian Trainers Association (ATA) believed there was no other option but to suspend essential remedial works on the ThoroughTrack until trainers had a reliable alternative track on which to prepare their horses.

"Geelong trainers would have been seriously disadvantaged," said ATA chief executive John Alducci.

Remedial work on the ThoroughTrack will not start until next spring.