Randwick's premier race meetings will remain at the track during major construction work next year.The 2012 Doncaster, AJC Australian Derby and Epsom Handicap will all be held at their traditional home with the Australian Turf Club (ATC) confident it has the protocols in place to ensure patrons' safety and comfort.Work on the $150 million upgrade to turn the racecourse into a world class racing and multi-purpose venue will begin in November this year and is expected to be finished in time for th

Randwick's premier race meetings will remain at the track during major construction work next year.

The 2012 Doncaster, AJC Australian Derby and Epsom Handicap will all be held at their traditional home with the Australian Turf Club (ATC) confident it has the protocols in place to ensure patrons' safety and comfort.

Work on the $150 million upgrade to turn the racecourse into a world class racing and multi-purpose venue will begin in November this year and is expected to be finished in time for the 2013 autumn carnival.

Ahead of the project, the 2011 spring carnival has been revamped with the $1 million Golden Rose to be run two weeks later as a lead-in to the Caulfield Guineas.

The Group Two Stan Fox Stakes and Group Three Golden Pendant, formerly the Research Stakes, have been targeted as races the ATC is hoping to get elevated to Group One status to give the spring carnival Group One racing on four consecutive Saturdays shared between Randwick and Rosehill.

ATC chairman John Cornish said training would go ahead at Randwick with as little disruption as possible.

"We are about to start the largest sporting construction project in Sydney since the Olympics," Cornish said.

"Obviously, construction of this magnitude will cause some inconvenience but we hope to keep it to a minimum.

"There will be some changes to training times with an earlier finish in the mornings."

The $150 million for the redevelopment was granted contingent to the merger of the two Sydney race clubs, the Australian Jockey Club and the Sydney Turf Club.

With the merger complete, an additional $24 million will be spent to upgrade facilities at Rosehill Racecourse including vehicle and pedestrian access to the track.

While Randwick will retain its carnival days during the development, other meetings will be shared by Canterbury, Warwick Farm and Rosehill as well as provincial tracks yet to be decided.

Cornish said although attendance wouldbe reduced at Randwick during the Group One days, it would still be higher than if it was moved to another track.

embership to the ATC will provide access to all four of Sydney's tracks with other benefits for former AJC and STC members.

The Foundation membership will last for 17 months from August 1 in recognition of the inconvenience that may be caused by the construction period.

Work at Warwick Farm is ongoing with a significant parcel of land sold to Woolworths and plans in place for William Inglis and Son to move its sales complex to the south western track.