Ballarat Turf Club is planning a massive upgrade to its training facilities that could lure more high-profile racing people to the centre.
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BTC chief executive Lachlan McKenzie said the club is in the “embryonic” stages of establishing an artificial sand dune operation on Mt Pisgah and a 40m-wide uphill grass galloping track, which would run alongside its current all-weather facility.
McKenzie and two of his staff members have recently returned from a nine-day overseas trip, where they studied the training set-ups in other parts of the world, including Newmarket, Chantilly and Singapore.
Master trainer Darren Weir is currently not allowed to use the sand dunes in Warrnambool due to a ruling from the city’s council and could be lured to bring all his horses to Ballarat should the beach facility remain off limits and the Mt Pisgah idea come to fruition.
McKenzie said the training facility upgrade had been discussed at board level.
“It will be getting a fair bit of concentration from us straight after the spring carnival,” he said.