Australia’s leading trainer Darren Weir has thrown his support behind the Ballarat Turf Club becoming Victoria’s newest synthetic racing venue.
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Weir, who is based in Ballarat, said he was “110 per cent” behind the idea, believing it would be great for racing and training at the Dowling Forest equine precinct.
“It would just be the final piece of an unbelievable set-up we have at Ballarat,” Weir told The Courier.
In Victoria, synthetic racing is already held at Geelong and Pakenham, with those surfaces used heavily through the wetter months when other tracks are affected by rain.
The all-weather surfaces mimic turf tracks, but are less responsive to the climate.
Weir said Ballarat was an ideal venue for a synthetic circuit due to its central positioning to the main racing centres in the state.
Fellow local trainer Dan O’Sullivan was also in support of the establishment of a synthetic course at the BTC.
O’Sullivan especially liked the potential benefits for training racehorses and said it offered versatility when the turf tracks are badly hit by rain.
“If I had my choice I would race on turf, but then if the horse doesn’t handle a heavy track you can go a long time without getting a run,” O’Sullivan said.
If it was ever decided a synthetic track would be constructed at the BTC, O’Sullivan said lighting should be considered to open up the potential for night race meetings in the future.
“Do the whole kit and caboodle,” he said.
BTC chief executive Lachlan McKenzie was contacted by The Courier and said if approached by Racing Victoria about the introduction of a synthetic track, it would be something the committee would certainly explore.
McKenzie said Ballarat had become the largest growth centre for training in the country.
Ballarat already has a highly-regarded synthetic uphill straight track, which is used solely for training.
Racing Victoria was unable to provide comment on the matter on Friday, but is expected to do so next week.
The BTC will host its next race meeting – headlined by the Grand Annual Steeplechase – on Sunday, August 20.