Kembla Grange racecourse gets upgrade

Thursday 27 September 2012, 3:07pm

Kembla Grange is the latest NSW racecourse to receive a multi-million dollar upgrade to its training and racing facilities.

Thursday's announcement of upgrades to the provincial circuit comes on the back of last week's news that Newcastle will undergo an $11 million makeover including the creation of a second turf racetrack.

The Kembla upgrade involves the installation of a synthetic training track to replace the existing sand track.

Extensive drainage works will also be carried out on the course proper, along with a study to ascertain the best available turf surface for that track.

The study will also look at the possible installation of a second track.

The $2 million project will be funded from Race Fields Fees following the successful defence of legal challenges in the High Court to the NSW Race Fields legislation.

The Illawarra Turf Club's executive chairman Peter De Vries said the funding from Racing NSW would "revitalise facilities for trainers and boost racing in the region".

More announcements on upgrades to other racetracks around the state, funded from the Race Fields Fees coffers, are expected to follow in the coming weeks.

"It's sort of a once-in-a-generation type windfall we've had," Racing NSW chairman John Messara said earlier this week.

"It's going to allow us to upgrade facilities and tracks across the state and I think it would be a mistake to rush it.

"Having said that we want to get on with the job and we've already identified where we are going to spend 30 to 40 million (dollars).

"We've done an audit of the top 30 racetracks. Our focus is really on making sure that those courses have got the best tracks possible, both training and racing tracks.

"That's our first focus. We'll also look obviously at other facilities that are needed to bring those tracks up to par."

– AAP

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