THOROUGHBRED racing at the Allan Scott Glenburnie Racecourse has been suspended indefinitely due to an unwanted grass growing in the multi-million dollar redeveloped track.
Revealing the news yesterday, Thoroughbred Racing South Australia (TRSA) said the track would need time for effective regenerative treatment to remove the poa weed infestation.
The industry body has worked in collaboration with Mount Gambier Racing Club and local trainers, who all reluctantly agreed to cease racing at the site on Tuesday.
It is the latest blow for the club which has had several race meets disrupted since the track was given the green light for racing in April last year following a $3.3m circuit redevelopment.
Speaking to The Border Watch yesterday, club president John Fartch revealed the running of the Scott Group of Companies Mount Gambier Gold Cup was now in limbo.
“Hopefully we will still be able to run the cup, but at this stage, possibly not,” he said.
“Hopefully we will see racing back in Mount Gambier this year but it is unknown because a lot of this is all weather based and the one thing we cannot control is the weather.”
The club leader admitted there had been ongoing issues with the track’s growth since racing resumed last year, which ultimately led to the decision to halt racing.
“Obviously some of the things that have been done to the track have not worked in the past and with the cooperation of the trainers and TRSA we have to move forward and try to remedy the situation,” he said.
“It’s an issue with the growth of the grass because the poa weed has become a bit dominant and needs to be taken out and now is the ideal time to start working on it.”
TRSA chief executive Nick Redin said the racing surface was still young and needed to be preserved for the future.
“As a result, the Mount Gambier track will now be given time to recover from the aggressive treatment, with spring and early summer being key growing periods for the racing surface,” Mr Redin said.
“It’s far from an ideal situation, but the measures are in the best interests of the industry and its participants in the medium and long term.”
Refusing to speculate on whether the recent redevelopment had played a part in the problem, Mr Fartch said it was time to move forward.
“What’s happened has happened, we have got to move forward and try to remedy it because there could be any number of reasons why it has happened,” he said.
“We need to fix it, so weather permitting, the first thing we will do is spray it and then it is a fairly major job with things like scarifying and removing the unwanted material.
“It’s not going to be an easy job – there will be a fair bit of work involved.”
Despite the latest hiccup in a series of problems at the racecourse, Mr Fartch believed there would be no long-term implications for racing in Mount Gambier.
“TRSA has every confidence in the Mount Gambier Racing Club and they have people helping oversee the work of the track,” he said.
“I believe we have a good committee and with the cooperation of the trainers, hopefully we can bounce back and make a success of the future.”
