The 2022 winter racing season continues at the Glenburnie Racecourse today, with the track holding up despite the recent rain.
Key points:
- The club says the track is draining well after a 2018 upgrade
- The winter season is continuing but staff are looking ahead to spring
- A trainer says the club has done well to ensure the track has not been overused
It is an about-turn after the turf struggled to grow due to the region’s cool climate and a severe poa weed infestation that strangled the embattled kikuyu grass.
Track manager David Shepherdson said there was some concern that the 100 millimetres of rain that fell during June might impact the grass, but so far the track has held up well.
“The roots are holding up great — that’s probably what got us through to where we are now,” he said.
“The structure was great through the summer and autumn and now we’re just relying on that foundation to do its thing.
‘Tip-top condition’
Mount Gambier Racing Club general manager Brett Watson said rain had not been a problem since the track was upgraded.
“The track’s doing what it was designed to do, as it drains really well,” he said.
“There’s never been an issue with the drainage since the upgrade and now the surface is also in tip-top condition.”
While the region’s cool climate has been a perennial problem for staff trying to maintain the track’s turf, Mr Shepherdson said the strong root system had allowed a healthy, thick surface to be maintained.
“It was sitting around 130 millimetres in the summer and the autumn,” he said.
“Now we’re probably down to about 100mm in thickness — and you have toe marks from the horses … so that just makes some areas a little bit thinner.
Warmth of the sun
Ultimately, it is a balancing act because kikuyu grass does not regenerate during the winter months.
Consequently, Mr Shepherdson tries to maintain the grass throughout the winter before growing it in the spring and summer.
“We’ve only got a few more race meets and we’re coming into spring,” he said.
“So hopefully … it’s a warm one and then things will be good.
“We’ll be back to growing again because at the moment the kikuyu is just sitting there.”
Local trainer Michael O’Leary noted the steps taken over the winter to ensure the track was not overused.
He said trainers had been using other sections of the course to train, limiting the amount of wear on the grass.
“The course is holding up well,” he said.
Looking ahead
Mr Watson said winter racing had always been “tricky” in the region and only attracted the most diehard fans.
But with the track conditions holding up, he feels the racing club can start to put the track’s long-standing issues behind and focus on racing.
“Obviously with the track getting waterlogged before the upgrade, and then we had the poa issue — we didn’t race here in the winter for a couple of years,” he said.
“At the moment it’s going well … and that’s something we probably haven’t had for a long time.”
