The major races of the 2015/16 season at Tabcorp Park Melton and Victoria’s regional venues have seen a large contingent of track curators recognised for their outstanding efforts, with many track records tumbling in feature events.
Regional track records have been obliterated in the Swan Hill, Stawell, Wedderburn, Geelong, Shepparton, Ballarat and Terang pacing cups, with new records also for trotters at Shepparton and Bendigo.
Victoria leads the way in the training and mentoring of track curators and has run regular track maintenance seminars for some years.
These seminars have grown and been attended by up to 60 curators, including strong representation from Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania and New Zealand. Last year seminars concentrated on Victorian track staff, with four regional sessions held that focused on practical demonstrations on the track.
The HRV Board and Track Sub-Committee have been very supportive and proactive in ensuring the best possible maintenance methods and recognition of the state’s curators.
The Sub-Committee focuses on the latest design technology in the construction and upgrading of tracks but also on the continuous monitoring and improvement of track maintenance and encouragement for clubs to have access to appropriate track machinery.
The most recent track upgrades at Mildura and Horsham have seen increased cambers, new track bases and surfaces focused on reducing stress on horses. Already new track records have been set at both venues.
HRV has stimulated clubs to use a polo citrus dust suppressant when watering, which has proven very helpful in the retention of moisture within the surface material and has gone a step further by initiating a successful trial of applying canola oil to the race track at Shepparton, which has received extremely positive feedback and results.
Many clubs have also been proactive in enrolling key staff in an accredited program in track maintenance conducted by the Victorian Harness Racing Industry Training Centre.
The Tabcorp Park track team of Jordan Robinson, Chris Lambrecht and Tom Byrne had the track in tip top order on Hunter Cup night as track records went by the wayside in the Del-Re National AG Hunter Cup, Seelite Windows & Doors Australian Trotting Grand Prix and the state’s fastest mile rate was lowered to 1:50.8 for the 1720m journey in the Bertocchi Free For All.
Tabcorp Park Melton track manager Jordan Robinson said key to preparing an ideal track was “getting plenty of moisture into it and conditioning prior to the races, which will lead to a nice cushioned surface that the horses will thrive on and run accordingly”.
“As has been constantly emphasised at HRV track seminars, the need of providing a hard (road-like) surface to produce speed is not necessary. What we strive for is to apply abundant moisture, which provides a fluffy cushioned surface with plenty of give that will make the horses more comfortable and ultimately keep them sound and hopefully prolong their racing future.”
“Plenty of time and effort is required to get the track in perfect order and our track team at Tabcorp Park is meticulous in undertaking regular grading to attain a consistent thickness, ensuring plentiful water is applied prior and during the races to achieve optimum moisture content and conditioning the track to the precise depth. We have found the use of polo citrus not only assists to quell the dust but more importantly helps in holding the material together, which provides the traction to generate speed.
“We are fortunate here at major race meetings when presentations can limit preparation time that we have the capability of utilising two conditioners to prepare the track between races. There is no shadow of doubt that conditioning between races provides the best outcome, which is something we have always done.”
Track record broken on Cup/Carnival nights (October 2015-April 2016):
Pacers:
Track |
Distance |
Horse |
Date |
Mile Rate |
SWAN HILL |
2790m SS |
ARDEN ROONEY NZ |
17 Oct 2015 |
1:57.3 |
STAWELL |
2590m SS |
YANKEE ROCKSTAR |
6 Dec 2015 |
1:58.9 |
WEDDERBURN |
2555m SS |
ARBER |
13 Dec 2015 |
2:01.1 |
GEELONG |
2570mm MS |
IT ITS BILLY |
2 Jan 2016 |
1:56.6 |
SHEPPARTON |
2190m MS |
GLORY DAZE |
16 Jan 2016 |
1:55.7 |
SHEPPARTON |
2690m SS |
OHOKA PUNTER NZ |
16 Jan 2016 |
1:57.0 |
BALLARAT |
2710m MS |
SMOLDA |
23 Jan 2016 |
1:55.3 |
TABCORP PARK |
1720 m MS |
COLD MAJOR |
6 Feb 2016 |
1:50.8 |
TABCORP PARK |
3280m SS |
SMOLDA |
6 Feb 2016 |
1:57.3 |
BENDIGO |
1650m MS |
HALL OF FAMER |
13 Feb 2016 |
1:52.1 |
TERANG |
2680m MS |
GLENFERRIE HOOD NZ |
20 Feb 2016 |
1:56.3 |
KILMORE |
2690m MS |
YANKEE ROCKSTAR |
19 Mar 2016 |
1:58.7 |
ARRARAT |
2570m SS |
IDEAL SUCCESS NZ |
26 Mar 2016 |
2:00.5 |
WARRAGUL |
2627m MS |
NIKE FRANCO NZ |
27 Mar 2016 |
1:57.4 |
MILDURA |
2600m MS |
STUNNING GRIN |
5 Apr 2016 |
1:57.5 |
Trotters
Track |
Distance |
Horse |
Date |
Mile Rate |
ST ARNAUD |
2120m SS |
LOMBO SCRUTINIZER |
15 Nov 2015 |
2:06.1 |
SHEPPARTON |
2190m MS |
GLENFERRIE TYPHOON NZ |
16 Jan 2016 |
1:56.2 |
BALLARAT |
2710m SS |
MONBET NZ |
23 Jan 2016 |
2::00.1 |
TABCORP PARK |
2240m MS |
KEYSTONE DEL NZ |
6 Feb 2016 |
1:56.0 |
BENDIGO |
1650m MS |
GLENFERRIE TYPHOON NZ |
13 Feb 2016 |
1:54.4 |
CHARLTON |
2100m MS |
UWOULDNTBELIEVEIT |
28 Feb 2016 |
2:02.3 |
CRANBOURNE |
1609m MS |
KEYSTONE DELNZ |
5 Mar 2016 |
1:56.1 |
BOORT |
2250m SS |
GIDAH |
20 Mar 2016 |
2:06.1 |
ECHUCA |
2530m SS |
ROSTEVARREN |
2 Apr 2016 |
2:04.6 |
MILDURA |
2600m SS |
OUR TWENTYEN NZ |
7 Apr 2016 |
2:02.7 |