New synthetic track for Flemington's world-class training facilities

The Victoria Racing Club's (VRC) world-class training facilities at Flemington will receive a boost this year, with the construction of a new state-of-the-art synthetic track.

The project is being jointly funded by the VRC, the Victorian Government and Racing Victoria.

The current dirt track will be replaced with a synthetic surface which will be used for trials and jump outs as well as training.

The new track will provide a more forgiving surface for horses and will also reduce the training load on Flemington's grass tracks, in turn helping with the condition of all other tracks including the course proper.

VRC Chief Executive Officer Neil Wilson said the synthetic surface is a significant addition to Flemington's facilities.

"Approximately 600 horses utilise Flemington's training facilities every day and with training at Flemington secured for the near future it is important these facilities continue to be among the finest in Australia," Mr Wilson said.

"This new track will provide an all-weather surface that will enable us to hold jump outs when our grass training tracks are unavailable due to wet weather.

"The project will also deliver environmental benefits including a reduction in the amount of water required to maintain the new synthetic surface compared to the existing dirt track."

Mr Wilson thanked the Victorian Government and Racing Victoria for their funding support.

"We are grateful for the support of both the Victorian Government and Racing Victoria and this investment will help maintain Victoria's world-class position in racing."

The project will be completed by May 2019.

 

Group 1 racing returns to Flemington with Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday

@FlemingtonVRC #BCLightning 

Group 1 racing returns to Flemington with Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday

Flemington will celebrate Melbourne's Asian culture as Group 1 racing returns to Australia's premier racecourse in 2019 with Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday tomorrow.

The day will showcase the city's strong Asian culture through authentic bites from the hawker-style food market, themed entertainment and a nine-race card that acknowledges the Victoria Racing Club's (VRC) Asian racing alliances.

The hawker market located alongside Saintly Place will feature tasty eats from Mr Miyagi, Wonderbao, Wrap Roll It, Red Spice Road, and Okamoto Fusion Sushi as well as refreshing drinks by ChaTime.

Racegoers can complement the food offerings with lychee martinis, yuzu sours, sake and Kirin beer while enjoying live music as they try their luck at winning a TCL TV, TAB vouchers and more via the ever-popular Lucky Wall competition.

Melbourne street artist Sahil Roy Silk will bring his creative flair to Flemington as he showcases his work via a live installation in the Saintly Place breezeway.

The headline act on the track is the $750,000 Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m), a tribute to the retired Queen of Australian racing and a three-time winner of the race – undefeated mare Black Caviar.

Proven Group 1 performers Sunlight, In Her Time and Written By take on rising stars Graff, Lean Mean Machine and Osborne Bulls in the Black Caviar Lightning, where a field of 11 will thunder down the Flemington straight.

The undercard includes the Group 3 TAB Vanity (1400m) for fillies and the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) for colts and geldings, both of which offer a preview to Flemington's Australian Guineas a fortnight later.

The TAB Vanity sees the return of Group 1 heroine Amphitrite while the CS Hayes Stakes brings together the AAMI Victoria Derby trifecta of Extra Brut, Stars of Carrum and Chapada.

The international flavour on Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday will be further enhanced with strategic alliance race clubs the Japan Racing Association, The Hong Kong Jockey Club and Singapore Turf Club each represented with a race named after their respective clubs.

The Flemington Family Lawn will be given an Asian flare with Japanese hand fan art and origami crafts, cherry blossom and lotus face painting, dragon balloon art, giant Chinese checkers plus plenty of themed games and activities to keep the kids entertained all day long.

VRC Young Members can indulge in Japanese-style street food from Mr Miyagi, cocktails and karaoke at Tokyo YM. Located in The Peak within the Grandstand, Tokyo YM will offer some of the best views on course.

It is only fitting that on Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday we welcome two of the great horses from Living Legends to Flemington, with 2008 Black Caviar Lightning winner Apache Cat and Hong Kong's former champion Silent Witness parading in the Mounting Yard at 1:15pm and 3:40pm.

Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday sets the scene for a spectacular month at Flemington in March, with Australia's premier racecourse hosting three feature racedays including Australian Guineas Day (Saturday 2 March), Super Saturday (Saturday 9 March) and The All-Star Mile Raceday (Saturday 16 March).

Tickets to Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday, including hospitality packages, can be purchased from www.flemington.com.au. Children under 16 and accompanied by an adult are admitted free to Flemington all year round.

Firefighting Infrastructure at Copeton Waters and Lake Keepit Bring Inland Park Investment to $17.1 million

Firefighting infrastructure installed at Copeton Waters and Lake Keepit, as part of a wider park improvement focus across the nine inland parks managed by the Reflections Holiday Parks Group, has seen investments for these parks reach more than $17 million.

The completion of this infrastructure marks an important safety milestone for these inland parks which was celebrated at official openings at Copeton Waters and Lake Keepit this week.

The installation of firefighting infrastructure at Copeton Waters and Lake Keepit is part of a $17.1 million spend on inland park improvements, which has been substantially funded by the NSW Government's Crown Reserves Improvement Fund Program (CRIFP).  Fire, sewage, water and electrical infrastructure upgrades have been the focus of this significant investment by the Reflections Holiday Parks Group.

Reflections Holiday Parks CEO Steve Edmonds said the Group's inland parks were important community assets and tourist hotspots for those wanting to enjoy a true Country NSW experience.

"The completion of infrastructure upgrades and ensuring our inland parks are safe and compliant to Australian Standards is an exciting achievement which shows our commitment to our guests, visitors, staff and local communities in which we operate," Mr Edmonds said.

"With scorching Australian summers and the ever-present threat of fire under these conditions, we are proud to have Bushfire Emergency Plans in place across all of our inland parks and upgraded fire reticulation infrastructure being installed.

The latest parks to see the benefits of the fire-compliance infrastructure include:

·       Copeton Waters (Copeton NSW)
·       Lake Keepit (Keepit NSW)
·       Burrinjuck Waters (Burrinjuck NSW)
·       Grabine Lakeside (Bigga NSW)

The upgrades to fire infrastructure have included the implementation of Bushfire Management Plans and installations of fully-operational firefighting systems with water supply tanks that hold enough water to fill five backyard swimming pools.  The failsafe system includes two alarmed tanks and pumps which can be operated in the event of extended power loss.

Mr Edmonds said the four latest parks to receive the firefighting infrastructure saw 26,500 meters of underground pipe installed, which is the length of 264 football fields laid end to end.  "Our inland parks cover a wide expanse and bushfires can wreak devastation in an incredibly short space of time, so we felt this project was of top priority."

Copeton Waters Manager Paul Irwin, who until recently had been managing the park at Lake Keepit, said the parks had made tremendous strides forward since 2014.

"The program of improvements and upgrades across the inland parks have made a real difference to the quality of experience we can offer," Mr Irwin said.

Reflections Holiday Parks Chair Wendy Machin said the upgrade of fire, sewage, water and electrical upgrades have built a strong foundation on which the inland parks' guest offering could grow.

"Prior to 2014 many of our inland parks did not even have potable water to Australian Standards," Ms Machin said.  "Now, our Water Treatment Plants have completely transformed the guest experience in that area."                         

w: reflectionsholidayparks.com.au