November 5, 2015
The Royal Randwick course proper has successfully staged a full month of racing through the Sydney Spring Carnival, with five meetings over successive weeks.
From The Star Epsom Day on Saturday 3 October through to this week’s McGrath Estate Agents Melbourne Cup Day, the course proper had 45 races and a total of 470 runners.
The Australian Turf Club’s Royal Randwick Course Manager Nevesh Ramdhani said the track played fairly, and despite some days of rain, was not rated worse than a soft 7, even when persistent rain fell on Cup Day.
Royal Randwick will undergo a four week period of rest and maintenance, with some light detaching and aeration, to prepare for the Summer feature races, and the early Autumn.
Saturday meetings over the next four weeks will be held at Canterbury Park and Rosehill Gardens, before racing returns to Royal Randwick on 5 December for Segenhoe Surf Life Saving Race Day.
“This Spring Carnival has proved that Royal Randwick can cope with the four successive Saturdays and then another 10 races on Cup Day, especially when we get a bit of luck with the weather leading up to October,’’ Mr Ramdhani said.
“It has also showed that the moveable rail which allows us to use all parts of the track is very important and works well across the month.
“When we have the right growing conditions in the early Spring, the Royal Randwick course proper provides a great surface.
“There is no reason we can’t make the four successive Saturdays a permanent part of the Spring program.’’