130 | COMMUNITY Awapuni Racecourse and Function Centre T T Richard Loader Awapuni Racecourse nearly done The track after 8 weeks of grass growth. The reconstruction of Awapuni Racecourse, on the southern boundary of Palmerston North is nearing completion, transforming the much-loved metro course into a world-class sports turf. Work on the $5.5 million project commenced October last year, improving drainage, irrigation, ground conditions, track width and camber, making the track safer, and providing better performance and certainty around race days, which in the past have been hampered with abandonments. “It was decided that Awapuni would be the first track to be upgraded given the poor state of the infrastructure here,” says Tim Savell, chief executive of RACE group, which runs racing at Awapuni and Trentham. “Every drain had been cracked and broken and there was inadequate irrigation. The track wasn’t optimal for racing and in some parts the track was sixteen metres wide before it cambered off. There is also a clay/silt soil, which contributed to horses slipping and race abandonments late in 2022. Those abandonments impact the whole industry.” New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing is paying for 60% of the reconstruction, while 20% will come from TAB and 20% from RACE. Design work for the new track was completed by Waikato based Paradigm Consulting Group in collaboration with New Zealand Sports Turf Institute who have developed the standards and best practice for a modern turf track. Lead contractor for the work was Fulton Hogan, supported by a number of specialist contractors including Blackley Construction and Stringfellows. “All civil work was completed in January. and there’s now 12 kilometres of new drainage. The track now has a uniform width of 25 metres all the way around with 3° of camber, and looks beautiful.” The civil work was followed by track finishing including a layer of metal to help with drainage, a modern irrigation system that can be controlled remotely, topsoil and a layer of sand. “That work was all completed in the second week of April and undertaken by several specialist contractors including Recreational Services, making it millimetre perfect. Even the grass seed has to meet certain specifications. There’s now a massive coverage 213 Stoney Creek Rd, Palmerston North 06-356-5557 www.blackley.co.nz For all your farm & civil construction needs For Supply and Service of • Coolrooms • Freezer Rooms • 20’ Containers • Glass Door Fridges & Freezers • Chiller Trailer & Freezer Trailer Hire Proudly supporting Awapuni Racecourse and Function Centre Baker Refrigeration Ltd of grass and we’re working through a growing plan put together by the New Zealand Sports Institute that involves monitoring all the levels of nutrients and worms. The grass has been mowed three times and the roots have got to a depth of 100mm, which everyone is pretty happy with. Recreational Services will be back in July to put some slip drains in and add more sand. Over a period of about eight years it will be turned into a sand-based track.” Tim says that at this stage, official opening for racing on Awapuni’s new grass track is set of the 25th of January next year. “The project is ahead of schedule. We only lost two days due to bad weather during the whole project, and all the contractors have done a great job with their workmanship. As a sport we’re in a growth period and we need the good surfaces to race on — Awapuni is well set to meet that growth.” While race meets on the grass track have not been held for the last eighteen months, business has carried on in respect to the function side at Awapuni. “May was our best month since Covid. One of our function spaces is the largest in Palmerston North, seating 530 for dinner, and that is a real point of difference for us.
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