42 | Manawatu: Awapuni Racecourse and Function Centre Richard Loader Synthetic track opens possibilities “The synthetic track has a solid subsurface, which is overlaid with a sand and fibre blend, 150mm thick.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT For Supply and Service of • Coolrooms • Freezer Rooms • 20’ Containers • Glass Door Fridges & Freezers • Chiller Trailer Hire Proudly supporting Awapuni Racecourse and Function Centre Manawatu 06 356 5971 | Horowhenua 06 367 0093 | Wanganui 06 345 3479 Cohens Business Centre is your one-stop shop Point of Sale and IT specialists. Proudly supporting Awapuni Racecourse www.cohens.co.nz And they’re off — the thoroughbreds at Awapuni Racecourse now have the benefit of a brand-new synthetic track enabling year-round training and race meets, rain, hail or shine. Just on the southern boundary of Palmerston North, Awapuni Racecourse has a rich history as both a racing track and training establishment. The new all-weather track is likely to make Awapuni even more important to the lower North Island’s racing fraternity, with race meets transferred when inclement weather impacts the turf tracks of other clubs around the region. The impetus for the synthetic track was born from the Messara Report, which was funded by the Minister for Racing and released in 2018. The report looked at the profile of New Zealand’s thoroughbred racing and made recommendations for how improvements to the industry could be achieved going forward, including resilience to wet winters when race meetings were frequently lost. Recommendations included upgraded tracks, the centralisation of meetings and the inclusion of some synthetic/all-weather tracks. From that report, $30 million from the Provincial Growth Fund was provided to the racing industry for the purpose of building three synthetic tracks, which ended up being Cambridge, Christchurch and Awapuni, with each club receiving $10 million. Construction of Awapuni’s track commenced mid-January this year, with the first horses christening it in August. “The synthetic track has a solid subsurface, which is overlaid with a sand and fibre blend, 150mm thick,” explains General Manager Kim Treweek. “That allows high volumes of water to be absorbed and run off into the drains and provides a year-round consistent training surface that can also be used for racing and trials. The turf tracks can only take so much water every year, and we currently lose so many race meetings through the winter. The synthetic track provides a wet weather option to negate such abandonments.” Kim says that over the next few years, Kiwi punters will see synthetic tracks used more and more during the winter months. “Awapuni is at the point where the synthetic track is still quite new, so we haven’t had a race meeting yet, just three trial meetings transferred from other clubs due to wet weather. But next year, we expect to add another dozen or so race meetings a year on the synthetic track, transferring them from some of the smaller clubs that struggle to hold meetings through the winter. Turf is always going to be the preferred surface, but in the middle of winter where we’re struggling with the amount of rain, it just makes sense to go to synthetic for those lesser meetings.” Kim adds that with the extended winter, the synthetic track has been a god-send for training, with 250 horses training at Awapuni every day of the year. “The synthetic track will be a key training aid, and trainers will know they can get a consistent surface all year round, which is a great benefit. It’s an easy-care product and a great tool for the trainers. There’s obviously some maintenance to be done on the track, and we have an on-going maintenance plan with the supplier. The supplier provides the grooming equipment that we use on a daily basis and then does any bigger work, which typically involves flipping the synthetic product every six months, to fluff it back up to its 150mm top coat surface.”
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