HORSERACING
By LIAM DURKIN
THE new race day building is nearing completion at Moe Racing Club.
Located just off the existing Turfside Function Centre, the club hopes to have the new facility up and running by mid-May.
Once complete, the state-of-the-art double-storey facility will deliver a modern administration building overlooking the track.
Jockeys have already benefitted from the upgrade, moving into new changerooms at ground level.
Outside cladding is set to be finished over coming weeks, while a lift will also be installed.
The club expects finishing touches to take place next month, with an official opening later in the year.
While the project has run into some delays, Moe Racing Club Chairman, Mike Vanderfeen says it will be worth the wait.
“It will just be one big outlook over the whole of the track,” he said.
“It will be an asset to the town, the community we believe, it will be sensational.”
The project has been a joint effort between Moe Racing Club, Racing Victoria and the state government.
The state government contributed $1 million from its Victorian Racing Industry Fund to support the project, while Moe Racing Club put up almost $2 million itself and Racing Victoria $300,000.
Vanderfeen said the club had received great support from the state government, particularly Racing Minister Anthony Carbines, who it is hoped will be able to attend the opening.
“The state government has been very good to us. They gave us a lot of funding for the new track when Martin Pakula was the Minister, now Anthony has taken over and he certainly supports this club. Very happy with the relationship,” Vanderfeen said.
Upgrades are continuing at Moe Racing Club, with the track currently in the midst of its annual renovation.
The track is being reseeded, a process which takes around eight weeks to see come through.
The club is expecting bigger crowds once the new building is open, which could make this year’s Moe Cup in October one of the largest in recent memory.
Before that, the next major meeting for Moe will be on ANZAC Day.
Elsewhere, Moe’s little brother Latrobe Valley Racing Club will hold trials tomorrow (Thursday).
The Glenview Park track received high praise from jockeys at last year’s Traralgon Cup, a noteworthy achievement given the meeting was given only a one-week reprieve after floods left the track inundated.
Staying with Gippsland racing, the Stony Creek Cup will take place this Sunday (March 10).
Stony Creek Racing Club Chief Executive, Adam Olszanski is a familiar voice to many local racegoers, being the man behind the microphone as race day caller.
