STAFF WRITERS
GREYHOUND RACING
GIPPSLAND greyhound owners and trainers attended two special sessions at Traralgon recently to get their first look at the soon-to-be completed J-Curve track.
With the laying of more than 1600 cubic metres of Burrumbeet sand almost complete, club manager Steve Clarke, Greyhound Racing Victoria chief executive Alan Clayton and GRV Director, Racing Safety and Infrastructure Scott Robins gave the groups an overview of the progress, planned trialling sessions and scheduled opening dates before accompanying them on a walk of the track.
The walk enabled participants a chance to get familiar with the layout and surrounding infrastructure and assess how it would suit their racing greyhounds, with the feedback overwhelmingly positive.
“We’ve just walked the track and there is not a person who is not impressed with what we have seen – we’ve had a good look at the first turn and it’s definitely a state-of-the-art track and one of the best we’ve seen,” veteran Korumburra trainer Reg Boyce said.
“It’s going to be a track which will suit all types of greyhounds, especially slow beginners.”
Boyce’s thoughts were echoed by experienced Toongabbie trainer Stephen Kyriacopoulos.
“After 40 years of training this is exciting and innovative. It’s going to be a track which will suit all types of greyhounds, especially slow beginners,” Kyriacopoulos said.
The $5 million Traralgon project includes a pedestrian underpass and central access path for trainers, stewards and other participants, along with new lighting, irrigation and broadcast facilities and a large multi-purpose semaphore board.
The ‘J’ track design was developed following research by the University of Technology Sydney into risk management and extensive modelling on how to reduce physical stress on greyhounds during racing.
