Echuca Racing Club will hold an extra eight-race meeting this month after a nearby track was forced to transfer its July 17 race day.
Heavy rainfall at Tatura, with 115mm in the past month, has resulted in a sodden track. The move to Echuca was made in the “interest of horse and participant safety”, according to a Racing Victoria statement following inspections last Friday.
It will be the second of three meetings in July for ERC, with the club hosting its first on July 1.
The Winter Blues race day on the 28th makes it a bumper month of racing at Echuca, and ERC operations manager Garry Armstrong said he was confident the track would pass muster under increased demand.
“Our track has come up well after racing on July 1,” Armstrong said.
“The weather forecast looks pretty good. We’re currently at a track rating of nine, but we’re expecting that to improve. We’ll probably get some pretty strong fields.
“We still have our eyes on the Winter Blues meeting on the 28th, so it’s only an 11-day turnaround for that.
“That will be three meetings in 28 days. In the middle of winter, it’s a fair bit of wear and tear.”
Nominations for the July 17 meeting closed at noon on Wednesday, with acceptances at 9am this Friday, July 14.
Race day entry will be free.