The Caulfield racetrack will close for six months as the MRC begins to build a second track.
The Melbourne Racing Club has announced its intention of racing moving for six months from Caulfield to Sandown following the 2022 Spring Racing Carnival.
Plans are for the course proper to undergo renovation as the Club begins work on a second track at Caulfield, immediately inside the main track.
Work is expected to begin after the 2022 Zipping Classic meeting and will mean the MRC’s summer and autumn meetings will be transferred to Sandown, including the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes for two-year-olds.
The Zipping Classic, won by Sound, was transferred to Caulfield last year and moved to the end of November, two weeks later than traditionally run.
The inner track at Caulfield is part of a $300 million vision for Caulfield that was announced in 2019 and once built, and consolidated, will be able to host 45 meetings a year.
The track dimensions of the course proper will remain unchanged, while the inner track will have a circumference of 1870m with a home straight of 308m, six metres longer than the course proper.
MRC Chief Executive Officer Josh Blanksby says it’s an exciting time in the redevelopment at Caulfield, with the second track to play a pivotal role in Caulfield’s transformation into a world-class racing destination.
“The commencement of the track works signals a big step towards achieving our vision with the Caulfield masterplan and we are looking forward to starting works on this Stage of the redevelopment in December pending discussions with Heritage Victoria,” Blanksby said.
“The construction of the inner track will provide the Club with a level of racing that will arguably be the best in the state and allow us to diversify our product to appeal to a wider audience and attract new people to the sport, whilst retaining our loyal members and racing fans alike.”
Both the commencement of Caulfield’s track renovations and the final 2022/23 racing season calendar from Racing Victoria are to be confirmed, with the 2023 All-Star Mile set to be held at The Valley and Caulfield Racecourse to host in 2024.