COFFS Harbour Racing Club are the beneficiaries of a State Government grant of $500,000 announced by Member for Coffs Harbour Mr Gurmesh Singh on Friday last week.

The funds will allow the Racing Club to install a trackside irrigation system that will use recycled water from the nearby sewage treatment plant.

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Racing and Club Manager Mr Tim Saladine told News Of The Area, “This will save us a lot of work, currently setting up and shifting the irrigation to water the track can take up to four days, and this new system will do the same job overnight and help us enhance safety of the track for the 16 racing events that we hold each year.”

The announcement came just a week before the 56th annual Coffs Harbour Gold Cup, held on Thursday August 5, which had sold out the two and a half thousand seats allowed under pandemic restrictions over a week prior to the event.

Mr Saladine also mentioned that as far as he was aware racing was the only sport in the area that did not stop at all since pandemic restrictions were introduced.

Mr Singh said, “Coffs Harbour Racing Club has a rich and illustrious history, stemming back to 1885, and as the local MP I’m proud to have been able to play a role in making the facility even better.

“This investment from the NSW Government will allow the upgrade to the track’s irrigation system, meaning the club can prepare pristine surfaces for the horses and jockeys.

“This is fantastic news for the people of Coffs Harbour as the flow-on effects of these upgrades will reach every corner of our community, as racegoers stay in local hotels, eat at local cafes and shop in local stores.”

The Racing Club expects to call tenders for the project by the end of August with a view to having the work completed before summer.

By David TUNE