Track’s back in harness

Cranbourne Harness Racing Club chief executive David Scott and track maintenance supervisor Graeme Maher inspect the club’s new $500,000 track upgrades. 27323 Picture: Stewart Chambers

By Stuart Teather
CRANBOURNE’S harness racing layout is ready to roll after a $500,000 track upgrade was completed two weeks ahead of schedule.
The timing is fortunate as the club picked up a race meeting from Yarra Valley, as the track there is being used as a staging point to combat bushfires in the area.
The meet was originally planned for Cranbourne, but was moved, as the upgrades were not expected to be completed in time.
Chief executive officer David Scott said his club was thrilled to have the meeting moved back to Cranbourne.
“It’s terrific, all our track works have been completed ahead of schedule,” he said.
“We planned a trial fixture for Saturday, 28 February, but we’re ready to go now.”
The major changes to the track include an increased camber on the turns – the banking of the corner – and spiral turns have also been included.
The camber, increased from between seven and eight per cent to 12.5 per cent, is designed to reduce stress on the horses.
“We think it will promote faster and more competitive racing and also reduce the possibility of stress-related injuries,” Scott said.
As for the spiral turns, Scott explained it meant the increased camber on the corners began earlier on the track.
“It means the turn starts partly in the straight and carries around into the straight. As the camber starts to increase – that actually starts to occur in the straight – they’re already making the transition into a steeper camber before they start to go around the corner,” he said.
The meeting was held on Wednesday afternoon, after The News went to print.
Scott said he expected the meet to show how effective the upgrades were.
“It provides a good opportunity for us to view first hand how our trackworks have come through.”
Meanwhile, Cranbourne thoroughbred star Apache Cat bounced back from a recent form slump with an emphatic victory at Moonee Valley last Saturday.
Running in the Australia Stakes, The Cat cruised to a three-length victory with new jockey Damien Oliver on board, beating hot favourite Weekend Hussler in the process.