A North Queensland jockey club is gearing up for its first race meeting in three years, following a long awaited track rebuild.
Charters Towers Jockey Club will re-open the gates on Saturday March 2 for a five-race meeting, the first time the club has featured on the Racing Queensland calendar since 2021.
Towers Jockey Club secretary Sally Kirkwood said it had been a long road getting the track to meet racing standards.
"About five years ago there used to be about 50 horses training here every morning and the track was in a bad way. After some strategic planning we highlighted our top priorities which included a track upgrade," Ms Kirkwood said.
"We applied for the first round of country racing funding for a track upgrade and were successful. Racing Queensland handled the management procurement of the track project and we worked with them and tried to stay involved, but at the end of the day it came back to them. So they did the first track upgrade, it was mismanaged and when Queensland Racing Integrity Commission conducted the safety audit it didn't meet standards.
"So then we had to conduct a second upgrade, which included rectifying the lime base and rebuilding, a brand new inside running rail and irrigation inside and out. We still have a couple of little teething issues that come with earthworks as it takes time to settle."
Ms Kirkwood said when the club received the green light from QRIC, it was like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.
"QRIC came up and we did trials on the track two weeks ago and even though the track is heavy, it is consistent and they've deemed it safe, so we have the go ahead for our first race meeting," she said.
"Even though this process has been really challenging, the end goal has outweighed the challenges. Everyone has been so motivated to get this end result and it is amazing to see it come to fruition.
"Racing Queensland have said they will work with us and the contractor to make sure the track keep getting better and better as it settles and recent rain will help with that also."
This is not only the first race meeting on a brand new track but also in a brand new facility after completing upgrades to the clubhouse infrastructure.
"We've got new barriers, a new clubhouse, new water infrastructure, new race tower and new TAB facilities, so what the club has achieved in the last three years is nothing short of incredible and everyone is very excited.
"We've been doing a lot of work making sure all our systems work, and we had a race caller come out for our trial to make sure our PA system works, so hopefully on the day we don't have as many teething issues.
"The time between getting the track completed and having our race meeting is such a short window, then throw in the rain, it has been all hands on deck to make sure everything is working and ready."
Looking further ahead Ms Kirkwood would like to see Charters Towers become a racing training hub for North Queensland horses and staff.
"We have lobbied hard that our club has the potential to be a major training hub. Five years ago there used to be 50 horses that would train here, we've got a better climate than the coast, we don't have the humidity and I believe horses perform better here. There is enough land here to expand our facilities and build on-course stabling here," she said.
"There is also a massive shortage in the industry of staff, jockeys, track-work riders, stablehands, farriers, the list goes on, so Charters Towers has the capability to be a training hub for staff.
"Our push has been that in Charters Towers we have a lot of country kids come to boarding school here and a lot of kids want to work with horses and the racing industry gives them a massive opportunity to work and get paid and pathways to move through the industry further.
"There are kids from our region that have moved onto big things and we could make this a fantastic educational hub and feed into these roles where the industry is facing shortages.
"Charters Towers is the gateway between the country and the coast and we have the potential to link North Queensland's racing industry."
The race meeting on March 2 is expected to be a soft meeting ahead of the club's grand opening in June.
Towers Jockey Club calendar includes; May 12 - Mother's Day Races, June 22 - Cup Day, as well as race meetings in October and December.
Samantha Campbell
Samantha Campbell (nee Walton) has worked for regional and rural publications across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. She is currently writing for the North Queensland Register based in North West Queensland. Email: samantha.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Samantha Campbell (nee Walton) has worked for regional and rural publications across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. She is currently writing for the North Queensland Register based in North West Queensland. Email: samantha.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
