WARRNAMBOOL has picked up the $200,000 Grand National Hurdle and the $100,000 Crisp Steeplechase on July 12 after Racing Victoria transferred 10 race meetings set down for Sandown over the next few months.
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The Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) advised RV earlier this week remedial work had to be undertaken at Sandown to help return the surface to its optimum standard for the start of the 2015-16 season on August 1.
Warrnambool Racing Club chief executive officer John Green said the club was delighted to help out the Melbourne Racing Club with its dilemma.
“It’s bad luck that Sandown has lost 10 meetings but it’s a wonderful result for us and a few other clubs,” Green said.
“With the Grand National Hurdle and the Crisp being run at Warrnambool, our meeting now has metropolitan prizemoney.
We were originally offering $165,000 in stakemoney now it’s $510,000. The flat races on that day will be worth $35,000 which is tremendous for local trainers as they would normally be $17,500 races.”
Under the changes, Hamilton will run three restricted jumps races on June 1 and Casterton has three programmed for July 19, which was originally Warrnambool’s race date.
RV racing operations manager Paul Bloodworth said that all 10 of the meetings transferred from Sandown would retain metropolitan status and prizemoney, despite most of those meetings being held at regional venues.
“We have moved two of the transferred Sandown meetings to metropolitan tracks Moonee Valley and Flemington, with a third to be hosted by the Melbourne Racing Club at Caulfield or Mornington,” he said.
“The remaining seven, which retain metropolitan prizemoney and status, will be hosted by our premium regional venues.
“Nine additional regional meeting transfers have been required to ensure this could occur and also to accommodate the jumps races which were programmed at William Hill Park and can only be held at a handful of Victorian venues.
“We’re pleased that all of the feature jumps races will be run, including the Grand National Hurdle which will be held at Warrnambool on July 12, and the Grand National Steeplechase which will now be held at Ballarat on July 26.”
