Racing: Ellerslie ready to take a new bow

Ellerslie has had a substantial facelift, including new grass, for the coming season. Photo / Brett Phibbs

New Zealand's premier track has passed its most important test and is ready for a comeback to racing next month.

Ellerslie has been out of action since after the Cup meeting in March, with over $700,000 spent on new drainage around the entire circuit.

But six months after the massive job started, the track is ready for racing a full month before the first meeting of the new season on October 27.

Horses were galloped at speed on all sections of the track yesterday morning, with pairs working right from the inside to the extreme outside of the new racing surface and the jockeys involved left thrilled.

"The track is perfect," said newly-crowned premiership winner Sam Collett. "They have done a fantastic job and the grass is like carpet. And you can't feel or see the new grass where the drains were put in when you're riding over it. It will be great to get back to racing here. I think we're all looking forward to it."

Serious horses such as Te Akau Shark and last season's 2000 Guineas winner Embellish were among those to sprint up in the refurbished track, with some speeding up down the home straight and others asked to increase their tempo out of the home straight or down the back straight to make sure all sections of the track were put under pressure.

NZTR steward Alan Coles gave the track his tick of approval.

"About a month ago, you could still see where the drains had gone in, just because of the slight difference in the grass, in some parts of the back straight, but that has grown out now and it is ready to go," said Coles.

After the success of yesterday's test run Ellerslie won't need to hold official trials or jumpouts before the comeback meeting.

"That was very satisfying," says ARC chief executive Paul Wilcox. "Not that we are surprised because the crew have done a great job with all the work and we expected it to pass with flying colours. But to hear the jockeys and trainers so happy with it is reassuring and we are all systems go now."

The October 27 meeting is likely to be boosted by Karaka Million winner Avantage returning to Ellerslie for the $70,000 Soliloquy as her final lead-up to the 1000 Guineas at Riccarton.

With that meeting also the same day Winx goes for her record fourth Cox Plate in Melbourne, Ellerslie has the chance to make a decent fuss of their first meeting in seven-and-a-half months.

The first major meeting of the new season is 10 days later for the annual Melbourne Cup day fixture, with Wilcox saying corporate bookings are already strong as racegoers prepare to end their Ellerslie drought.

The new stabling facilities, with greater public viewing and more open stalls, will also be partially in action for the comeback meeting because while one side will still be under construction with only an eight-race card that day, the sections all but completed will be sufficient to house enough horses.