Racing: Shutdown at home track

Auckland Cup day in March this year had to be transferred from its scheduled Saturday date to a Thursday twilight meeting after horrendous weather. Photo / Nick Reed

The home of Auckland racing is set to close for at least six months next year for extensive track drainage work.

The Auckland Racing Club will shut their iconic Ellerslie track down after the Cup meeting in March and while the re-opening date isn't certain it is hoped the track may be ready for racing by spring 2018.

The move is likely to see the ARC's two biggest jumps meetings, the Pakuranga Hunt day and Great Northern, move to Te Rapa, while the major flat racing meetings during the shut down period are likely to be held at Counties.

Closing Ellerslie for such a long period could be seen as a case of if it ain't totally broke, don't fix it, with the racing surface holding up remarkably well over a crazy busy time from the end of December to the Cup meeting in March.

Auckland Cup day this year had to be transferred from its scheduled Saturday date March 11 to a Thursday twilight after horrendous weather in the days leading up to the meeting left not only the track but important public and members' areas water-logged.

But what the ARC is trying to fix is not so much the way the track rebounds from its summer workload but how it handles the sometimes extreme wet of April-October, when Auckland often lacks the drying heat to aid the surface.

Rather than dig the entire track up at ludicrous expense, the club will put in drains 50cm below the surface every 5 metres around the entire track.

That will see nearly 350 individual drains dug, across the full width of the track, with the exception of the famous Ellerslie hill.

"We are very lucky in that we have a great track manager in Jason Fullford who does an amazing job but it needs better drainage, especially as it has a lot of clay in the base," says racing manager Craig Baker.

"We have meetings where we get really heavy tracks and sometimes they are still around in late September or October but we are hoping with improved drainage those really heavy tracks become a thing of the past."

But don't expect a huge boost in winter racing days at Ellerslie, even though some trainers are peeved by having to drive past New Zealand's main track to trek all the way to Ruakaka for key winter dates.

ARC chairman Paul Kenny says he has every confidence in successful tenderer, Ag and Turf, to deliver the improvements needed but the exact re-opening date next year has to be flexible.

"The Club is committed to getting positive results from its investments and it is critical the track has time to recover, and the correct testing regime is successful, before racing resumes," says Kenny.

"That said, we have every confidence in our project management and Ag and Turf to deliver the desired outcome in a reasonable timeframe so that we will be back racing at Ellerslie for late 2018.

"We strongly appreciate the support and understanding of every sponsor, member and industry participant with regards to this project, and hope they share our view that this will enhance our racing product, helping ensure its reputation is protected in the years to come."

Upgrading Ellerslie's racetrack drainage is the latest in a series of investments by the ARC over the past four years.

It joins the introduction of an outside plastic rail in the home straight, an upgraded track irrigation system, new starting gates, stakes increases, major facilities upgrade and a new indicator board.