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Albany Racing Club track team begin minor renovations to the Percy Spencer Racecourse

Taj StubberAlbany Advertiser
Assistant track curator Shane Braimbridge on the freshly cut track.
Camera IconAssistant track curator Shane Braimbridge on the freshly cut track. Credit: Laurie Benson

Albany Racing Club’s track team have begun minor renovations to the Percy Spencer Racecourse, just a fortnight after the 2019-20 Great Southern season wrapped up.

An 800sqm section of turf between the 1200m and 1300m will be replaced as part of the track management, after the section became wet towards the end a lengthy 17-meeting season.

The ARC track team have cut 37mm of grass off the top of the track to prevent fungus from growing in the turf in the off-season.

The Albany venue remains a training facility despite no winter racing happening in the Great Southern.

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Track curator Trevor Ness said his team would manage the track maintenance closely.

“We are going to double core the track, we usually just single core it,” Ness said.

“We will try and get more air into the ground and bring the sand up to top dress and then drag it.

“The track doesn’t handle the long grass in the off season, it gets a lot of fungus.

“We will just keep on top of maintenance, mowing, fertiliser and spraying over the off-season.

“We have been offered a machine to soften the track by the (Perth Racing) team.”

Ness said the track had come through the season fantastic and heavy rainfall in the last few months has caused a minor problem with one small section of the track.

“I am more than happy with where it is at,” he said.

“There was a small patch that was giving us trouble at the end of the season, it was staying wet and got chopped up.

“We can improve it still and I think it will be a better track next season.”

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