First meeting of new Great Southern season moved to Albany after Mt Barker track deemed unsafe for racing

Mt Barker Turf Club’s nightmare track issues have risen to the surface again, forcing the shifting of the opening meeting of the Great Southern season next week. Racing and Wagering WA confirmed on Friday that Mt Barker’s Frost Park track had failed an inspection by stewards on Thursday in the lead-up to the 2023-24 season. A meeting was set to be run at Mt Barker on Sunday, November 5 but that fixture has now been moved to Albany. Stewards found the track was not in a state that an entire meeting could be run on, citing insufficient grass coverage in the home straight as a major concern. “RWWA stewards inspected the Mt Barker Turf Club facilities on October 26 ahead of the race meeting scheduled for November 5,” RWWA chief integrity officer Denis Borovica said. “They concluded the racecourse was not ready to hold a race meeting due to issues with the track surface. “Grass cover was insufficient on part of the straight, with the area likely to deteriorate over the course of several races to the point where the surface would become inconsistent and pose a risk to horses and riders. “Stewards also inspected the Albany track and found it to be in excellent condition so to ensure certainty for the industry, the decision was made to move the November 5 race meeting from Mt Barker to Albany. “The Mt Barker track is expected to be in suitable racing condition for later meetings this season.” MBTC holds six of the 20 allocated meetings in the Great Southern every season. The second meeting of the season set down for Mt Barker is on December 7. The latest development comes on the back of years of issues with the Mt Barker surface, with a host of meetings either lost or transferred to other venues. Their first meeting last season was transferred to Albany due to poor weather and after heavy rain made the track unsafe. In the 2021-22 season Mt Barker lost two meetings, one after a nearby dam burst and flooded a section of the track and the other from heavy rainfall. They also lost their biggest meeting Grapes and Gallops in 2020-21 and track issues have plagued the club for several seasons. Sunday week’s season opener was supposed to be Pretty In Pink Day for the MBTC. President Stephen Carter said water in the ruts left by the tyres of a heavy vehicle was the cause of the issue. “The history is that at some stage a heavy vehicle has been on the early part of the home straight when it was soft over winter and left some ruts,” he said. “Heavy rain a few weeks ago has filled the ruts up and with the winter issue with Mt Barker, they haven’t dried up quickly or drained away. “We’ve spent a lot of money on the track in the last couple of years, following the advice of RWWA turf consultants and Perth Racing track curators. “But we are at the mercy of the weather, if it’s a long or late winter we are in trouble. “Running our first meeting a couple of weeks later would really help us, rather than being the first of the season.”