The Australian Turf Club will use Canterbury's racecourse as its model when it rebuilds the inner track at Royal Randwick, the Kensington track, according to Racing.com. The Kensington track has had issues since it was opened in October 2013 and has not been used for racing since November of 2014.
“The ATC has conducted with Racing NSW a detailed and diligent study into the best way forward for the Kensington track, and feels that starting from scratch gives us the best long-term future,” ATC chief executive Darren Pearce told Racing.com. “We have held extensive discussions with a wide range of industry experts and participants and while this has taken some time, we are taking every measure to achieve an optimum long-term result for the industry.
“Canterbury is the best racing surface we have in Sydney and one that is the most consistent,” he added. “We've got a profile that works sitting under our nose so we don't need to go outside the square so to speak. We will be building a modern version of Canterbury's profile and drainage.”
“At the heart of the new design will be an amplified drainage system which we are confident will allow the track to perform across the year, especially during periods of poor weather,” Pearce continued. “We hope to start work as soon as possible to take advantage of the optimum weather conditions during the spring and summer months of 2016 for construction and early growth, and aim to be back racing on the Kensington track in the summer of 2017.”
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