Caulfield ready for raceday return after jumpouts
Caulfield Racecourse is edging closer to its return to raceday action, following a set of jumpouts held on Tuesday morning.
Racing has not been held at Caulfield since November 26, 2022, when the Group 2 Zipping Classic (2400m) helped bring to a close another Melbourne Spring Carnival.
A full-scale upgrade to the track has been conducted, including the construction of an inner track.
As part of the $300 million redevelopment announced in 2019, the second track immediately inside the course proper will cater for increased racing at the venue and pave the way for the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) to race at Caulfield up to 45 times a year.
The second track, named ‘The Heath’, will not be in operation until early 2024, with the aim to host twilight meetings each Wednesday during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.
Installation of lights for The Heath are aimed to be completed by spring 2025, with the MRC eager to host night racing at Caulfield.
The track dimensions of the current course proper will remain unchanged after the renovation.
All 10 metropolitan meetings scheduled for Caulfield from December 2022 until the end of the current racing season have been held at Sandown Racecourse.
Nine races are scheduled to be held on Saturday, June 24, just over two months out from Caulfield’s first Group 1 race of the 2023/24 racing season – the Group 1 Memsie Stakes.