Training push

By Kath Gannaway
YARRA Valley Racing Centre will have to prove a sound business case to get a thoroughbred training facility returned to Yarra Glen.
The training track at Yarra Glen was washed away when the track flooded in 2010 forcing local trainers to either relocate or, in some cases, give up all or part of their training work.
With the $2.6million rebuild of the track now underway there is a push to get a commitment for the reinstatement of the YVRC as a thoroughbred training centre.
Trainer Mark Ashton works his horses on his Yarra Glen property, but says a proper training facility is needed to rebuild the industry and get trainers back in work.
“I used to have 40 runners a year, sometimes more, but we have virtually stopped training and gone back to breaking in horses because we just can’t do it well without a proper training track,” he said.
“I have six horses I could put into work again if we had the training track, but we’ve had to farm them out to other trainers.”
Yarra Glen’s leading trainer Shane Nichols has been operating out of Mornington for a year but says he would return to Yarra Glen if he could train there.
“I have a property and a family, so I would definitely be looking to return,” Mr Nichols said.
As head of the Yarra Glen Trainers Association, he campaigned with the YVRC to have the training facility retained when it was under threat in 2009.
Funding was finally approved for a new training track and ongoing maintenance for the next five years, but that was wiped out when the track washed away and there have been no guarantees by Country Racing Victoria or Racing Victoria that it will be a given as part of the redevelopment.
YVRC CEO Brett Shambrook said the club would be happy to have the centre operate as a training facility.
“All the issues that were in play when we were pushing for training to continue three years ago have not changed.
“I drove that then and we succeeded, and the club’s position now is that we would be happy to again have training back at Yarra Glen,” he said.
He estimated the cost of reconstructing the training track at between $150,000 and $200,000 but said the key to operating a training facility was whether Racing Victoria was prepared to reinstate the training tracks maintenance fund which covers the cost associated with training.
“The track is provided free to trainers and we need that maintenance funding to cover track maintenance, cleaning the sheds and other costs,” Mr Shambrook said.
Mr Nichols said he had been in constant contact with the YVRC since the floods and was working in conjunction with the racing club to try to get the process moving to get training back.
Minister for Racing Denis Napthine, as opposition spokesman on racing, argued strongly in 2008 for the retention of thoroughbred training in Yarra Glen but would only say it will be considered in the future.
“The priority shared by the club, Country Racing Victoria, Racing Victoria and the Coalition Government is to get racing back at Yarra Valley through our $2.6 million rebuild of the track,” he said.
“When racing is successfully returned to the Yarra Valley, if the club can put forward a sound business case for the reintroduction of training, it will be considered.”