The Manangatang Racing Club will soon have a new automated track irrigation system, thanks to a funding package of more than $60,000 backed by the Victorian Government.
Victorian Minister for Racing Martin Pakula announced that the Government would invest $30,000 from the Victorian Racing Industry Fund to support the upgrade of the watering infrastructure. The club is contributing $15,000 and Racing Victoria and Country Racing Victoria a combined $15,000.
The Manangatang Racing Club is an integral part of the community and each October the Cup meeting attracts around 3,000 visitors to the Mallee town of about 250 people. This year’s Cup was cancelled due to the pandemic, however this project will give the club a boost and significantly improve the track for future meetings.
The existing irrigation system is manually operated and time consuming for committee members and volunteers who maintain the track. It is also difficult to maintain a consistent water application across the track, which affects the evenness of the racing surface and also wastes water.
The project will see an upgrade of the existing irrigation lines and the installation of valves and pop-up sprinklers. This will ensure more efficient water coverage and a more consistent and safer racing surface.
The automatic system will allow watering at night and therefore reduce evaporation and save the club around $5,000 a year in water costs.
Since December 2014, the Victorian Government has provided more than $150,000 to support racing events and infrastructure projects at Manangatang.
The thoroughbred racing industry in regional Victoria generates more than $700 million for the Victorian economy each year and helps sustain more than 6,100 full-time-equivalent jobs.
Source: Vic Government