There will be no metropolitan racing in Adelaide early in the new year as the two Morphettville tracks are given a breather following a heavy workload.
And to facilitate further works later in the year, meetings will be transferred from the city tracks during May and July.
Adelaide has two city tracks, both at Morphettville, following the sale of Cheltenham and the closure of Victoria Park as a racing venue.
Meetings on the two tracks in January have been moved to Gawler, Oakbank and the new Murray Bridge course.
The transfers followed consultation between Thoroughbred Racing SA and the South Australian branch of the Australian Trainers Association.
Morphettville racecourse operations manager, Ian Ricardo, said the break would ensure the tracks were presented in the best possible condition from February onwards.
“The turf tracks certainly had a heavier than normal workload over the winter months,” Ricardo said.
“The installation of the new sand fibre track meant we doubled the training days on the turf for almost three months and we also handled a Balaklava meeting that had to be rescheduled.
“Having said that, we were really pleased with how the turf tracks have raced throughout the year.
“They’ve held up extremely well, however, having a month’s break from racing will allow us to do a full renovation on one track in January while the other handles training.
“It’s all about ensuring our tracks look and perform at their best through the year.”
