Ballarat meeting moved to The Valley

An upcoming race meeting scheduled for Ballarat has been moved to a Melbourne course because of concerns over sections of the turf track.

Racing Victoria, in consultation with the Ballarat Turf Club, have moved this Sunday’s meeting to The Valley after stewards inspected the Ballarat turf track and decided certain sections past the winning post had suffered from recent racing and wet weather and would benefit from more time to recover.

Transferring the meeting to another country venue was considered but RV said The Valley was the best option.

Despite being moved to a city track, the meeting will retain its country race meeting status and will not count towards metropolitan premierships.

“In line with RV’s updated biosecurity protocols announced this morning, owners are reminded that they will not be permitted entry to Sunday’s race meeting at The Valley as the racecourse is located in a Local Government Area where Stage 3 ‘Stay at Home’ restrictions are in place,” RV said.

The next meeting on the Ballarat turf track is not until the Grand National Steeplechase meeting on August 23.