Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) has announced today that the 2022, Group 2 Richmond Derby and Group 2 Richmond Oaks will be run in June.
Heats of both events were scheduled to be run later this month with both finals to be held on March 4, but last week GRNSW and the NSW Minister for Hospitality and Racing, Kevin Anderson announced that the Richmond track would undergo a major renovation and upgrade which will commence next Monday and take between four and six weeks.
As a result, Richmond meetings were transferred to different venues, but an announcement on the timing of the club’s two feature events was delayed to allow GRNSW to find the ideal space in the Group racing calendar.
It can be confirmed now that the heats of the Richmond Derby and Oaks will be held on Friday, June 17, with the $40,000 to the winner finals to be held a week later on Friday, June 24.
Funding of almost $700,000 from the Government’s Capital Grants Program was approved for the Richmond project and among the scope of work, the track will be reshaped for better and safer geometry and transitioning of running surface, with the track sand surface to be replaced.
One of the most significant upgrades to the track will see two new starting positions put in place, with the 535m distance becoming 520m, and the 330m moving to 320m. With a new rail and change to the circumference of the circuit from 457m to 463m, all race distances will change slightly.
The new distances post reconstruction will be: 320m, 401m, 520m, 622m and 722m.
A new dual carriage lure rail and post system to cater for a Safe Chase remote lure and a cable lure and new LED light fittings to light track circumference from the grandstand and track poles will be installed, along with track and infrastructure cosmetic upgrades and adjustments to the Isolynx data and track system, and the irrigation system.
GRNSW’s Racing Operations team rescheduled the meetings which were programmed when the track will be closed.
The Friday meetings scheduled for February 18 and 25 and March 11, 18 and 25, will be moved to Wentworth Park, while the meeting for Friday, March 4, will not be held.
The Richmond Straight Track will race in place of the Richmond Circle Track on Wednesdays February 16 and 23, March 2, 9, 16 and 23.
The Sunday meeting on February 27 will now be held at Bulli, the meeting on March 6 will move to Gunnedah and the Sunday meetings on March 13 and 20 will be held at Temora.
The Richmond Straight meetings on February 15 and 22 will be cancelled.
