Lock Racing Club will show off brand new fencing down the home straight and around the mounting yard when the non-TAB meeting on Wednesday, November 5 gets underway on the Eyre Peninsula.
The Lock committee has worked tirelessly to have the track ready for racing three months ahead of schedule. Lock is hosting the Wednesday meet in place of the Port Lincoln Racing Club who’ve had remedial works done on the track.
Trials are also scheduled for Lock after the last race on November 5.
“We have been a bit busy these past few years with all the improvements we’ve made,” said Lock Racing Club Secretary Jacqui Wiseman.
“We’ve got new fencing around the saddling enclosure which also travels on to where the finishing line is.
“Last year we put in another bank of tie-up stables for all the horses, so we’ve currently got 60 tie-up stables that we can use. We’ve put in new air conditioning in the stewards rooms and the jockey’s rooms, and have just managed to get hold of an ATCO hut to enlarge what we’ve currently got.
“We’re all farmers so we will endeavour to have the hut plumbed in and ready for the Lock Cup but we can’t guarantee it, so it’ll all come down to how long harvest goes for and if we have time in January. We are working on it but at this stage we’re saying the hut probably won’t be ready until the following year,” said Jacqui.
A substantial donation from the Schlink family has helped the club develop their infrastructure. Cropping has also brought in regular income.
“We actually have our own bit of land that we can do cropping on so that’s where the bulk of our money comes from. Some of the land is in the middle of the track and we have access to some land across from the racecourse itself.
“We have a cropping manager who’s on our committee and everyone takes out bits of machinery when they can to help and then we sell our grain.
“We were also lucky enough to be given a donation from life member Gerald Schlink after he passed away. Gerald was highly involved in the breeding side on the Eyre Peninsula and we used that money to build the new stables,” said Jacqui.
The club’s recent AGM was the biggest yet with 16 members currently on the committee to help share the load. They’re also planning celebrations for the club’s 60th year that will centre around the Lock Cup on Sunday, February 15.
“With harvest about to start it’s a particularly busy time for the Lock committee so to take on the Port Lincoln meet three months ahead of when they would normally race has been a massive effort and we’re very grateful for all the work they’ve done,” said Racing SA’s Infrastructure Project Manager Sean Callanan.
“We are so impressed with how proactive the committee is and they are always seeking ways to improve their facilities.
“The ATCO hut has shower and toilet facilities and will eventually be attached to the current jockey rooms which will create more space for the ever-growing female rider ranks. The outside rail down the last 100 metres is another great addition which will make the track safer for spectators, horses and riders,” said Sean.
The Lock track will be inspected this week by Racing SA