Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) Chief Executive Officer Steve Griffin has today confirmed that work on the new Lithgow greyhound track is complete, with trials commencing next week and racing set to return to the Central West on November 2, as scheduled, ending a four-year absence of local racing following the closure of Bathurst in 2022.
With the track completed, the racetrack was handed to GRNSW last Monday, and the first trials will be held on Monday, October 19 commencing at 10.30am. Further trial sessions will take place on October 22, race simulation trials will be held on October 26, and a final trial session held on October 29.
The opening race meeting will be a twilight card on November 2, with GRNSW planning a gala opening on Sunday November 15, providing an opportunity for the broader community to see the upgraded facility.
“After four long years, racing is back in the Central West, and we’re delighted to have delivered on our commitment to local participants,” Mr Griffin said.
“When we stood at Lithgow with the Minister for Racing the Hon David Harris and local member Paul Toole in December last year we committed to having the track ready to race before the end of 2026, and there were a lot of sceptics.
“There had been previous setbacks with this project, so we understood the importance of getting it right and delivering for local participants who care deeply about their dogs and the sport.
“We knew how important this track was on the western side of the Blue Mountains and it has remained a priority for me and the GRNSW team over the past 10 months.
“Both Brian Charman, our Chief of Racing, and I have made regular visits to the site at Lithgow to ensure work was on track, and I’m delighted to see racing return to Lithgow in November, as promised.”
Mr Griffin said that like all projects there were unexpected issues which saw costs escalate such as unforeseen landfill including asbestos, alongside a deliberate decision by GRNSW to invest further in upgrading the club and its facilities as an industry-owned asset.
As such, upgrades to the kennels, club amenities and surrounds which were not part of the original scope of works, were added, along with the construction of a new stewards and judge’s tower.
Work commenced in January and saw a complete rebuild of the racetrack to meet minimum track standards including the installation of a new rail system, with a SafeChase lure, while the kennel block and public amenities have been refurbished.
Broadcast-standard lighting averaging 900 lux was installed, and the tower, which will be used by the judge, stewards and for broadcasters – similar to the modular design in place at Taree – was also added to the track.
The racetrack itself was widened and now has radii of 52.7 metres and a new 620m start.
The maintenance shed was demolished and rebuilt, and enhancement work was undertaken on the main entrance to the facility, providing a more welcoming experience for patrons.
“I think visitors to the new facility are going to be very impressed with what we have done at Lithgow, and the end result is exactly what the long-suffering participants on that side of the Blue Mountains deserve,” Mr Griffin said.
“When we open for racing it will have been four very long years since locals and participants in the Central West have had a racetrack of their own with the Bathurst track closing in November 2022 following flooding.
“This facility at Lithgow will not only serve those greyhound participants west of the Mountains, but I envisage many will make the trek from this side to race there regularly once they see this safe, state of the art facility up and running.”