Racing returns to Bunbury, including standalone Saturday meeting and massive New Year’s Eve

Trackwork has returned to Bunbury Turf Club with racing a few months away, after being absent for more than two years during redevelopment. Now complete, the $30 million redevelopment provides state-of-the art facilities for spectators, trainers, riders and horses and critically improved drainage and lifting of the track enables racing throughout winter rather than stopping in April as previously. Trainers, jockeys and horses have been testing out the new track for the past three months, with racing now to return on October 26 — almost two and a half years since the last race before redevelopment in May 2021. For Burekup-based Limerick Park Training and Agistment trio Graham Yuill, Kyra Yuill and Shelby Colgate, completing work again in Bunbury has cut down significantly on travel time and resources. “It’s been absolutely massive,” Mr Yuill said. Bunbury Turf Club chief executive and racing manager Alex Doble, who worked closely with participants and stakeholders on the project, said an annual racing cycle would be implemented from June to May from 2024-25, which would include a two-month renovation period. “The new traditional timeslot for the annual track renovation will basically be the meeting after Bunbury Cup,” Mr Doble said. “We’ll break for track renovation in March every year and Bunbury will return to racing in June. So we will be basically running from the first week in June to the middle of March. “The beauty of this is, it’s a perfect time to do the renovation and turn the track around in a timely manner — where previously we did our renovation over winter, which was pretty much counter-productive, as for three of those six months the track was dormant. “It wasn’t really conducive for regrowth, so with those strong, warmer weather months, we’ll be able to turn the track around for winter racing in Bunbury, which will be a first-ever.” He expected crowds would return for the standalone Saturday meeting allocated for the Bunbury Cup and Stakes, but also a meeting for New Year’s Eve, which this year will fall on a Sunday. “New Year’s Eve will be a day meeting, running into the early evening,” Doble said. “Obviously there’ll be some extra activities around the race on the day, which will allow everyone enough time so they can get to where they need to in the evening.” In previous years, the Bunbury Turf Club has offered a looped shuttle bus service on Bunbury Cup/Stakes Day to take spectators to and from the Bunbury CBD. Mr Doble didn’t rule out the opportunity for this service to be extended to the New Year’s Eve meeting. “We’re always looking to work with other local businesses collaboratively to cross-promote each other’s activities,” he said. “We are definitely not against it. I mean, another date which springs to mind (including the bus service) is Friday, January 26, Australia Day, with all of the activities organised by the City of Bunbury in terms of fireworks. “That is another date earmarked for shuttle busses — spend the day with us at the track and we can shuttle you back into town for the fireworks in the evening.” Twenty meetings will be held at the Bunbury Turf club during the 2023-24 season.