Benalla return pushed back to January as rebuilt track needs more time
Racing Victoria (RV), Country Racing Victoria and the Benalla Racing Club have decided to give Benalla’s rebuilt surface more time to consolidate after a spell of cooler and wetter weather.
The seven-race meeting set down for December 12, the same day as the Southside Pakenham Cup metropolitan meeting, has been removed from the calendar rather than transferred. The track is now scheduled to resume on Monday, January 11.
“The Benalla track rebuild is progressing well, however, following a recent period of cooler and wetter than expected weather, it was determined that allowing additional time for consolidation would ensure the best long-term outcome for the surface,” RV said.
RV said the number of December meetings in the state’s north-east was a key consideration in not transferring the fixture. Wangaratta races on December 5 and 22, Seymour on December 17 and 27, and Bendigo on December 1, 13 and 30.
RV’s Racing Operations team will assess the schedule over that period and decide whether races need to be divided. RV took the same approach with Echuca’s New Year’s Eve meeting, which was removed after that track’s upgrade was brought forward.
Benalla has not raced since its Cup meeting in September 2025. Work then began on the $3 million redevelopment, which widens the track from 16 metres to 19 metres, installs new drainage and irrigation, and resurfaces the turf. The works were initially expected to be finished in March 2026, before the April race dates announcement set a December resumption.
The venue was home to 15 trainers and 300 horses when the project was announced. Once it resumes, it is scheduled to race once a month through to April, with its Gold Cup meeting on March 21.
