Saturday’s race meeting at Richmond in outback Queensland will see the first use of the Richmond Turf Club’s brand new stables.
Sixteen new stalls and two tack rooms have been installed thanks to a $171,000 project, funded jointly by Racing Queensland, the Richmond Turf Club and Richmond Shire Council.
"Country racing is the lifeblood of the industry across the Sunshine State, and we are pleased to see these projects delivered at Richmond,” Racing Minister Tim Mander said.
“More than 80 of Queensland’s 119 racing clubs are in communities where a race meeting is the biggest or second biggest annual event, signifying the vital importance of our investment in these asset and maintenance projects.
“Racing also helps to support almost 15,000 jobs across the state, and the Country Club Asset Funding program ensures that employment is sustained in the industry.”
Richmond usually hosts four meetings a year.
“It's a huge upgrade, everyone that's seen them is impressed and they are raving about how much of an asset it’s going to be for the next 50 years or more,” Richmond Turf Club president Nick Buick said.
“It’s a big win for the club and the community of Richmond - we want trainers to be based in these small towns as they bring a huge benefit to any town like Richmond and any club like ours.
“We want to have horses out here being trained and working, but without the facilities, we were never going to be able to host them.”
Racing Queensland also confirmed that the Longreach race meeting on September 27 and Thangool Race Club meeting on September 13 have been converted to TAB status.