RACING
Coonamble
back on track
A new irrigation system has helped to put country NSW’s Coonamble racecourse back on the map
O
n the Coonamble Jockey Club’s Facebook page it says, “You’ll find us out west where the people are friendlier, the dirt is redder and the beer is colder.” Well, they can now add “and the track is greener” after the club completed a major irrigation system upgrade ahead of hosting its biggest race meet in years this past March. Boasting a population of around 3000, Coonamble is located about 160km north of Dubbo in the central-western plains of NSW. Country racing meets are significant events for regional townships like Coonamble and on 15 March 2020 it hosted one of its biggest for the first time – the Western Country Championship Qualifier run over 1400m. An initiative of Racing NSW, The Country Championships were launched in 2015 and 32
writes HydroPlan’s Scott Johnstone. comprise seven qualifying races at various regional racecourses, with the first and second place-getters going on to race as part of The Star Championships meet at Royal Randwick in Sydney during the autumn carnival. To ensure the Coonamble track was at its peak for its Country Championship debut, in 2019 Racing NSW and Coonamble Jockey Club jointly funded a major upgrade to the track’s irrigation infrastructure. HydroPlan was commissioned to design and project manage the complete upgrade of the Course Proper, which included installation of a VFD pump station, auto filter, PC and remote-controlled central control system and valve-in-head rotors. The new infrastructure tapped into the existing track ring main and course’s recycled water storage which were completed a number of years earlier.
AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.6
Racecourses have very specific requirements in relation to how they irrigate the track leading into a race meeting, as well as the limited hours each night available to irrigate due to early morning training and track work. Prior to doing a detailed design, there are several unique parameters which require close communication with the track manager or stakeholders that operate and use the track. They include; l The system must be designed to have the hydraulic and control capacity to deliver a full irrigation cycle to the entire track during peak season within a limited time window and on the available days. l The placement of rotors in relation to posts and running rails to ensure minimal interference with the rotor stream and safety of the horses.
