Bunbury Turf Club chief executive Alex Doble pleased with course’s response to wet debut winter meet

Bunbury Turf Club’s winter racing debut on Sunday went off without a hitch on Sunday despite inclement weather, with chief executive Alex Doble saying he was pleased with the course’s response to the wet conditions. A $30 million redevelopment has given the club the ability to stage year-round racing, which was not previously possible in the wetter months due to drainage issues and lower-lying sections of the course becoming flooded. Doble said it was pleasing to see the course “tick the first box” by holding up amid the heavy falls on both race day and in the days prior. “The track held together well ... even (on Tuesday), there’s not too much wear and tear out there,” he said. “(The drainage) is doing what it’s meant to do, which is really pleasing. “We had 150mm (of rain) in the lead-up, so it was definitely a winter raceday.” Doble said being able to stage year-round racing was “very important” for local participants and the industry at large. “In the past, they would’ve had to travel to race meetings because we weren’t racing at all,” he said. “It just allows them to have a better spread of race meetings in their own backyard, so it reduces their travel load. “We had a couple of local trainers win for the first time on the new track, which was good to see.” The club will host another five race meetings across June and July, including the South West Cup on June 30, before the new season starts. “The new dates have just been released and we keep rolling, we roll into August, September, October,” Doble said. “We just keep rolling into March now, which is very exciting.” The next meeting at the club is scheduled for Wednesday, with race days also set for July 4, July 11 and July 25.