Twenty-one abandonments in 10 weeks: Does NSW need synthetic racetracks?

Cover image courtesy of Global Turf

NSW recorded 13 abandoned meetings in May 2026. Two others were postponed and another eight were transferred to different venues. A further eight meetings were abandoned across June and the first half of July, with five transferred elsewhere. In total, 21 NSW meetings have been abandoned in 10 weeks.

Across the same time period, Victoria has had one meeting abandoned and six transferred to another track, including three to a synthetic surface, while Queensland has had one meeting abandoned and four transferred to a synthetic surface.

Racing depends heavily on wagering turnover, while abandoned meetings also deny owners and trainers the opportunity to compete for prizemoney. Transferring a meeting is therefore preferable to losing it altogether, and synthetic tracks can provide that option regardless of the weather. The question is whether their differences from turf make them the right solution for NSW.

Victorian trainers love synthetics in winter

Pakenham-based trainer Mick Price summed it up best when asked about the role of synthetic surfaces in winter in Victoria.

“The pros are that during winter in Melbourne we don’t miss a meeting, and Pakenham seems to race truly. It’s a track that has a purpose but isn’t a replacement for grass. A good grass track, properly prepared, ensures a horse gets footing and give,” Mick Price said.

The only abandoned meeting in Victoria in the past 10 weeks was Echuca on June 2, due to surface water and persistent rain.

“Ballarat plays a really important role for racing in winter in this area of the state and Pakenham plays a similar role on the other side of the state,” Ballarat Turf Club CEO Sam Bingley said.

“We've recently resurfaced the synthetic track, and that project, while not fully complete, is at a point where it is safe and able to be raced on. Since 19 June, we've raced, and including today, we will have raced 10 times on the synthetic track in 29 days. That includes three transferred meetings.”

Two of those transferred meeting were from Ballarat’s own turf surface and one was from Warracknabeal.

“We would anticipate further transfer meetings as the winter goes on from other tracks, given we're only halfway through,” Bingley said. “We're not even halfway through winter and we've already had the total average rainfall for winter in Ballarat.

“It’s been a very wet year. In that period from June 19, we've also run 3 sets of jump outs on the synthetic track. There's no issue in the context of weather or water. Those jump outs have been more popular than they would have otherwise been because there's been so many sets of jump outs in Western Victoria that have been cancelled because of the weather.”

Quality of surface is the key to racing

Abandoned meetings mean lost wagering turnover and fewer opportunities for owners and trainers to earn prizemoney. Pakenham hosts around 22 meetings each year on its synthetic surface, while Ballarat hosts about 16. The Ballarat track was commissioned in 2018 at a cost of $9 million.

“We love racing and we want what’s best,” Manny Gelagotis said.

“Have a look at every human sport. The first comment people make is have a look at the facility. If you have a good facility, you’ll get good customers. It’s important that we remember this. Grass or synthetic, we have to be better for the trainers, the owners and the punters. The tracks, no matter what sort, have to be right to give everyone stability.”

Ballarat recently completed a full renovation of its synthetic surface, a process Bingley said is required approximately every six or seven years.

“The project involved complete removal of the existing old surface, and application of a brand new surface,” said Bingley.

“Naturally there's upkeep and maintenance to turf tracks as well. Turf tracks will have an annual maintenance, an annual renovation that will see them out of use for around six to eight weeks.”

Bingley confirmed that the synthetic track doesn’t require this annual regeneration, but does require the six-yearly complete rehabilitation.

“The work on ours started in very early April and we should have been complete by mid-May but there were some complications. If the project had gone according to plan, it would have been about four weeks. That's an inconvenience for our trainers, obviously, who use it every day but it is literally once every six years.”

Resurfacing the synthetic does interrupt daily training because it is heavily used for trackwork. The course proper is generally not used for that purpose, allowing it to undergo its annual six-to-eight-week renovation with less disruption to trainers.

“It's so infrequent that it's not that relevant. We are also fortunate that as well as the course proper and the synthetic track, we have two sand tracks and an inner grass track (for trackwork) plus we have our uphill synthetic track as well, which is 1400 metres straight track uphill.”

Ballarat’s other training tracks allowed local trainers to continue exercising horses during the synthetic track’s rehabilitation.

“It's an incredibly popular surface from a training and track work point of view, but from a racing point of view, the surface can have challenges with the level of kick back, and some jockeys and horses don’t like that. That's something that trainers and jockeys at times can be critical of. Each track will be slightly different too.”

The kick back issue

Gelagotis noted that the same contractor installed the synthetic surfaces at Pakenham and Ballarat, yet the two tracks perform quite differently, with Ballarat producing considerably more kickback.

“Synthetic racing is a must in modern racing. We have an outstanding track at Pakenham and a problem at Ballarat. I almost fell off my chair when I found out they were the same contractor,” said Gelagotis.

“Having one (at Ballarat) is a must. It’s the biggest club in that area, it’s a vibrant club, and the track is needed to provide a service in winter. If we didn’t have it, we’d be in a lot of trouble. We need Ballarat firing on all cylinders.”

Gelagotis suggested the difference may partly relate to climate, although no clear link has been established. Ballarat is considerably colder in winter, with an average June high of 11C and low of 4C, compared with 14C and 7C at Pakenham.

“I prefer Pakenham to Ballarat which has too much kick back and horses and jockeys don’t like that as it stings, which may affect performance. We tend to sit three deep there to avoid it,” Price said.

“With synthetics, you have to be careful as they can firm up and then don’t have enough cushion because then horses can dig in. We find the injury we get is the high suspensory injury, and we want close to no injuries.

“The number one enemy in racing is concussion. Horses are full gallop are under plenty of pressure, you don’t want too firm a surface, grass or synthetic.”

Gelagotis agreed that firmness can become a concern. His stable manages the risk by asking horses to gallop more slowly on synthetic surfaces than on turf.

“If you ask trainers at Warwick Farm, it’ll be a critical arm in their training tracks. It’s a firmer surface too. It’s not all rosy, but the one at Pakenham is outstanding. Good base with a good cushion,” said Gelagotis.

“Forgiving tracks are a must. The way horse racing is raced and treated, we need forgiving tracks. Having a quality synthetic surface is important to racing and track work. Most of the 50 odd clubs (in Victoria) don’t have the funds to improve the drainage (on their turf). We need to invest properly (to avoid abandonments).”

Should NSW be investing in a synthetic racing surface?

NSW and the ACT already have several synthetic training surfaces. Warwick Farm uses its synthetic track for trials, Gosford has a synthetic training track and Canberra races on its synthetic surface. Scone opened a synthetic training track in April, although it is too narrow to stage races. The existing facilities therefore vary considerably in whether they could host transferred meetings.

“Victoria in winter is different to NSW. In winter here it gets wet and stays wet,” Price said.

“So do you really need it? And then if you do, you have to make it pay. It needs to be somewhere central so it can be viable.”

NSW has generally responded by moving meetings to other turf tracks, with 12 transferred during the past 10 weeks. These decisions are often made at short notice, and the replacement venue must be close enough to avoid excessive travel for horses and participants. Nearby tracks, however, may be affected by the same weather system.

“If you strategically locate them in good areas, then people can utilise them properly. They are certainly a requirement, so if you do it, then do it properly. In NSW, there’s clearly not enough and we (Victoria) probably need a third one in the northern region,” said Gelagotis.

“Some country towns are more prone to rain than others and the industry needs to provide this service to our stakeholders. Racing tends to spend money on the things that don’t matter, and not where it does matter.”

Gelagotis, a former professional soccer player, believes racing should place greater emphasis on the quality of its facilities.

“Tracks are the most important asset. Owners and punters, fundamentally they put the show on. We need to support them.”

TTR asked Racing NSW whether additional synthetic racing surfaces could reduce the number of abandoned meetings, but had not received a response by the time of publication.