Fix on way for Wagga's harness racing track

The memorial meeting set down for Riverina Paceway on Saturday had to be postponed until Sunday after stewards deemed the track not safe to race on.

Many participants had already arrived on track, some travelling hours with their horses, before being turned around.

Wagga received 23.8 millimetres of rainfall after a storm hit on Saturday afternoon.

However problems with wet weather have plagued the multimillion track since its opening almost two years ago and in the past very little rainfall has caused issues.

Harness Racing NSW chief executive John Dumensy hopes the upcoming works will be a long-term fix, similar to what was required at Bathurst and Newcastle.

"We've gone out to tender to replace the track surface material," Dumesny said.

"It's to a depth of 20 centimetres, which is a very big depth and more that is on most tracks.

"It has gone out to tender and that work will be taken in the month of January."

Wagga's next meeting is on December 18 and the club is not set to race again until February 2.

With Carnival Of Cups carnivals held at Leeton, Temora and Junee in the period Dumesny believes it is an ideal time to make changes.

Other remedial works have been done on the track, but this will be the most significant.

"These are the things that we need to do and that is what will happen," Dumesny said.

"It is unfortunate that we have to do that, but that is life."

The final stage of the tender process is set to conclude on Friday and Dumesny expects to appoint the contractor next week.

The region's leading reinsman Blake Jones believes the works are long overdue.

"It's massively overdue," Jones said. "For what they've spent on it the amount of meetings we've lost or had to be transferred it just shouldn't be happening being the main track.

"Anything is going to help."

Advertising for the new Wagga chief executive will also begin in January.

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