After plenty of speculation and a mountain of reports and paperwork it seems likely that Royal Randwick will be in a position to maintain its hosting rights for 2011 Epsom Handicap Day.
Engineers have been working overtime at the venue and appear to have found a fix for the troubled QE11 grandstand which is causing all the problems.
Earlier today CEO of the Australian Turf Club Darren Pearce said a plan was already underway which will see the grandstand brought up to scratch in time to avoid shifting Sydney’s showpiece spring race day event to Rosehill Gardens.
That being said it’s not all smooth sailing and the process won’t be easy with more issues than first thought discovered by the engineers.
“Unfortunately the investigation into all of the beams in the grandstand showed there were additional problems, which means we need to implement a significant engineering solution,” Pearce said.
“The front of the stand roof will be removed and the back of the stand will be propped and braced.
While Epsom Day might survive the same can’t be said for George Main Stakes Day which will be moved to Rosehill forcing the main event George Main Stakes away from its traditional 1600m trip to 1500m.
International consultants were used in the evaluation and the works are expected to tie in to the planned redevelopments that were already scheduled for later in the year.
Some of the funds promised by Racing NSW and the NSW Government for the redevelopment project will be made available early to ensure the public is 100 percent safe in the grandstand which was first constructed back in 1968.