The Sale & District Greyhound Racing Club will host its first official race meeting this Sunday 3 September following a major redevelopment to its racetrack over the past eight months.

While there haven’t been any significant changes made to the existing shape of the track or its key features, modifications to the turn transitions and radius to improve running lines and safety, have resulted in the establishment of new race distances of 435m, 510m and 640m.

The project has also included the installation of new LED lighting, irrigation system, inside drainage, outside fencing and lure system, with the club hosting numerous trial sessions and a picnic meeting in the lead-up to Sunday’s first official race meeting.

GRV CEO Stuart Laing acknowledged the Victorian Government’s financial support through the Victorian Racing Industry Fund (VRIF) and the collaborative efforts of the Sale Club.

“Sale is one of our more popular racetracks and we’re very pleased that the track is back and ready for racing, particularly for our participants in the Gippsland region,” Mr Laing said.

“As an older greyhound track, we had some ageing infrastructure that needed to be replaced at Sale including the rail and lighting, while we’ve also widened the track in the back straight and smoothed the transition into and out of the turns.”

“The lead contractor and many local businesses and people involved in this project have done an excellent job and we’re delighted that the redevelopment has run to plan.”

Sale & District Greyhound Racing Club Manager, Peter Johnston said the club is eagerly looking forward to reopening on Father’s Day.

“After eight months of some really good work by our club staff and some real patience from our participants, it’s so good to be back to showcase the many upgrades both on and off the track the club has achieved,” Mr Johnston said.

“Sale prides itself on what we can offer both to the racing industry and to the local community and I’m sure all will be delighted with what they experience.”

Mr Johnston said the club is expecting a big crowd on Sunday, with the race meeting to incorporate a full card of 12 races from 5.34pm.

2022 Sale Cup finalist ALPINE BUTTERFLY is one of the big names competing at Sale on Sunday.

“It’s only a coincidence that we return to racing on Father’s Day, but the fact that we do means that we can expect many families to be celebrating their dad’s day, while also enjoying live greyhound racing. Our bistro is booked for over 400 people over lunch and dinner, we have a group of 40 booked into our marquee-picnic area and our walk-up crowd is expected to be greater than 500 patrons.

“In short, this Sunday promises to be one that immediately offers the sort of atmosphere we had prior to us closing for the upgrade around the Christmas / New Year period, and with warmer weather on the horizon I’m confident that our club will continue as one of only a few really popular local community hubs in the Sale region.

“GRV’s support and determination to deliver a quality track on time and on budget has been one of the many ‘feel-good’ stories over the journey. Make no mistake, competition for the sporting dollar, or any dollar for that matter is tough at the moment, so being a part of such an impressive complex is one that we are extremely proud of.”

All eyes will be on Race 1 – a maiden event over 435m comprising eight local contenders – to see which greyhound becomes the first to win on the new track.

Some of the bigger names competing on Sunday’s card include 2022 Sale Cup finalist ALPINE BUTTERFLY along with BOO BOO BILLY, COOL BLUE STAR, FLYING PIE and SUNNYSIDE JO.