Racing: Werribee on track for first meeting in three years

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Werribee Racing Club's membership has trebled ahead of its first race meeting in three years.

The club will host its "comeback meeting" on December 4 and it already has more than 1000 members.

The chairman of the club, about 30 minutes west of Melbourne, Patrick Wheelahan said the support was an endorsement for Werribee racing which seemed doomed when its last meeting in November 2007 was abandoned because of long-running track issues.

Yesterday, Racing Minister Rob Hulls officially reopened the Werribee Racecourse which has had a $5 million track reconstruction and is now home to Racing Victoria's new International Horse Centre for overseas horses competing during the spring carnival.

After successfully holding 24 barrier trials last Friday, Werribee now has a bright future with eight race meetings programmed for the remainder of the season, including the Werribee Cup on Friday, March 18.

"Three years ago there was talk that we would be standing here looking at a housing estate but, thankfully, we are not," Wheelahan said.

"We are standing here and we are looking at the racetrack where the Melbourne Cup winner was trained, Americain." He said WRC was an integral part of the local community.

"We have an outstanding new racetrack and training complex and this club is determined to showcase country racing and the world's competitors for the spring racing carnival."

Werribee's reopening also coincided with the release of La Trobe University's Social Impact Study commissioned by Country Racing Victoria (CRV).

Hulls welcomed the report and said it confirmed the importance of social, as well as economic benefits, that race clubs provide to communities.

"In a nutshell, race clubs are really the social hub of local communities and there is no doubt about that," he said. "They create community links not only on racedays but on non-racedays as well."

CRV chief executive Scott Whiteman said the study proved the importance of racing in rural and regional towns from not only the financial and emotional point but also for the facility it provides the community.

"CRV will be doing its best to support theses tracks, such as Dunkeld, Mt Wycheproof and Manangatang, which get more people back home for one cup meeting a year than return home for Christmas."

- AAP