Volunteers and visiting experts are winning their battle to have the Mindarie-Halidon track ready for the local club’s rescheduled meeting on Sunday, October 19.
The 2025 Mindarie-Halidon Cup meeting was moved from its original September 14 after sand drift sparked concerns about the racing surface.
Club officials and Racing SA made a joint decision to move the meeting back five weeks – ample time for the impacted stretch of grass to regenerate and be suitable for visiting horses and jockeys.
The club held one of its regular working bees last Sunday, when president Geoff Redden delivered a positive report on the remedial work.
“A couple of extremely windy days – that came before any of those recent rains – meant we had a significant amount of sand picked up and dumped on a 300-metre stretch of the track, which impacted growth of the rye grass,” Mr Redden explained.
“We had to get rid of that and fortunately – thanks to our volunteers and members – we were able to do that pretty quickly.
“But it was going to be a race against time to have the track ready for September 14.
“So, after Racing SA’s track team visited Halidon a few times, a decision was made to move this year’s meeting.
“Now we’re building towards October 19 and the track surface is on target to be well and truly ready by then.
“We all had a good look at it on Sunday and were pleased with its progress.”
Mr Redden praised the support and assistance of Racing SA throughout the process.
“They’ve been right behind us all the way, and their expert advice has been invaluable,” he said.
“It’s great to know that the sport’s governing body is backing the club so strongly.”
Tickets for the October 19 meeting are available at Moshtix, however tickets will also be available at the gate on race day.
Halidon is located approximately 45 minutes south-west of Loxton, on the road to Karoonda.