Australia’s first Polytrack surface for racehorses opens
Australia’s first “Polytrack” surface to work racehorses on — designed by Berkshire-based company Martin Collins — opened earlier this month.
The Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) announced the launch of the $2.8m (£1.9m) synthetic surface at its Caulfield centre, on 8 February.
“Polytrack differs greatly from the synthetic tracks previously laid in Australia through its composition and drainage system, making it the first actual ‘all-weather’ turf-mimicking surface,” said the MRC’s Mike Symons.
Martin Collins added: “We are delighted to be working with the Melbourne Racing Club at Caulfield in the latest development of their fabulous training facilities.”
Polytrack surfaces have been installed on 17 racetracks across the world, including Newmarket in the UK. The surface can also be found on over 210km of training gallops worldwide.
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A graduate from Durham University, Madeleine joined H&H in 2011 and became Features Editor — producing content across the magazine and website, including the popular inside back cover article ‘The horse that made me’ and the weekly ‘The best of my fun…’ interview. She has written on topics as diverse as hay making and headcams, to hot totty in the horse world and circus horses. Madeleine now works as a freelance feature writer for Country Life, The Telegraph, Horse & Hound, cntraveller.com, The Spectator and The Field, as well as writing obituaries for The Times.