Caulfield Racecourse set to undergo major redevelopment

The Melbourne Racing Club has unveiled a vision for its facilities including transforming Caulfield Racecourse into a state-of-the-art venue.

The proposed $300 million development includes new grandstands with improved facilities and viewing, new course entry with streamlined access from Caulfield Station, a second racetrack with the opportunities for night racing, increased trackside lawn areas and new centralised horse stalls and mounting yard offering greater patron access and viewing.

It’s believed the first stage of the revamp could commence following the 2019 Caulfield Cup.

The MRC also owns Sandown Racecourse and has started working with local Council and a number of government agencies in order to rezone the site from a Special Use Zone to a Comprehensive Development Zone.

While there has been speculation about the future of Sandown, the club said this is being done to provide flexibility and to facilitate opportunities to build a world-class facility at Caulfield.

The MRC said on its website “The re-zoning process has no bearing on the racing activities at Sandown for the foreseeable future. All current activities at Sandown, including use of the car racing track, remain as is.”

Training will stop at Caulfield in November 2023, so 18 hectares in the infield can be redeveloped for public use.

Club-owned land on the course’s western perimeter has been earmarked for residential redevelopment, while sections of the carpark have already been developed in recent years.

If the plans are approved, Caulfield Racecourse will join other metropolitan tracks, Moonee Valley Racecourse which is engaged in a $2 billon major revamp and Flemington which recently opened its new Club Stand.