Charlton continues to set a cracking pace

Regional harness racing clubs face a constant battle for relevance and resources in their industries and communities – but that’s not the case at Charlton in Central Victoria.

The Charlton Harness Racing Club has secured a $190,000 Victorian Government grant to undertake yet another development – the latest in a decade of projects to transform the town’s racing and training facilities and helping to regenerate the local community in the process.

The Charlton Training Centre is now one of regional Australia’s liveliest training hubs, with 50 horses in work from an impressive community-owned and volunteer-run facility.

And at the same time, the club has achieved some of regional Victoria’s best raceday facilities by leading the way in a project for a regional sporting and community hub known as Charlton Park.

“The great thing about harness racing for a town like ours is that all the money is generated externally, and it stays internally,” dynamic club president Joey Thompson is fond of saying.

“It’s not like a lot of sports and industries. The money is brought in from outside, then it’s swirling around in our community here, and you just need to take the time to help people in your community understand how that works.”

The Charlton Training Facility has attracted several successful and emerging trainers, including former South Australian Greg Norman, up and coming young couple Mick Gadsden and Denbeigh Wade, and, most recently, former NSW trainer Shane Sanderson.

With 50 horses in work at the facility, they had to put out the “no vacancy” sign, and that didn’t please Thompson.

“It’s fantastic that we’ve now got the grant to keep things going, and we’ve got three more trainers who are definitely interested in coming here,” he said.

“The grant will mean we can extend the existing training facilities, by putting shelters in the yards, and building a fourth stable complex, with harness and feed areas.

“That will take us up to about 70 horse capacity, and I’ve got no doubt that we’ll be able to fill those.”
Thompson said the recent funding from the Federal Government’s Better Regions Fund and the Victorian Racing Industry Fund had also allowed development of a machinery shed on the inside of the training track.

“The machinery shed in the middle of the training track means we can manage the track really efficiently. We’re totally volunteer run – the people using the track are the ones who maintain it – so it’s a fantastic surface that we keep in great order with the conditioner and watering.

“It’s about as wide as a racetrack, and we often have 15 or 20 horses working at the one time on joggers and in the cart. There’s a slow work area and a fast work area, and it’s open 24-7, so that helps spread the demand and there’s absolutely no issues.”

Thompson said the Federal funding will also allow more development at the club’s racing headquarters.

“The new community complex is fantastic and our first racedays were a huge success. Everyone is just stoked with how it’s come up and what an asset it is to all of Charlton and we’re pleased to have been able to play a part in that,” Thompson said.

“Now we’re just waiting on final building approvals for work to start on two undercover raceday barns, which is something we’ve really been needing to get done,” he said.

“We’ll also move our marshalling yard further towards the community complex. We planted trees two years ago in the hope that this would happen. We want the people to actually be able to get close to the horses, because that’s what it’s all about.

“When it’s finished, the vista from the viewing area up on the retaining wall will be not unlike Moonee Valley used to be. It’ll be just fantastic.”

In line with its motto of “Moving Forward Together”, the club has partnered with a wide range of organisations and groups including sporting clubs, the Dja Dja Warrung Traditional Owners, council and government.

“We work with everyone, and it’s been amazing some of the people and groups who’ve come on board with us. We’ve got a fantastic local gardening and landscaping bloke here, Wes Jenkin, who did the lawns and gardens around the community complex, and he maintains it all, free of charge.

“He and his wife Michelle and his son Ky also voluntarily planted 400 trees for us at the training complex – the last lot went in just a couple of days before Wes went in for a hip replacement, which I didn’t think was a bad effort!

“We’ve got someone here at the moment who has come forward and is interested in training to be a Clerk of Course – and that’s one of the barriers to us being able to run official trials so that’ll be one of the next things on the list,” he said.

“If you take the time to talk to people, let them understand what you are doing and the community benefit of that, people will find their own way to come on board.”

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink