Traralgon Greyhound Racing Club President Don Haley has revealed that the club was on the brink of closing prior to its recent $6.2Mil redevelopment.
After being built in the early 1970s, the facilities at Glenview Park remained virtually untouched for more than 40 years, and had the track not been located in such a rich greyhound racing stronghold it would almost certainly have been shut down.
“There were times when it (the redevelopment) wasn’t going to happen and I can assure anyone, without a word of a lie, that we were going to be closed at one stage.”
“(Then Victorian Premier & Racing Minister) Denis Napthine came in and had a look at our situation and said there was no way known they were going to close Traralgon (because) it is too important a greyhound area,” Haley said.
With the original grandstand located outside the surrounding thoroughbred track, viewing of the greyhound racing action was almost impossible to enjoy without a pair of binoculars or looking at a television screen. However, the upgrade has turned greyhound racing at Glenview Park into an exciting spectator sport.
“It’s a lot closer to the action – you can’t get any closer than this – and it’s a lot better than the 43-year-old grandstand we used to be in,” Haley said.
Traralgon now races twice a week for the first time in its history with twilight race meetings on Saturdays and Mondays, and with the Group 2 Traralgon Cup to be held on September 19, a swarm of people are expected at Glenview Park to watch the state’s premier greyhounds do battle.
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