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By Julieanne Horsman

Trainers travelling to Sapphire Coast Turf Club now have another option to break up the journey. New overnight stables have been built at the racecourse to accommodate visiting horses and they were put to the test during last weekend’s Bega Cup Carnival.

Sapphire Coast Turf Club Secretary Manager Rob Tweedie & President Robyn Bain officially opened the new overnight stables.

Graeme Murray, Theresa Bateup, Russell Cluning and John Morrison decided to make a weekend of it, booking out 14 of the 16 available boxes for their horses.

“Geographically we are a long way from most racecourses so we realised we needed to offer overnight stabling to make it easier on travelling trainers,” Sapphire Coast Turf Club Secretary Manager Rob Tweedie said. “It’s not uncommon for trainers to travel five hours one way to get here and now they have the choice of resting overnight and going home the next day.”

Sapphire Coast Turf Club is located just 15 minutes north of popular coastal tourist town Merimbula and Mr Tweedie is also hoping trainers will consider taking a working holiday in the area.

“It’s a beautiful part of the world down here,” he said. “I’d love to see trainers bring a team of horses to the races then stick around for a few days to enjoy the beautiful beaches with their families. It’s an opportunity for trainers to recharge without stepping away from work for too long.”

The new overnight stables were jointly funded by Sapphire Coast Turf Club and Racing NSW and include internal and external CCTV. Trainers wishing to book them can do by contacting the club.

The next race meeting hosted by Sapphire Coast Turf Club is scheduled for Friday, 9th March.