TYERS Park Racecourse has recently undergone a track-lift, with even more renovations set to take place in the new year.
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As the home of Bathurst Thoroughbred Racing, Tyers Park hosts the famous annual ANZAC Day races, and the Panorama Cup, which prove to be popular community events each year.
But, in order for these events to go ahead with the same quality that race-goers would expect from the facility, the track was in need of some serious restoration.
This is where a tonne of sand came into play.
The sand, which manager of Bathurst Thoroughbred racing Lisa Pierce, said was imported from Eugowra, is specially designed to provide cushioning for racing horses, as a means of injury prevention.
"It's like beach sand," she said.
"You know when you walk on the beach, you've got the stuff that's really hard to walk in, and then the closer you get to the water, the more cushion it has, so it's easier.
"Well, this sand, when you water it, has a lot more cushion which reduces the risk of injury to horses."
This is not only important for equine welfare, but for horse trainers.
With daily access to this track, trainers are able to work their horses at a fast-pace, and properly prepare them for any race meets.
"The sand track is really important when you're training, because it enables you to do fast work ... and it's open every day," Ms Pierce said.
"It's very, very important to have that quality of track, and we haven't had that before. So, we're really on track to be a great track."
But with this high quality sand, comes high levels of necessary maintenance.
"We have to water it twice a day, and we have to harrow it, level it, and compact it down," Ms Pierce said.
And this maintenance extends greater than just that of the track.
The Thoroughbred Racing facility has also recently upgraded the training pool facility, and will be undertaking stable redevelopment in the new year.
The training and recovery pool, which is used for horse rehabilitation following injury and muscle tension, has been properly fenced, with railing put in to comply with workplace safety regulations.
"There will also be a whole new complex of stables, and the first one will be a 24 barn with wash bays, tack rooms, and stuff like that," Ms Pierce said.
And it's all to ensure a quality course, because a quality course means a happy horse.
"It's all for equine health, and I guess, if you've got facilities that aren't doing what they're meant to be doing, then you're not really doing what's best for your trainers either," Ms Pierce said.
"People want good facilities to train in, horses need good facilities to train in, to reduce injury, and then everybody is happy."
