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Cairns and Home Hill will each host two scheduled Townsville meetings between January 29 and March 7 as preliminary works begin on Cluden Park’s $7 million track upgrade.

Racing Queensland's operations team, in conjunction with stewards, had determined Home Hill and Cairns were best-placed to host the meetings.

Home Hill will host meetings on January 29 and March 7, while Cairns will host scheduled Townsville meetings on February 7 and February 22.

“The shift of these meetings allows preliminary works to begin immediately as we near the appointment of a contractor on the Townsville Turf Club upgrade,” said RQ CED Darren Condon.

“A preferred contractor has been identified, and we will be working with them to finalise the contract, so that it can be signed and work can begin immediately after the Government’s caretaker period concludes in just over a week from now.

“These venues were deemed the most practical for the horse population in the region to travel to and from, while from a staffing perspective these two venues provided the best alternative logistically.

“With the next four meetings accounted for, our racing operations team will monitor the schedule and determine the placement of the remaining scheduled meetings.”

The Cluden Park upgrade includes construction of a turf track, construction of a new workshop and amenities building; and the installation of underground services to support the future development.

“This is a significant investment in the Cluden Park precinct, which is one of our most popular North Queensland venues, and we will be ensuring the surface is 100 per cent right,” Condon said.

“Barring significant weather interruptions, our scheduling indicates racing on the surface will be achievable for the major meetings in July.