WANGARATTA Turf Club will resume racing on the first Tuesday in November after a hiatus of almost 11 months.
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The Melbourne Cup meeting will signal the re-opening of the club's course proper after a $1.5 million upgrade which has had the track out of action since mid-December last year.
The return to racing could also attract a record crowd of more than 5000 people with marquee sales up on last year.
Club chief executive officer Paul Hoysted said the record October heat put the finishing touches on the track condition for the six-race program starting at 1.05pm.
"When we were still getting a lot of frosts we were getting a little nervous," he said.
"But in the last month we've been really confident of it all coming together."
He said the October dry spell was "absolutely perfect" in bedding down the resurfaced track.
More than 40 millimetres of rain has fallen in Wangaratta since last Friday and the rating for the newlook track is expected to be soft.
"The meeting wouldn't have been called off in the past with that amount of rain, but it would have been a heavy track," Mr Hoysted said.
'Instead we will be racing on a good or soft track at absolute worst.
"The weather is going to be on our side after the weekend and we are really looking forward to it."
The $1.5 million upgrade began with a major irrigation revamp before attention turned to the course proper.
The original grass covering and 40 millimetres of top soil were stripped from the track before the rehabilitation works began in earnest early this year.
The one saving grace for trainers based at Wangaratta was the grass training track remained opened during the course proper overhaul.
But the casualties included its own cup meeting in March.
Among the trainers, jockeys and owners hunting for a winner at Wangaratta will be 2001 Melbourne Cup winning trainer Sheila Laxon.
Along with training partner, John Symons, they have three horses entered on Tuesday _ Ferrero, Royal Mephisto and The Last Laugh.
Jockey Dylan Dunn, who has five rides at Wangaratta, also shares a link to the Melbourne Cup.
His father Dwayne will be chasing his first victory in the big race at Flemington aboard the David Hayes-trained Almoonqith, who is coming off a last start Geelong Cup win.
Corowa will also race again on Melbourne Cup day with a six-race card.
The meeting starts at 1.10pm and Albury has a five-race program from 1.05pm before the spring racing action continues on Oaks Day.
