The marquee meeting went close to being called off for the second time in three years on Friday when a morning deluge forced the track to be downgraded from a good to heavy track in less than 24 hours.

Club officials again breathed a sigh of relief when Southern Districts Racing Association chief steward John Davidson declared the meeting would go ahead after a late-morning inspection.

But trouble spots near the 2000m chute forced the rail to be moved before the meeting went ahead.

Works will include earthworks to realign, reshape and widen the existing track, drainage improvements and turf replacement and will create major disruption to training and racing for up to six months.

The club could have two more meetings this year before works start.