What about us?

Read more: Josh Morris facing new challenge after retirement from rugby league

It's a question Illawarra Turf Club chief executive Peter De Vries is unable to answer.

"I ask the same question," De Vries said. "I'm waiting for Racing NSW to tell me when we can start."

It's been multiple years since major upgrades to the Kembla Grange surface were promised yet the trainers are still waiting for the work to begin.

The work is crucial to the track's sustainability. Multiple racedays are washed out every year due to the venue's inability to handle heavy rain. That will change once the training grass and course proper are resurfaced and new drainage installed.

When the long-delayed polytrack finally opened in 2019, trainers were told the grass track would be next.

Two-and-a-half years later and there is still no movement.

De Vries confirmed the major works at Kembla Grange have been fully funded. Yet he has no answers on why work is yet to begin.

The Illawarra Turf Club CEO told the Mercury in December that an announcement from Racing NSW was likely in late January. Now he concedes there is no timeline.

Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys was contacted for comment on Wednesday.

The Wollongong product has big plans for his home track, V'landys eager to turn Kembla Grange into a training hub.

It's a plan with overwhelming support, but those in the Illawarra know it can't happen until after the track surface is upgraded.

"It's one of those things that's always going to happen, but it's not," Robert Price, who is the Kembla Grange representative to the NSW Trainers Association, said.

"I feel confident it will happen. Racing NSW have purchased a number of blocks of land in the area.

"If they build stables there it will be the chicken before the egg. We need a facility that can cope with that increase in the number of horses. They're aware of that."

The second half of Wednesday's announcement received far more positive support from Kembla Grange trainers, with prize money in provincial races to increase from $35,000 to $40,000 from July 1.

It's a move that will increase the sustainability of racing in the region and help trainers and owners better place their horses.

The increase was part of a $27 million increase in prize money, headlined by the creation of two new $2 million races, the Big Dance on Melbourne Cup day and the Five Diamonds the week after the Golden Eagle.

"The increases are critical," Theresa Bateup said. "The costs in running a stable and owning a horse are going up all the time.

"Your running costs keep increasing, it's good to see prize money keep increasing to keep up with that."

To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.