Kembla Grange Racecourse primed and ready for The Gong 2022

As Assistant Track Curator Darryn Blinksell said, "the grass is the icing on the cake", and getting the mixture right is vital.

With a crowd of up to 5000 expected on Saturday for The Gong 2022 horse race, the team have put in hours of work fertilising, watering and grooming to ensure the grass is up to race standard.

Racecourse Manager David Anderson said the track should be in the "good-four" range, ideal for both the horses and the punters.

"It's got an ideal amount of moisture in it - it's not too hard, it's not too soft," Mr Anderson said.

The "four" range is great for horse recovery, providing more cushioning with a "bit of give" in the ground, he said.

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After record rainfall, two weeks of sunshine has finally given the track a chance to dry out, creating perfect conditions after a drenching winter.

The area has recorded 2645mm of rain already this year, more than double the race course's annual average, meaning the team had to rely heavily on their synthetic track.

Mr Anderson said a light irrigation on Friday would keep the track in the four range with the forecast of a 25 degree race day and a five per cent chance of rain.

The track's team of eight curators have done a "phenomenal" job ensuring the 120 acres of land are up to scratch, and ready for the region's million dollar race.

"They put in the work every day, and they've got a pretty big job," Mr Anderson said.

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