Almost a century after the Lithgow Greyhound Club staged their first race meeting using the mechanical lure, history was again made at the venue with the club’s inaugural TAB race meeting on their new multi-million dollar racetrack.
While April 14, 1928 will forever be a notable date in the history of the club just beyond the Blue Mountains, November 2, 2026 will now be just as pivotal for the club and local participants after the Lithgow Greyhound Club hosted an 11-race card, having full TAB access and shown live across the world on Sky Racing.
The opening comes less than a year after the first sod was turned on the site, and fulfills a promise made by Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) Chief Executive Officer Steve Griffin that there would be racing at Lithgow in 2026.
“When I stood alongside the Minster for Racing the Hon David Harris last December and was asked when would Lithgow be open for racing, I could see some scepticism when I assured everyone it would be in 2026,” Mr Griffin said.
“I understand that as there had been many false starts with this project under previous regimes as GRNSW, but we knew how important it was to have this track up and running for the people on the western side of the Blue Mountains who have been without a local TAB track since Bathurst was flooded back in 2022.
“I think anyone attending the first race meeting today will agree that not only has the project been finished on time, but it exceeds the expectations of everyone.
“The original plan and budget was just for an upgrade to the track, but at GRNSW we felt there was an opportunity to invest in the club and help deliver an asset that was not only of minimum standards, but one our sport could be extremely proud of, and I’m sure everyone who comes to Lithgow to race will agree.”
Member for Bathurst, the Hon. Paul Toole, was at the December launch, and has made several visits to the venue during construction. He was not going to miss the opening on Monday.
“I’m absolutely proud, and the wider community is absolutely thrilled to see the Lithgow Greyhound Track back operating in the local area,” Mr Toole said. “This is a credit to everybody that's been involved and congratulations to GRNSW. To see the investment that's gone into this track is going to ensure that it's a modern, first-class facility that we can all be very proud of.
“This is exciting for the local community because we haven't had a racetrack out here in the local area now for the past four years, and that means that the trainers, the owners, and the breeders have had to go to Richmond or all the way to Dubbo.
“It also means that here in Lithgow, we're going to see more jobs being created, and it's going to see around $20 million being generated back to the local economy.
“It makes a lot of sense to have this track here in Lithgow. It means that people from metropolitan areas will be coming out here to the Central West for racing, and those people out here in the Central West will have a track a lot closer than before.
“And when you're seeing visitors coming to the town, that's people who are going to be staying at our hotels, our motels, eating at our cafes and restaurants, and actually generating money back to the local economy. This is a boost to the local area, and it's also fantastic to see that the lights that have been installed with the twilight race meetings that are going to take place.
“It's going to be something that we're proud of here in Lithgow and proud to put Lithgow on the map. The community has been waiting for this, and they're really proud now to see it come to fruition.”
Work commenced in January 2026 and saw a complete rebuild of the racetrack to meet minimum track standards including the installation of a new rail system, with a SafeChase lure, while the kennel block and public amenities have been refurbished.
Broadcast-standard lighting averaging 900 lux was installed, and the tower, which will be used by the judge, stewards and for broadcasters was also added to the track.
The racetrack itself was widened and now has radii of 52.7 metres and a new 620m start.
The maintenance shed was demolished and rebuilt, and enhancement work was undertaken on the main entrance to the facility, providing a more welcoming experience for patrons.
As with all our track upgrades the major focus is on safety and not only has the track been built with that firmly in mind, GRNSW has also introduced a revolutionary new innovation, a pioneering advancement in greyhound safety, a new extended lure arm.
With a width of 2m and 2.5m, it can be fitted with either one or two lures, works to encourage a wider spread of the greyhounds throughout the race. This spread helps reduce dog crowding at starts and during the race.
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