International trainers are excited to join Murray Bridge Racing Club

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It has been almost exactly two years since successful horse trainers and brothers Dean and Gary Alexander moved to South Australia at the invite of Racing SA.

Two years on, Murray Bridge Racing Club’s high-tech stables and training facilities at Gifford Hill are ready for the Alexanders’ horses, which were expected to arrive on Friday.

Dean Alexander said he felt “ecstatic” to be moving into the Murray Bridge training facilities after a long wait.

The brothers had inspected different horse-training centres in South Australia, but Murray Bridge won hands down.

“The facilities here are fantastic – far superior to the others we’d seen – and the climate’s very good,” Gary Alexander said.

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Murray Bridge Racing Club chairman John Leahy was equally excited to welcome them to the new facilities.

“We have 58 stables that cater for 164 horses, and all stables have a kitchen, shower, toilet, office area, a feed room and a tack room where they keep all their gear,” Mr Leahy said.

“They have a 12-horse walker, and each stable has its own walker.

“There’s also a 70-metre swimming pool, which takes the pressure off the horses’ joints; and we have two grass tracks, an uphill deep-sand track and an artificial fibre sand track, which is also kind to the horses’ joints.

“They’re state-of-the-art, world-class facilities.”

Gary Alexander also appreciated a tunnel going under the racing track.

“It’s fantastic – nice to have a track with no crossing,” he said.

The state government contributed $5 million to building the new facilities, and the Murray Bridge Racing Club and the racing industry footed the bill for the remaining costs, which Mr Leahy estimated would come to around $14 million.

“All up, we’ve spent close to $80 million out here,” he said.

“We’ll have five different groups of trainers.

“The Alexanders are taking two stables for 60 horses – every four horses equals one job in the industry.”

Dean Alexander said that the world-class facilities would mean healthier horses.

“Your horses have less injuries, you get better results for your owners, and it’s cost-effective,” he said.

“(It) makes it a lot easier when you’re preparing horses for races.

“It can only enhance the horse’s performance at the end of the day.”

The Alexander brothers love Murray Bridge’s lifestyle, and were excited about Murray Bridge’s future role in horse racing.

“It’s just the beginning for Murray Bridge,” Dean Alexander said.

“It will hopefully be the main racing centre of South Australia.

“The race track itself is beautiful, and the Murray Bridge Racing Club has done a great job.”