RACING Victoria has announced Stawell's Easter Sunday race meeting will be transferred to Donald and District Racing Club.
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The meeting, which was to be headlined by the Stawell Gold Cup, has been moved after the Stawell track was deemed unsuitable for racing following a suspected act of vandalism.
Racing Victoria racing operations manager Paul Bloodworth said having the Donald club host the meet would keep the races in the Wimmera.
"It's extremely disappointing that Stawell's iconic meeting has to be abandoned in these circumstances, however we're pleased that Donald can assist the industry by hosting the meeting and ensuring opportunities for owners, trainers and jockeys are provided," he said.
"Racing Victoria's tracks and facilities team has been consulting closely with the track staff and management at Donald since their March 31 meeting and we'll continue to work with them over the next two weeks to assist in the preparation of the track for the meeting."
The prize money has changed for two of the eight races - an open handicap and BM70 handicap - while the distance has changed for all races excluding the open handicap.
Stawell Racing Club operations manager Penny Penfold said the club's scheduled family fun day would still go ahead at Stawell Racecourse on April 20.
"The support for the club has been overwhelming and the support for the family fun day and the phantom races has been promising," she said.
"From a Stawell perspective, we're pleased the meeting will be able to be run for the owners, trainers and racing participants."
Ms Penfold hopes the Stawell community will turn out in numbers for the family fun day .
"We urge people to support the club on Easter Sunday," she said.
"The day will offer a lot in terms of children's activities, entertainment and live racing on the big screen."