New Zealand
United States United Kingdom Australia South Africa France Germany EU Resource Center
New Zealand
United States United Kingdom Australia South Africa France Germany EU Resource Center

Success Story:
Cranbourne Training Complex, Australia

Customer:

Product:
Pegasus SR

Southside Racing’s Cranbourne Training Complex in Victoria, Australia, is the biggest training centre in the Southern Hemisphere. Around 1,100 horses use the facility each day, making the upkeep of its four grass training tracks a priority. Looking to reduce mowing time and traffic on the tracks while maintaining a high-quality finish, the team switched to a Trimax Pegasus SR.

For 2IC Brett Thompson and the grounds team, keeping the two Kikuyu and two ryegrass tracks in top condition means working around busy training schedules, changing weather and the demands of hundreds of horses each day. “Some of the biggest trainers train out of Cranbourne. So we have the best horses, the best trainers,” Brett says. “Keeping our grass tracks in good condition is priority.”

Reducing Traffic on the Tracks

Before purchasing the Pegasus SR, Southside Racing primarily relied on catch mowers, with cage trailers also needed to collect and remove grass clippings. “The biggest challenges with those sort of mowers is it’s a lot of traffic,” Brett explains. “You need cage trailers out there to take the grass off, grass clippings. And on a wet track, you’ve got major traffic, major works.”

Reducing traffic was particularly important during winter. With the Pegasus SR, the team can complete the job with less supporting equipment and fewer passes across the turf. “The less traffic you can have on your grass tracks, the better,” Brett says. “When you can jump on, do four laps, track’s done, cut, neat and tidy, and you’re off, especially during the winter months, it’s just a game changer for us.”

A Trial That Made the Decision Easy

Southside Racing first trialled the Pegasus SR in the middle of winter. After putting it to work for a couple of weeks, Brett says the decision was an easy one. “Honestly, for us, it was just a no-brainer. It just saves so much time, so much money.”

The team has also noticed a difference in maintenance compared with its previous catch mowers. “Everyone knows with catch mowers, you’re doing maintenance work all the time,” Brett says. “The work on a catch mower versus the work on the Pegasus is second to none.”

A Finish That Looks Like a Carpet

Alongside reducing traffic and mowing time, the quality of finish has been a standout for the team. With fewer machines travelling across the track, Brett says the Pegasus leaves a clean, consistent result.

“Once you’ve mowed with the Trimax, you come off and the actual racetrack looks like a carpet,” he says. “You haven’t got squiggly lines everywhere. It’s nice and neat and tidy. It just looks like a picturesque carpet out there.”

More Time for Other Work

One of the biggest benefits has been the impact on the team’s mowing schedule. Completing the tracks sooner allows Southside Racing to work more easily around training and weather, while freeing staff up for other maintenance jobs. “The biggest benefit for the Pegasus is really time management,” Brett says. “For us, it’s being able to plan around weather, training schedules.”

Brett estimates they are saving the equivalent of around five people’s wages over several days of mowing, while reducing the need to bring in contractors for other work. “We’re saving pretty much five people’s wages over a few days, which is massive for us,” he says. “Instead of mowing for three days, they go off and they’ve got other jobs, and they get more experience in doing other maintenance work.”

Based on the labour savings experienced at Cranbourne, Brett estimates the Pegasus SR is saving the operation more than $50,000 a year in wages alone.

A Game Changer for Cranbourne

For Brett, the combination of less traffic, more time for other work and a high-quality finish has made the Pegasus SR an important addition to the Cranbourne operation. “I’m all over the Pegasus. I love it,” he says. “Anyone that wants to know about the Pegasus, I’ll talk to them about it because, as I said, for us here at Cranbourne, it’s just been a game changer for us.”

Arrange a Home Turf Demo.

Whatever your mowing needs, Trimax has the optimum, easy maintenance solution. Arrange a demo for your business today.

The
Need.

Cranbourne Training Complex needed:

  • Maintain four heavily used grass training tracks to a very high standard.
  • Minimise machinery traffic across the turf, particularly in wet conditions.
  • Achieve a clean, consistent finish across the tracks.
  • Work around busy training schedules and changing weather conditions.
  • Simplify the mowing process compared with catch mowing and clipping collection.

The
Value.

Trimax delivers:

  • Fewer machines and passes across the tracks.
  • Clean, consistent presentation that Brett describes as looking “like a carpet”.
  • No cage trailers required to collect and remove grass clippings.
  • Greater flexibility to mow around weather and training schedules.
  • Staff can spend more time on other maintenance work around the complex.

The
Result.

Here's what Brett says about Trimax:

  • “If it’s not saving you over $50,000 a year just in your wage bill, there’d be something wrong.”
  • "With the Trimax mower, we get out there, we can mow pretty much all our grass tracks in a day.”
  • "It just saves so much time, so much money.”
  • "The finish for the Pegasus is just unbelievable.”
  • "Once you’ve mowed with the Trimax, you come off and the actual race track looks like a carpet.”

View the Trimax Pegasus SR