Wellington Race Club will host their annual Boxing Day meeting again in 2022

Back in November, the Bell and Macquarie Rivers both flooded in Wellington, causing several sporting facilities to be damaged including the race track but now things are looking brighter ahead of Boxing Day.

The day after Christmas, the club will host their annual Boxing Day meeting only weeks after the track was underwater.

Club secretary Dale Jones believes people will turn out in good numbers for what should be a wonderful day of racing.

"We are looking forward to actually getting a meeting although there is a bit of rain forecast for Thursday and Friday I don't think it will be enough to affect us," he said.

"Since we've had the flood here on November 14, we really haven't had any rain so we've been pouring water on the track to keep it going, it's been ironic.

"It's always been one of our biggest meetings of the year even though it is a non-TAB race meeting, it's always one of the bigger crowds and is quite a social event."

Jones knows very well how Christmas is a time for people to come together and is confident families will turn out on the day, using the occasion as a chance to catch up.

"It gives people the opportunity to relax after Christmas but also it's been traditionally a meeting where people get together with their family and friends to unwind after Christmas," he said.

"People might have Christmas with their family who comes back to town before the meeting up at the races so it is always a really pleasant atmosphere."

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During the November floods, the race track was overrun with water, some of which had surrounded the facility's grandstand completely as well as damaged some property.

Jones admitted if it weren't for Dubbo Regional Council, then the club would be likely still unsure when they would be able to replace the pieces of damaged equipment.

"We were very lucky because it is also a showground it is under the control of Dubbo Regional Council who are the reserve managers," he said.

"The council has been outstanding, they took over and coordinated the clean up so any of the fixed assets that were damaged they are going to replace them under their insurance policy.

"They organised for it to be professionally cleaned and disinfected, they dismantled and demolished anything that was damaged.

"We are hoping to have everything done in the next month or so."

While they were impacted by flooding, Jones knows other clubs around the Central West were also hit pretty hard.

"We were lucky that it never got into our office, stewards room and jockey room, so operationally we were still okay to keep going," he said.

"It didn't get into our main dining area, we were lucky in that way. All our facilities will be running for Boxing Day, we've had a big cleanup of equipment.

"We've still got a bit of damage to gardens and things we are repairing but all in all it could've been worse. There were other tracks where the water was up to the top of the doors and Cowra was really badly affected."

Nominations for the Boxing Day races were released on Tuesday morning with trainers like Dar Lunn, Brett Robb and Clint Lundholm all putting forward runners.

The five-race meeting has the opportunity to be extended should a flood of nominations come before the fields are released.

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