Marsa horse racing track stalled by gravel delay and daily dumping put start of season in jeopardy

Several videos have emerged from the Marsa horse racing track showing scenes that raise serious questions about the state of one of Malta’s oldest sporting venues. Footage filmed in recent days reveals that the gravel surface material, expected to arrive earlier this month, has still not been delivered, leaving the circuit idle and delaying the start of the horse racing season.

Stable owners say the situation is already disrupting daily routines. “I filmed this video yesterday morning. The gravel has still not arrived, let alone the races starting. They have not even left us a space to take the horses out for their daily work,” one source told Malta Sport, highlighting how even basic exercise for horses has been compromised.

Beyond the unfinished works, the same footage shows piles of discarded waste gathering around the track’s perimeter, with the area increasingly resembling a dumping site according to sources who say rubbish is being deposited almost daily. Trainers and clubs warn that without the gravel layer no preparatory or training sessions can proceed safely, placing animal conditioning, staff routines, and event planning at risk.

The reputational cost is also mounting for a sport that relies on consistent care standards and reliable infrastructure. The Marsa track is a century old cultural fixture, yet the images now circulating suggest a venue in limbo, a circuit awaiting material, a workforce unable to operate, and a calendar that cannot be set.

Until the promised surface arrives and the site is restored to professional condition, the only movement at Marsa will remain off the course and on the phones of those documenting the fallout.