The Driving Horse and Pony Club (DHPC) have set their sights on moving back to their original racetrack at Shelly Bay after outgrowing their current Vesey Street venue.

Vesey Street, in Devonshire, is thought to be one of the smallest tracks in the world and the DHPC believe the spacious Shelly Bay would make an ideal upgrade and compare favourably with the larger overseas facilities.

Intriguingly, officials from the DHPC staged talks on Monday to discuss the proposal with El James, who was replaced as Sports Minister by Glenn Blakeney yesterday.

And despite yesterday's news, club president Nick DeCosta remained optimistic about the much-needed upgrade.

"Minister James was pretty much up for our plans and helping us along with our vision," he said.

"So I guess we will have to contact the new Sports Minister and get him in on our plans and see what he says," said DeCosta, who races both on the local circuit and abroad.

Racing last took place at Shelly Bay in 1961 and the DHPC believe the Hamilton Parish site can offer improved spectator viewing, shorter race days as well as training facilities for youngsters.

"When we spoke to Minister James about moving from Vesey Street to Shelly Bay we told him what we needed to do to move our sport forward," said DeCosta.

"The track we have now is the smallest in the world and over the years the ponies have grown bigger and faster to the point that we've progressed as far as we can at Vesey Street.

"We're talking about building a bigger track which can accommodate more ponies and compare to those we race on internationally.

"We have some of the fastest ponies in the world, if not the fastest, and we want to make our name known worldwide.

"This will be a good start to making this come to life."

Plans for the proposal have already been drawn up with the new racetrack encompassing Shelly Bay's pair of football pitches.

In an attempt to overcome potential stumbling blocks, and allay any concerns, DeCosta has vowed to speak to local residents and keep them abreast of any developments.

"We have all the plans drawn up for the track so now it's about the planning and talking to the neighbours in the area so they know what's going on," he said.

"We're trying to work it out so football can still be played at Shelly Bay, while the track will surround the pitches.

"Everyone will be accommodated and the talks we had with the Government were positive.

"A bigger track would make the sport safer. Our current track is pretty tough to race on due to the size of it.

"The new venue would enhance our safety and increase the competitive nature of the sport."