THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN: A DOUBLE HEADER AND A WORD OF CAUTION

By Graham Potter | Friday, June 1, 2018

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the paper these columns are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

The Sunshine Coast Turf Club takes centre stage on the Queensland racing calendar this weekend with Corbould Park hosting a big Friday / Saturday double header.

The action kicks off with Ladies Oaks day today while tomorrow’s meeting, which is part of the official Queensland Winter Racing Carnival program, features two Group 2 events, the P J O’Shea Stakes and the Moreton Cup.

This latter meeting provides the opportunity for locals to see horses from the top stables in the country strutting their stuff.

Champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller and Victoria’s premier trainer Darren Weir head the list of visitors keen to gain a share of the spoils but the southern invasion force also includes names such as Peter and Paul Snowden, Bjorn Baker, Mick Price, James Cummings, Paul Perry … and others … and, with all of the top local trainers also here to defend their turf, the action should be fast and furious.

It will be worth making the effort to get there.

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It is an established fact that the Sunshine Coast track takes on more than its fair share of workload and the way it copes with that task stands as a credit to the club’s track staff.

It would be foolish though to take that scenario for granted.

The unfortunate events at Doomben last week, where it took and hour and a half to reposition the running rail after concern was expressed about a portion of the track, highlighted the excessive wear and tear on the Doomben track, which has shouldered the burden of Metropolitan racing for far too long since Eagle Farm was taken out of the equation, as well as the delicate situation of other tracks that have also been called upon to pick up the slack.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of last week’s situation, if nothing else, the message was clear.

The tracks are taking a flogging and those who sit in high towers and program meetings have to become more sensitive to the individual track’s welfare if they are to keep racing running on an even keel and their handling of the Sunshine Coast should be high up on that ‘handle with care’ priority list.

Jockeys were pretty grim faced at Doomben last Saturday while they awaited a steward's decision on the options that were available to continue the meeting after the safety of a portion of the track was called into question.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of last week’s situation, if nothing else, the message was clear ... as it has been to so many for so long. The tracks are taking a flogging and those who sit in high towers and program meetings have to become more sensitive to the individual track’s welfare, as an urgent priority, if they are to keep racing running on an even keel.

Photos: Graham Potter