THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN - THE CUSHION TRACK SETTLES INTO ITS RIGHTFUL ROLE

By Graham Potter | Sunday, March 3, 2013

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

Racing is back on the cushion track at Corbould Park today and it is good to see this racing surface at long last fulfilling what many believe to be its rightful function as an alternative race-track for use when the preferred grass track has been ruled out of play.

Controversial from the moment it was first signed for and installed at the Sunshine Coast, its many detractors have seldom questioned the cushion track’s role as a training track or its availability … for those who want to take up the option … when inclement weather made the grass track too heavy to be raced upon.

The angst from many trainers and owners came about when racing fixtures were scheduled in their own right on the cushion track at the Sunshine Coast when there was nothing wrong with the grass track, and that negative view of the surface was further entrenched when the grass track was torn up at Toowoomba and replaced by the second cushion track in the state amidst a chorus of dissent from a large percentage of racing’s stake-holders.

The situation at Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba were worlds apart but the bulldozing approach, and I’m talking about the way the cushion track introduction was handled by the authorities at the time as much as any turning of soil, had firmly turned many people off the cushion track concept.

So, to a large degree, the intrinsic merit of the cushion track … such as it is … got lost in the shadows of the unseemly world of Queensland racing politics, but the fact is the track does serve a good purpose, as has been highlighted in the last two weeks.

Only one of the last four meetings scheduled for the Sunshine Coast has proceeded on the grass track. The three others, including today’s meeting, only survived because of the cushion track option.

In the spirit of full disclosure I must state that I am not a fan of the track as a racing surface for a variety of reasons, none of which are relevant to today’s argument, but the bottom line here is that while the Brisbane Racing Club and the Ipswich Turf Club watched meetings get washed down the drain this week when their tracks were deemed to be unraceable, the cushion track once again became an valuable asset for the Sunshine Coast Turf Club.

Much maligned maybe … but in the right circumstances it is worth its weight in gold.

I’m sure all those local racegoers and players who have been kicking their heels this past week looking for something to do will agree!

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The late Bruce McLachlan left an indelible mark on racing in Queensland and it was entirely in keeping with the great trainer’s legacy that he was duly inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame last week.

The stats are there for all to see but, as with all top achievers, the sixteen Brisbane Metropolitan Premierships which he won and his dominance of the Sunshine Coast scene over so many years once he decided to make that his base were the direct result of an exceptional talent put to maximum use.

That expertise, more than any records, is what we celebrate.

Quite simply, the man could train racehorses, and for Bruce McLachlan to be recognised in this manner three-and-a-half years after his passing is only appropriate and it gives a family who have remained true to his memory and who are always proud of his achievements more reason to glow.

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