THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN - INGLORIOUS CUSHION TRACK ERA ENDS AT TOOWOOMBA

By Graham Potter | Sunday, July 14, 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

While the cushion track at the Sunshine Coast remains very much in play as a training facility and an alternative racing surface, the cushion track at Toowoomba has been retired from duty.

The final chapter of what now is loosely being called a ‘failed experiment’ was written into the record books when Sheree Drake partnered Snow Choice to victory in the last race on Tuesday ending a somewhat inglorious era of racing at that venue.

Truth to tell, the original ripping up of the turf track at Clifford Park was never intended as an ‘experiment.’ Nor was it ever accepted … right from the outset … by the majority of racing stake-holders as a viable alternative to the traditional turf racing surface.

The angst it created within racing’s ranks at the time of its implementation was enormous and the negative perception that continued to characterise its image throughout its tenure was always going to be a burden too tough to carry through to a successful conclusion.

While some prefer to continue to play political football with this issue to nobody’s particular benefit, the bottom line is that there is one absolute lesson to be learnt from this failed exercise … namely that the opinions of racing’s stakeholders have a relevance to eventual outcomes and their views should be accorded the respect they deserve.

Those views were bulldozed, belittled and battered into submission when the original decision to replace the original grass track at Toowoomba with a cushion track was made against the will of the larger racing community and, to some degree at least, racing is now paying the price for the stubbornness exhibited by racing authorities at that time.

It must be acknowledged that the current racing board had nothing to do with that decision making process, but the value of the lesson involved is undiminished.

Decision-makers need the understanding and support of those players who carry the racing game on their shoulders. Without it, as Toowoomba has so convincingly proved, certain projects will be doomed to failure.

You would have thought that was a no-brainer, but sometimes lessons have to be learnt the hard way.

Of course, the whole scenario of digging up a grass track, putting down a cushion track, digging up the cushion track, laying a StarthAyr surface has been a very costly exercise … read, ‘waste of money’. No argument there.

Of course, Toowoomba has benefitted from the good will of Racing Queensland when other priorities could/should have taken precedence. Perceived biasness seems to always appear to rear its head one way or another, but the view depends on which way you are looking at it.

Of course the whole issue remains contentious but the fact is that the contract for the new track has been signed and sealed and work on the new StarthAyr track has now begun so racing stakeholders have the choice of either looking forward and putting positive energy into ‘saving’ Toowoomba or they can stay mired in the mud of discontent and go nowhere!

Like everybody else, I don’t know if the damage caused to the Toowoomba racing product is repairable or not.

Will the change in track make any difference at all to betting turnover?

You’d like to think so, but I seriously doubt that the racing surface is the be-all and the end-all of financial success at the venue.

Field sizes and the competitiveness of individual races play a huge part in the successful make-up of a race card and just how well future meetings on the StrathAyr track are supported in terms of horse numbers and from trainers outside the precinct will ultimately decide whether those races become attractive betting propositions or not.

And then there is a timeslot to deal with. Saturday night, after all the betting options that have gone before on the day, is not the ideal place to showcase your product, bearing in mind that Toowoomba is not alone in facing a downward trend in terms of turnover. So it will still be a battle.

But as they say in the classics, ‘it is what it is’.

There are challenges everywhere in racing at this time and Toowoomba has thrown the dice in an attempt to turnaround the club’s fortunes. I can only wish them well.

And to answer your question … no, it is not an experiment!

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