MY CALL - SHIFT AWAY FROM CITY RACING IN BRISBANE IS STARTING TO GIVE SOME REAL CAUSE FOR CONCERN
By David Fowler | Tuesday, January 6, 2015
David Fowler is the principal thoroughbred caller for Radio TAB. David, who is a keen form student and punter, has enjoyed a lifetime involvement in the racing media. His personal blog, ‘My Call’, appears exclusively on HRO.
Is the shift away from city racing in Brisbane a stop-gap measure or a sign of things to come?
Racing Queensland stress these are “one off” times because of the Eagle Farm closure. BRC officialdom smile nervously in tacit agreement.
The RQ line that the Doomben course proper needs to be protected has gone into overreach and is starting to be seen as such.
The transfer of the Tatts Tiara and Queensland Cup meets from Doomben to Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast illustrates this point.
The Doomben track plays brilliantly all year round compared to the Gold Coast’s “no-go zone near the rails” woes and Sunshine Coast’s inability to get out of a heavy range in winter.
Add to that that both provincial centres race more than Doomben.
So why the hell the transfer?
Expect another city Saturday to go begging in March (one is already at the Gold Coast) and Toowoomba is now locked into Saturday stand-alone status in May.
Will all of this be corrected once Eagle Farm is up and about again?
Will it?
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RQ’s policy has been to “rest” tracks leading into a Carnival and this makes sense.
So why was the December 27 Doomben meeting transferred to the Gold Coast and, unfortunately, run on a rain affected track.
Gold Coast didn’t race on December 20 so they could have had two Saturdays or three weeks off before their two important January dates.
That swap defies RQ’s own policy.
It is beyond argument that the Doomben and Eagle Farm brand appeal more to punters.
This flurry of Saturday shifts to provincial venues will not enhance turnover but is more than likely to hinder it.
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Surely Ipswich will get their turn in the sun after Eagle Farm is back in business?
Their long awaited plan to build a tunnel underground and shift the stables inside the track to enable commercial opportunities to exist on the Brisbane Road side of their complex deserves a big tick.
Clubs should be applauded for seeking outside revenue streams rather than relying on RQ handouts.
There is an ideal window of opportunity between Eagle Farm’s reopening and the Gold Coast track makeover in early 2016 to make this happen.
Six years in the waiting through two state Government terms, they deserve a medal for their patience.
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Interesting experiment at Cranbourne this Friday night.
Eight races will be run with 20 minute intervals.
Normal race-day procedures have been tweaked to accommodate the shorter gaps.
Turnover and crowd response will be worth monitoring.
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