MY CALL: THE WEATHER GODS NEED TO BE KIND TO THE DOOMBEN TRACK IN THE COMING WEEKS

By David Fowler | Tuesday, March 27, 2018

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.

The Doomben track urgently needs a dry April.

Currently Doomben is tired and wet.

It's been an exasperating two months for hard-working track manager Jim Roberts.

"We haven't has a clean break whether it be the weather or the programming," he pointed out.

His assessment is spot-on.

Doomben has to host four meetings in April before the "big four" in May and June.

One can't deny the last three meetings have been concerning from a track point of view.

The times at the midweek fixtures on March 14 and 21 were incredibly slow even allowing for the prevailing conditions.

Disappointingly the Saturday surface was biased to on-pacers near the fence. Wide and back was a no-go zone.

Roberts and his team have done an outstanding job but even they understand they are fighting against the tide as the inconsistent weather lurches on.

The April forecasts are reasonably positive.

Jim Roberts is saying a prayer as a "saver"!

**************************************************************************************************

Ipswich is in a similar situation.

Like Doomben, it is struggling to recover as a spell of fine weather eludes the busy midweek circuit.

Last Thursday's track was rated a soft 5 which was hastily downgraded to a soft 6 after the first.

Times for the subsequently races seemed more akin to racing on a heavy 8.

But, with Eagle Farm out of play and the same demand for TAB product, there is nowhere for these tracks to hide.

Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast aren't excluded from this dilemma either.

***************************************************************************************************

Mr Marbellouz will land on an 85/86 rating after his expected Doomben win on the weekend.

That should secure him a Weetwood berth.

Once Doomben established itself as a leaders paradise on Saturday, plus a map devoid of any speed, punters were happy to take the $1.60 and even shorter about the spruik sprinter.

Was he as impressive on the weekend compared to his other wins this campaign?

Will the Weetwood be a more treacherous environment allowing for several rival speed runners and a better class of sprinter?

Questions well worth posing and pondering.

**************************************************************************************************

While the Weetwood has created plenty of discussion, the Toowoomba Cup will be a capacity field and highly competitive.

Doubt Defying appeals as a progressive stayer in the making after his easy Gold Coast Stakes win.

But there will be several fit and in-form types up against him.

**************************************************************************************************

Congratulations to Jennifer Creaton on her director's appointment to the Brisbane Racing Club.

It will be the first female director since the BRC's inception in 2009.

More articles