GAINING GROUND ... AS RACING ADVANCES THE CAUSE OF RACE MEETING PATRON ATTENDANCE OPTIONS

By Graham Potter | Friday, June 26, 2020

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.

Following the approval of the Racing Queensland COVID-19 Safe Plan by Queensland Health, the queue of racegoers waiting to get back to the track has at last started to move … but it will remain a slow, measured, step by step process with the strict the social distancing and bio-security measures that has served racing so well still remaining paramount in the racing’s overall return strategy.

Earlier this week, the Sunshine Coast Turf Club announced that turf club members wishing to attend this Sunday’s race meeting at Corbould Park could either purchase hospitality tickets or pre-register for attendance which would be allocated within limited designated areas at a maximum of twenty people per location … and the specified location would remain a person’s particular location for the day with no movement between areas allowed.

Following final acceptances for the Sunday meeting, owners with confirmed runners were also given an opportunity to pre-register for attendance as well. Under the current Stage 2 restrictions though, their movement at the track itself would be similarly restricted to that of the members with owners having to stay in an allocated area and therefore having to forego their access to the parade ring and the horse stall areas … a privilege they enjoyed before Covid-19 struck.

Essential racing personnel, who have obviously been in place throughout, will remain in a completely separate area to the facilities allocated to the members and owners.

With the fact that there are clearly limited spaces available, bookings were to be handled on a first in, first served basis meaning that some people will still be kicking their heels in that queue for some time to come, but every step forward in these very difficult times qualifies as a success story … not to be shouted from the rooftops, but to at least be acknowledged as a small reward for all of those involved in the industry who have observed protocols so well and done everything asked of them to ensure that Covid-19, so far, hasn’t been given the chance to decimate the industry through any irresponsible behaviour.

All things being equal, further lifting of restriction are anticipated to take place in July and hopefully the welcome news can continue to roll from there until the queue waiting to get in will get shorter and shorter until everybody’s ‘racing live’ needs are satisfied.

But … as the recent surge in the number of Covid-19 positive cases in Victoria has shown, nothing is guaranteed with how this virus might be fully contained or how it might regroup and surge again with its second wave.

All we can do is do our best in taking virus preventative measures.

So far racing’s best has been very good indeed and we all should be encouraged by that.

For those who get allocated places at the track on Sunday … enjoy your return to the track but remember to always abide by strict Covid-19 social distancing policies in line with the COVID-19 plan.

In the moment sometimes it is so easy to forget where you are, perhaps particularly when your horse has hit the front at the 100m mark. Don’t forget. Any patron that does not adhere to these strict guidelines will be asked to leave the racetrack.

For those who have to wait for another day … well, we all hope that day is not far away!

*The Brisbane Racing Club and the Gold Coast Turf Club are also making similar attendance options available at this time.