EAGLE FARM RETURNS FROM ITS LATEST RENOVATION HIATUS. SHOULD WE HOLD OUR BREATH?

By Graham Potter | Thursday, December 10, 2020

Racing returns to Eagle Farm on Saturday … and the truth is participants and racegoers don’t know whether they should hold their breath or not.

The unfortunate trials and tribulations of the track surface itself and on-going issues with the management of the problem … all at great cost … have been well documented.

It is hard to believe that this unwelcome series of episodes boasts a seemingly still open-ended catalogue that dates back to August 2014 as Eagle Farm now re-emerges from its latest renovation hiatus.

Clearly, everybody in racing wants the track to play well, play fair and be acceptable as a true racing surface. There is no argument there.

Given the past history though, you would have thought that this time there might be a more cautious commentary on what we can expect from the track. All too often before we have had statements put out such as … it will just take a couple of more weeks to come right … or … in twelve months-time it will be the best track in Australia.

This time around, track manager Greg Puckeridge has been quoted as saying, “I’m confident that Saturday will be the best that people have seen Eagle Farm in some time, and it will only get better through December.”

Oh, let it be so!

Good on him for backing his expertise and judgement … but, in essence, it is a very early call.

And again, learning from past experience … when the track, hopefully, does play well on Saturday it might not be wise for the usual suspects to come out and say how good a track it is after one meeting, another trait some were prone to exhibit in the past.

The bottom line is not difficult to fathom.

It is going to take at least three months before anyone knows exactly where we actually stand with the Eagle Farm track.

Like Puckeridge, it is good to stay optimistic.

A bit of caution though, would not be out of place.