NEW GOLD COAST TURF TRACK SET FOR LIFT-OFF

By Graham Potter | Thursday, November 23, 2023

The much-anticipated return to racing on turf at the Gold Coast will take place on December 9, with the refurbished track ushering in a new era for the Gold Coast Turf Club as the Club continues to move forward with its bold masterplan aimed at elevating standards and rubber-stamping the Gold Coast racing precinct as, amongst other things, a top racing and training facility.

The Polytrack, which has carried the Gold Coast race-day workload since the course proper was set aside for redevelopment back in mid-January, will still be an important asset, but it will now play a secondary role in terms of racing action with turf racing back on centre stage.

Track gallops and a series of jump outs had already been undertaken to help ascertain the readiness of the new grass to accommodate racing before, importantly, the Club hosted six official trails on Monday, in which thirty-one horses were involved.

The track reportedly played very well … allowing the measured buildup to the December 9 meeting to remain on schedule.

Michael Cahill, a senior jockey based at the Gold Coast who has witnessed the good, bad and the ugly of racing surfaces during his decades in the saddle, has been involved in that process of galloping horses on the track and his initial assessment of the new racing surface is a positive one.

“They’ve had a few gallops on it. I was on one of the first ones,” said Cahill. “There were four jump outs last Wednesday and I rode in three of them.

“It (the track) appears to be coming on well. That is a credit to Nevesh (Ramdhani), the track curator, and his team. They have done an excellent job to get it to this stage.

“It seems very good. It cambers very nicely. It is pretty much the same shape as before, but with a much better camber and a slight rise turning for home. It is probably not that much noticeable to the naked eye … but when you are on a horse you can feel it.

“The proof will be in the pudding when they start racing. At this stage it is showing very positive signs.

“I’m very happy with it.”

Queensland’s leading rider, Jimmy Orman, who rode in three of the six trails on Monday, echoed Cahill’s sentiments.

“The new track’s great,” said Orman. “It feels like it has been down for ages.

“They’ve done a super job. I can wait to race on it.”

Seven races have been scheduled for December 9 with field sizes being restricted to twelve horses.