September 30, 2017
Lindsay Anderson went to the winner’s circle to greet Liverpool Jane and her jockey Gemma Steele after the Topsy Bath Memorial (BM 50, 1030 m) at Gympie last Saturday.
It would be a great reward for his consistency if he is in the same spot after the running of the $20,000 Gympie Cup (1600 m) on October 28.
To make certain of the $5,000 Three Cups Gold Rush Trainers’ Bonus, Lindsay would need to be there to pat Clouds or Glenthorn Avenue.
The former ran fourth last Sunday in a BM 75 Handicap (1400m) while the latter warmed up with a third placing in the Open sprint at Gympie.
Both charges have secured a leg of the triad.
Horses must start in the finale for their accrued points to count for the extra cash.
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The Season Of Excitement … For Some
The Spring carnivals in the south go up another notch this weekend with six Group One contests worth a total of $4,000,000 and two half million dollar Group Twos up for grabs.
Meanwhile, off season racing in Adelaide at Morphettville on Saturday presents two Listed events of $100,000 each, four Benchmarks carrying $45,000 apiece and two more restricted class races each of $35,000.
Despite the parlous state of the purses in South Australia, there were a couple of one million dollar features decided there earlier this year.
It must be difficult for permanent participants in that state to see hefty sums taken away by interstate raiders while they battle away for a rattle of silver.
On the national scene, the gap between the upper and lower levels of racing continues to widen.
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Prioritising Is A Juggling Act
On September 24, Racing Queensland published its infrastructure plan, which outlined a number of future bricks and mortar projects.
In the next two years, they include:
- Ipswich Greyhound Club relocation, ideally featuring a one-turn track
- Brisbane Racing Club Eagle Farm track remediation
- Gold Coast Turf Club track remediation, lights for night racing and potentially a tunnel for infield car-parking to allow commercial development
- Townsville greyhound facility refurbishment
- Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club relocation incorporating a double turn track and a straight track
Racing Queensland’s announcement is clearly a work in progress, with several items at the proposed rather than the confirmed stage.
One very expensive notion does need further thought, though: while it makes sense for the Gold Coast to conduct night meetings, the installation and running of the lights does not come cheap.
Queensland already has night racing facilities at Toowoomba and Caloundra, and in an era of financial difficulty for the state’s racing industry it would make sense to put non-urgent desires down Santa’s list.
Ideally Canterbury, Moonee Valley and a Queensland venue should race on the same time slot in summer.
Night time programs without corresponding interstate gallops betting opportunities fail to optimise a resource – die-hard punters are not likely to venture to the track if there are not a couple of away-programs to invest in.
Another item that needs more elaboration is the prospect of RQ making a contribution to a sports club at Toowoomba.
At first glance, it does seem an obscure objective when many racecourses are struggling to keep up with the basics.
A dilemma facing many major organizations is the problem of having large and lavish stadia and stands utterly under-utilised for the vast majority of occasions during the year.
Massive capital investments of this nature need careful assessment in times of economic tightness.
Fortunately, the use of semi-temporary facilities is widespread and very functional.
If you’re interested, you can download the full infrastructure plan here.
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Bits And Bridles
- Glenn Richardson took a trio to Rockhampton on Friday. They were all handled by Hannah English and were not disgraced. Newcomer Miss Sidual, a $4.80 chance, was midfield in a QTIS Maiden for three-year-olds at her first outing since mid-June. Flying Charger ($16) was four lengths adrift of the winner of the Open Handicap while Man of Law ($31) was a solid fifth in Class 2 grade over 1100 metres.
- It is a curious and widespread calendar that prevails this long weekend. Caloundra is Saturday’s city venue. Gold Coast is the only other southern meeting with Bowen, Cairns, Charleville and Mount Isa rounding out operations. Toowoomba and Beaudesert (TAB) cater for the populous corner on Sunday and Monday respectively. The closest non-TAB fixture to the south-east on October 7 is at Tara. Other places in action on that day are Jundah, Gordonvale and Richmond. In short, rookie riders are experiencing a period of few opportunities.
- Punters need to note that six months of Daylight Saving begins on Sunday.
- Coming up in next week’s column: a popular jockey has retired. But instead of being captured by the photo finish camera, he has been in the frame of cinematographers.
