Weather Reprieve to let Doomben Shine on Saturday

 
IT’S full-steam ahead to the monster 10-race card at Doomben on Saturday as Brisbane is finally set to get a break in the weather on Thursday and Friday.

Doomben Racecourse Manager Ross Smith is hopeful the track can get back to a Heavy 8 or possibly Soft 7 by Saturday, given the forecast for warmer, clearing weather later this week.

Doomben was too wet to race on Wednesday – the second week in succession the metropolitan midweek had succumbed to the big wet – but fortunately participants were able to race for prizemoney a little further north.

The Brisbane Racing Club is very appreciative of the efforts of the Sunshine Coast Turf Club to accommodate Wednesday’s Doomben meeting at short notice on the new Poly Track at Corbould Park.

It was great the two clubs were able to work together to deliver operational aspects of the meeting, including the sharing of barrier attendants and officials.

With Wednesday’s meeting able to carry on through pouring rain, attention now turns to Saturday’s TAB George Moore Stakes, which features the second up run of Zoustyle and the return of Group 1 winner Alligator Blood amongst a star-studded field.

The course proper was still “waterlogged” on Wednesday afternoon, but Ross Smith expects it to dry out over the next 72 hours.

He’s hopeful of getting a mower over the track again later this week, having also mowed it on Monday.

He noted the clipping of the course proper and A-Grass on Monday yielded 44 cubic metres of grass, in evidence of how quickly the grass is growing at the moment.

Since last Wednesday’s midweeker was washed out, Doomben has received an additional 140mm of rain, including 27.5mm since 8.30am Wednesday.

In addition to the George Moore, Saturday’s meeting also includes the running of the Listed Mode Stakes, Winning Rupert, Country Stampede and Country Cups Challenge Final, plus the re-scheduled Eureka Stud F&M Classic and SKY Racing Tatt’s Recognition Stakes – both Listed races – from the washed out Gold Coast meeting last Saturday.

 

Photos provided by: Grant Peters - Trackside Photography