Torrential rain has forced the cancellation of the Australia Day meeting at Doomben on Thursday and officials hold slim hopes of racing at the venue two days later.
Racing Queensland stewards inspected Doomben on Wednesday morning and made the decision to abandon the meeting with the Brisbane weather bureau forecasting further rain.
Saturday’s meeting was scheduled for Eagle Farm but following a track inspection officials transferred it to Doomben to provide the best opportunity for a race meeting to proceed on Saturday.
Brisbane Racing club course manager Bill Shuck said a total of 225 millimetres had been recorded in the rain gauge at Eagle Farm and Doomben since 9am (AEST) on Tuesday.
It brought the total rainfall to 270mm since Monday which came on top of 100mm of rain recorded earlier this month.
“There’s a forecast for rain right through to the weekend but it’s supposed to drop back to 30 millimetres,” Shuck said.
“Anything but sunshine and we’re in trouble for Saturday. It looks very slim.”
The provincial meeting at Kilcoy on Thursday also fell victim to the weather and was abandoned while Ipswich on Friday and the Gold Coast on Saturday remained in grave doubt.
The Gold Coast has received 273mm of rain since Sunday while almost 200mm has been recorded at Ipswich during the same period.
A track inspection on Thursday will determine the fate of the Ipswich program.
Course manager Steve Andrews said the Gold Coast meeting was unlikely to proceed unless there was a break in the weather.
Friday night’s Caloundra meeting, which features the $100,000 Listed Sunshine Coast Cup (1400m) and $150,000 QTIS Caloundra 2YO Plate (1200m), is on the grass track but Racing Queensland officials will decide on Thursday whether it is viable to transfer it to the cushion track.
Caloundra has received 359mm of rain since Sunday, including 288mm which fell during a torrential downpour overnight.
AAP TURF
