Brisbane Race Club officials are likely to press for a moratorium on midweek racing at Eagle Farm in an effort to solve problems with the new track surface.
Eagle Farm was again under fire when runners got to the outside fence in the straight last Monday, the third meeting at the track in nine days.
In one race runners got so wide they apparently barely set off the time beam on the inside fence.
Problems with the track pose a conundrum for the BRC because while betting remains strong on Eagle Farm racing the track is obviously having major problems.
The BRC held a meeting on Wednesday which included representatives of the track contractors Evergreen, Racing Queensland, ground staff, senior jockey Michael Cahill and trainer Robert Heathcote.
BRC chairman Neville Bell said it was a positive meeting and there were several ideas that could be implemented.
“There is no hiding the fact we need to do something,” Bell said.
“It was interesting to hear what VRC track manager Mick Goodie had to say about Flemington in an interview this week. Basically Flemington will have five weeks off before its spring carnival and then ten weeks off afterwards to recover.”
“Flemington races 22 times a year and doesn’t usually race midweek. We race 45 times a year at Eagle Farm including midweeks.”
Bell said Eagle Farm needed seven days between race meetings to be watered and repaired properly.
“As I have pointed out punters want to bet at Eagle Farm. It has left us in a Catch 22 situation,” he said.
“The powers that be want Eagle Farm to race because of turnover but it is not good for the track to have so many meetings.”
“One thing would be to transfer Eagle Farm midweeks to Doomben or Ipswich and the Sunshine Coast. We could still race most Saturdays at Eagle Farm to keep the turnover moving along.”
