Backlog of Queensland races a headache for jockeys

As South-East Queensland slowly emerges from the battering it took from Cyclone Alfred, particularly the record-breaking deluge that followed in the aftermath of Alfred making landfall, racing in the area is coming out of its enforced hibernation and getting the show back on the road.

Eagle Farm did the job yesterday and, with the sun now out and about again, Ipswich (Thursday and the Sunshine Coast on Friday should carry on the good work until Saturday which, because of the pile up of fixtures, will bring what is believed to be an unpreceded two metropolitan meetings in Queensland on the same day, comprising no less than twenty-one races (with close to a two hour overlap between the two meetings) and a massive total, at this stage, of 348 acceptances, including emergencies.

Jockey movement between the two meetings is going to be a particularly interesting exercise.

It has been reported that the Gold Coast Turf Club will be footing the bill for a helicopter to transport riders between the two venues with Racing Queensland’s acting CEO, Lachlan Murray, confirming to Racenet that, “The Brisbane Racing Club and the Gold Coast Turf Club have got all the logistics sorted,”

“We have got one chopper landing at 2.30pm at Doomben to pick up jockeys and that will take the first group of five jockeys. That chopper will return and take another group of jockeys from Brisbane to the Gold Coast at 3.45pm.”

Other jockeys, whose schedule allows them some leeway, have elected to drive back to the coast.

The Gold Coast meeting, which features the two QTIS Jewel races for two and three-year-olds, was washed out last Saturday and moved back a week while Eagle Farm will proceed with Saturday’s meeting as originally allocated.

A quick mention too to Bundaberg, Chinchilla, Mareeba, Mount Isa, Rockhampton and Toowoomba who also race on Saturday and whose contribution remains core to the overall to the overall well-being of the industry.