The contingencies at present are to run the Recognition Stakes at Doomben on Wednesday (farcical adding a Listed race to a midweek card) and the Eureka Stud Classic next Saturday. But the final decision will not be made until 6am Saturday. It seems RQ Racing Manager Ross Gove has been burning the midnight oil looking for alternatives if stewards determine this afternoon (Friday) that the track will not be safe enough for the meeting to proceed. In fairness a couple of days ago Trenton Akers wrote a story, headlined: RQ officials face scheduling nightmare as deluge threatens Gold Coast meeting.’ What the racing public and the punters need right now is not some ‘puff piece’ that will earn Tom a lifetime pass to the RQ media list and functions but whether Saturday’s meeting will proceed and what contingency plans have been put in place. The Tattersall’s Celebration Season Race Day will be held on the Gold Coast this Saturday, while five consecutive weeks of action at the Brisbane Racing Club culminates in the Magic Millions Prelude Race Day on New Year’s Day, with 15 black type races and six chances to secure a lucrative wildcard into Queensland’s richest race day at the Gold Coast. The News Ltd story tells us (without one mention of the terrible weather than has the track rated a Heavy 10):
It’s easy to see why they pay Parnell well over a half million dollars each year and some of his trusty lieutenants high six figure sums as well. “The best jockeys, the best trainers and brilliant postcards from the Gold Coast will be sent around the world.” “What it has done over the past two years, with new innovations like the The Gateway giving the winner entry into The Stradbroke Handicap, The Wave and the Magic Millions day which is one of the great days of Australian racing where there are nine fairytales on offer. It quotes RQ CEO, Brendan Parnell, declaring: “The Summer Carnival is outstanding.” Under the headline: ‘MORE than $20 million in prizemoney and 31 feature races on offer during Queensland Summer Carnival’ it could almost have been an RQ Media Release if they bother distributing those any more. NICE story in the News Ltd media today about the Queensland Summer Racing Carnival written by Gold Coast Bulletin Sports Editor Tom Boswell – pity about the timing. RQ CEO BRENDAN PARNELL: ‘The Summer Carnival is Outstanding’ – it’s easy to see why they pay him the BIG BUCKS!