Chief Stipe Posted yesterday at 06:45 PM Author Share Posted yesterday at 06:45 PM Turf guru answers call to rescue Magic Millions day at the Gold Coast www.racenet.com.au – with Ben Dorries Evergreen Turf supremo Graeme Colless is no stranger to rescuing marquee events. In 2019, on the eve of the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Colless and his team were parachuted in to bring the iconic venue's surface up to scratch after a series of U2 concerts in the lead up had left it in disrepair. And in 2022 they were at it again when front and centre in bringing a section of the Flemington track back from the brink following an act of vandalism during the Melbourne Cup carnival. • ‘Suspicious items' found near scene of Gold Coast track poisoning drama This week, Colless and his expert team are plying their trade on the Gold Coast in a bid to salvage Saturday's lucrative $14.5m Magic Millions meeting, following the much publicised poisoning of a section of the track surface which forced last week's meeting to be shifted to the Sunshine Coast. The damaged section of the Gold Coast track. Picture: Supplied And in the greatest endorsement yet, turf whisperer Colless, who answered an SOS call from Queensland officials at the weekend, has declared he is now "90 per cent confident" that the Gold Coast track would be fit to race on Saturday. Speaking to Racenet on Tuesday, Colless said the turf replacement had got to the point where jockeys would be able to test it in gallops on Thursday morning which will ultimately decide the future of the meeting. "Racing Queensland rang me on Friday evening and I had to get some of my staff back from holidays and fly in others from Melbourne," Colless said. • Barrier Draw: Dream turns to despair for Magic Millions favourite "There was also gear from all around Sydney that we needed to pick up, then we got up to the Gold Coast on Sunday and did an inspection. "We found some grass on the track that we are going to replace from the B-Grass onto the course proper and we have got specialised machines to do that. Mark Guest - Last 7 Days • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "The machines that we use for stadiums, they cut (turf) rolls of about nine square metres and then they are all hydraulically pushed over by another machine that we have got. "All things being equal, I am giving them a 90 per cent chance of racing at the Gold Coast on Saturday." Late on Tuesday, News Corp revealed that it had become increasingly likely that the track poisoning at the Gold Coast was a deliberate act by vandals. Suspicious items, including weed spray nozzles, along with footprints near a canal which adjoins the racecourse are said to be forming part of the Police investigation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted 18 hours ago Share Posted 18 hours ago (edited) GC track works completed Ryan Reynolds @Reynolds_R 8:34am The affected section of the track at Gold Coast (Image: Gold Coast Turf Club) With Ben Sporle Key works on the Gold Coast Turf Club track have been completed as the clock ticks down to Saturday's feature Magic Millions Raceday. The club announced on Tuesday night that the new grass had been laid and key works completed after a significant portion of the track was damaged last week. That damage forced last Saturday's key lead-up meeting to be moved to the Sunshine Coast, allowing the club time to fix the track ahead of this weekend's $14.5m meeting. Evergreen Turf and VRC track manager Liam O'Keeffe were called in to assist to project, while Eagle Farm is on standby to host the meeting if required. Horses are set to gallop over the impacted section of track on Thursday morning with a call made shortly after on whether the meeting will proceed. Meanwhile, on Tuesday afternoon the Gold Coast Turf Club released a statement in relation to the investigation surrounding the damaged course proper. Spray nozzles, mixing equipment and footprints were found in the area were the damage occurred. Police are continuing their investigation in relation to the incident. “We’re awaiting an independent report from leading agronomist company Easton Turf, who has been up to take samples of the damaged turf, but it’s looking more and more a case of vandalism,” said GCTC Chairman Brett Cook. “We know the spray nozzles aren’t ours because they’re plastic and we use brass. “Easton Turf has seen a number of similar cases in the past and has spoken with the investigating police. “If it does turn out to be a deliberate act, which is looking increasingly likely, we’re very disappointed with a narrative that has come out suggesting it was some sort of mistake on our part.” Edited 18 hours ago by curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted 17 hours ago Share Posted 17 hours ago I suppose the question is now whether the patch is consistent enough with the rest of the track to be safe to race on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted 16 hours ago Author Share Posted 16 hours ago 1 hour ago, curious said: I suppose the question is now whether the patch is consistent enough with the rest of the track to be safe to race on. Well if that was the test then Trentham may as well get rid of the shute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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