Racing is unlikely to return to Eagle Farm for at least a month as Queensland industry powerbrokers deal with the consequences of a fall that forced a meeting to be cut short at Brisbane’s premier track.
Jockey Robbie Dolan was injured when he was dislodged from his mount after another horse shied at construction work on the outside of the track near the 600-metre mark on Saturday.
Jockeys refused to ride in the remaining two races, leaving Eagle Farm's immediate future as a racing venue in doubt.
Racing Queensland chief executive Jason Scott met with jockey and trainer representatives on Monday to resolve the impasse.
He said advertising boards would be placed on a section of the construction site between the 650m and 450m points of the racetrack.
“The jockeys believe that a lot of the problem is the black colour of the mesh around the building,” Scott said.
“There's a gap … which we're going to fill with advertising hoardings which will effectively work as an amphitheatre on the outside of the track.
“That will mean the horses will always have something to follow as well as the running rail.”
Scott said horses racing back in a field were especially vulnerable because they were losing their bearings when approaching the building.
RQ also hopes that the removal of scaffolding surrounding the outside of the 14-storey apartment building will contribute to a safer racing environment.
“The jockeys are very confident the dark colour of the mesh is what the horses are struggling to separate from a black hole,” Scott said.
“So once it’s off, you’ve got the glass and the brown (colours) that is the same colour as the other two buildings that have been built on the racetrack.”
Work to take down the scaffolding is not scheduled to start until August 6, ensuring the August 3 race meeting will almost certainly be transferred to Doomben.
“I don't think we'll come up with another solution in the interim, so I think we can say that meeting will almost certainly be Doomben,” Scott said.
“If we have to move meetings from Eagle Farm to Doomben we will do that.
“And I would think it would be unlikely that we’ll start racing back there until, at best, the back end of August, if not September.”
Scott said the Brisbane Racing Club would need to stage barrier trials before the all-clear is given for a return to racing.
“It's a little fluid on the dates. A lot depends on what we get back from the builders and how quickly we can do it,” he said.
“But the jockeys are on board, they're all on the same page, they're rowing the same way, so I'm very confident we're going in the right direction.”
“If we have to move meetings from Eagle Farm to Doomben we will do that." - Jason Scott
Dolan fell from his mount Victory Command, prompting jockeys to withdraw their services for the remaining two races on Saturday.
With the backing of the Queensland Jockeys’ Association, members said they refused to ride because of safety issues.
Dolan’s fall was caused when Power Pack shifted out abruptly at the 600-metre mark of the Moreton Hire Handicap.
Power Pack’s sudden movement was blamed on the horse shying at the work site adjacent to the home turn.
Dolan broke his wrist and jockeys, backed up by Queensland Jockeys' Association’s Glen Prentice, withdrew their services.
The QJA said there had been more than a dozen separate instances of horses shying at the new construction site since January.
None of the horses had previously raced at Brisbane’s premier racetrack.
Bren O’Brien
There is an argument that inexperienced horses are seeing the building for the first time on the home turn and taking fright.
Power Pack, ridden by 3kg apprentice Tahlia Fenlon, is trained at Toowoomba and had never raced at Eagle Farm before Saturday.
The 14-storey apartment block is being built at a cost of $135 million.
Before Monday’s meeting, Scott said Brisbane’s jockeys had every right to take stop-work action, with RQ exploring every angle to guarantee their safety.
“We've got to be as all-inclusive as possible and get to the point where the jockeys are comfortable to offer their services again,” he said.
“Until we come up with a solution that meets their expectations, we’re working closely with them to make sure that we're putting into place exactly what they want.
“They're leading the discussion as they should. They're the ones at risk of being injured.”
Bren O’Brien
