EAGLE FARM RACES TRANSFERRED TO DOOMBEN

Donna Logan , stable foreman Graham Forbes and track rider Glen Perry were left scratching their heads after last Saturday's race at Eagle Farm. The track surface was very testing and many horses raced well below par. Our horses performed very well considering how hard the going was. Here He Comes was ridden handier and just came to the end of his run in the gruelling conditions. Qiji Phoenix drew wide so covered a lot more ground and came to the end of his run. We had not been allowed to gallop on the course proper so were not really aware the track was so bad. There had been no rain 2 weeks  prior so we were shocked to find it was still a Heavy 8.

It appears that when the new track was first laid it wasn't too bad but the new layer of sand was absorbing vast quantities of water. Not sure what sort of supply the club have and at what cost but someone may have decided to put a layer , 60 tonnes, of a non organic matter (not sure what) on the track in an attempt to hold the water. It has held the water like  a soggy mat that flies apart when galloped on and is very hard to dry out.

This is a lesson to clubs building new tracks with a sand base. They are the best tracks but they need a lot of water especially in the early stages when you are trying to form a deep root structure. We have learnt the hard way at Ruakaka and it took many years to get our track to where we wanted. Ruakaka is limited to 500 cubic meters of water a day but we have had a wet summer which has helped the new inside grass track. The root structure of our new 14m inside grass track is starting to look pretty good. It's been under sowed , Verti Drained, Cored, and has had a Ground Breaker over it. We do regular soil tests that have taught us things like Lime is not needed. We put DAP Diammonium Phosphate with a high nutrient content on every 3 weeks because the sand leeches fertiliser so quickly. Now the root structure is down nearly as far as the Course Proper we can use PGG Wrightson Turf Mix 17-2-17 that has 17 units of Nitrogen 55 % products 45% of which is Nitrate for slower release. 17 units of Potassium from a muriate of Potash and 1% Fe. 

Ruakaka is nearly at a stage where we can promote facilities for other trainers. The track just would not have coped with many more horses over the last couple of years. The Whangarei District Council are doing work on potentially supplying the club with treated water from their waste water plant . The track can take vast quantities  of water without any effect other than promoting grass/root growth. If the industry is ever going to build another all weather track please don't go synthetic , use a sand base and have an unlimited water supply. Maybe the industry in their wisdom will invest in a training and accommodation centre at Ruakaka so trainers can bring teams of horses from say May - August so the punter will have full fields to bet on with a consistent surface. Over a period of years the tracks at Auckland, Waikato etc could be upgraded, or relocated and rebuilt.

We are sure Eagle Farm will rectify their error and will return to being  Queensland's number 1 facility.   

Will keep everyone posted on the progress of Qiji Phoenix and Here He Comes and assure you they are both thriving.