WHERE TO NEXT??????

Have we reached the end of the road yet or is there still some light at the end of the tunnel? If there is light I would dearly love to know from where it shines?

Yesterday we went to Belmont for a midweek meeting and raced on a surface rated as good. Compared to the surfaces we have raced on over the past few weeks it was certainly a pleasure to get back on top of the ground. Not only were the horses on top of the ground, they were almost on top of the outside fence and into the grandstand. Now don't get me wrong. I think Perth Racing have done a marvelous job to keep Belmont in working order over the past few years when its "use by date" was probably well and truly up some time ago. Yesterday we raced on a pad 21m from the inside position and as far out as I have ever seen it in my life time in racing. I think it was as wide as they can possibly go. Full credit to those in charge of the track for ensuring that the show went ahead.

Today we have an extra meeting programmed for Kalgoorlie to try to alleviate some of the congestion caused by the abandonment of some meetings from Northam and Belmont recently. Once again great work to those concerned for ensuring that the show goes on. This all leads me to the question; Where to next???????

We can't go any wider at Belmont and looking at the inside section of the track yesterday, I have to say that it is in serious trouble albeit, it will improve with some good weather and with the excellent work done by the ground staff there. Next week we are scheduled to make a return to Northam after no racing has been held there for the past three weeks. What happens however if we were to get some heavy rains over the next few weeks? I'm not talking floods but simply some solid heavy winter rains. Can Belmont handle another meeting being conducted on a wet day? Has Northam recovered sufficiently to conduct the next ten meetings it is programmed to conduct if we get another wet week or two?

If any of this happens, is there a fall back or have we exhausted all that is available to us to conduct continuous race meetings. Kalgoorlie wont be keen to over use its track with the "round" just around the corner. York has finally been closed for good. Lark Hill has come up short in the wet weather and would not be good enough to hold a race meeting. Pinjarra is being prepared for the coming summer season with still no guarantees about how it will handle a full season of racing while Bunbury is way to wet to hold races on at this time of the year. I certainly hope that the time we have all waited for Pinjarra to consolidate has been worth the wait and we get through a full season of racing there uninterrupted. Nobody loves winning a race there as much as me.

So as I said.... where do we go and what do we do if the weather gods are not on our side? Do we head up to Carnarvon or Marble Bar next? I have to say that I, like many of my training colleagues are more than a bit concerned. We are also more than a bit pissed off and feel very let down by these provincial clubs and those who are in charge of our industry in relation to those tracks. How can some of these clubs be given sums of money to spend on their tracks and facilities without being asked to show and provide proof that they have the expertise to do the job properly? Not only properly but completely. That means consulting or employing the right people who know about things such as sand, grass, drainage and maintenance.

There are certainly sections of this industry which are going well.There are even sections which are booming. There are also some sections who have learnt nothing from past mistakes and have no real idea on what makes this industry tick. I hope that the later group are not allowed to make any more decisions which effect the livelihoods of so many!!!!