Riches works on greener pastures in Top End
GORDONVALE Turf Club president Cameron Riches has landed his dream job in the Top End.
The thoroughbred racing enthusiast is set to depart the Far North in the coming weeks and take up a new role in the Northern Territory at the Darwin Turf Club as operations manager.
In doing so, Riches will step down as president of the Gordonvale Turf Club and commit- tee member of the Cairns Jockey Club.
Riches is credited for his hard work to push the Gordonvale Turf Club’s $140,000 refurbishment to the club’s facilities, which was almost entirely funded by the local community and sponsors, recently.
“Darwin Turf Club get 45,000 people at their cup and hold 39 meetings a year. It will be a fantastic stepping stone for me work wise,” Riches said.
“It is disappointing a little bit that I need to step away from Gordonvale and Cairns but they have a fantastic committees at both places. They will just keep going forward.
“In Darwin, I will be running the carnival as well as general race day jobs. It is something I will really enjoy.”
Cairns Jockey Club general manager John Cameron said Riches would be a loss to racing in the Far North.
“Cameron has done a great job out at Gordonvale,” Cameron said.
The Cairns Jockey Club will hold a committee meeting tomorrow and a potential replacement for Riches will be discussed. Riches begins work in the Top End on April 10.
Elsewhere, Cairns sprinter Maurizio made a strong return in the Dillon Bowers Lawyers Open Handicap (1000m) at Cluden Park on Friday.
Resuming from a fivemonth spell, Maurizio ($2.40 favourite) held off the fast-finishing Cleaver ($9.50) by a nose with Royal Physician ($3.10) coming home third in a blanket finish.
Maurizio was strong away to settle in second behind Rapt In Rumba, who set a cracking pace before apprentice jockey Emily Cass timed her run to perfection to guide the favourite to victory on the soft track.
Trainer Stephen Massingham admitted he was worried about Maurizio being a bit short of fitness given the wet conditions, but said the sevenyear-old gelding didn’t put a foot wrong.
“My only concern was being a run short – he needed the run – but he’s a nice horse and young Em rode him a treat,” Massingham said.