Now-or-never warning
Harness racing advocate issues call for Toowoomba racing return
HARNESS RACING: A prominent industry advocate believes it’s “now or never” for harness racing to be revived in Toowoomba as he continues lobbying Racing Queensland for its return.
Darling Downs Harness Racing Club president and Sky Racing caller Anthony Collins said a lack of TAB racing for the code west of Brisbane is a missed opportunity for the industry as he looks to gather support for its resumption in the region.
“It’s now or never,” Collins said when speaking yesterday to The Chronicle and ABC Radio.
“It’s a massive kick in the guts for the industry and its members that we have had no regular TAB harness racing meetings in Toowoomba for the last 15 or 16 years.”
Toowoomba TAB trot meetings ended on a permanent basis in 2003 after a lengthy and successful stint of fortnightly racing at Clifford Park Paceway.
Racing returned briefly to the venue in 2012 before again being abandoned.
Regular TAB harness racing in south-east Queensland is now restricted to Redcliffe and Albion Park after the demise of Toowoomba and the Gold Coast track.
Collins is pushing for its return to either Clifford Park or Toowoomba Showgrounds.
He has no leaning to either venue.
“To build harness racing up from scratch at a greenfield site is potentially years in the making,” Collins said.
“The big three issues to consider in Toowoomba’s favour are cost, location and timeframe to get up and running.
“With Racing Queensland approval we could recommence racing up here within a matter of months.”
Collins expects a Racing Queensland board meeting later this month when it discusses the entire racing infrastructure across the three codes will throw more light on the future of Queensland harness racing.
“Hopefully it will give the green light for an independent investigator to go on an industry fact and cost-finding exercise,” Collins said.
Toowoomba Turf Club chairman Kent Woodford said the club agreed in principal to a return of harness racing at Clifford Park and “will always consider the right proposals.”