Bush ‘picnic’ to avoid clash

THE Gold Coast Turf Club is going from the beach to the bush in a bid to avoid a clash with the Commonwealth Games.

The club has shifted its April 7 provincial meeting – scheduled in the opening days of the Games – to Beaudesert.

The Gold Coast Turf Club’s Traintech facility, event centre and corporate suites are all being used by Commonwealth Games staff.

Club CEO Steve Lines said the decision was made to move the meeting on advice from Racing Queensland chief steward Allan Reardon.

“The meeting is in the heart of the Commonwealth Games and we are supporting the event in a number of different ways,” Lines said.

“Our idea was to move it to Beaudesert to take the pressure off the Coast a little bit.

“It will take the pressure off the trainers who might be bringing horses down from Brisbane and our local guys.

“People don’t want to come down the M1 with horses in the middle of the Games.”

Lines said the meeting would be a picnic race day theme, inspired by the success of similar events at Hanging Rock in Victoria and at Tabulam in northern NSW.

“Picnic race days are huge in other areas but southeast Queensland hardly does it,” Lines said.

The Gold Coast Turf Club will provide buses for its members to and from the Beaudesert meeting.