Mareeba Cup shifts

Nuisance roos and bandicoots force move from track

THE Mareeba Cup will not be lost with the race to be transferred to Boxing Day after today’s Mareeba Annuals had to be shifted to Cannon Park.

The decision to move the races came on Wednesday after an inspection of the track by Racing Queensland, horse trainers and Mareeba Turf Club officials following wallabies, bandicoots and kangaroos making a mess of the track.

Mareeba Turf Club sec- retary John Thurlow confirmed the Mareeba Cup and Bracelet will run on December 26.

“Racing Queensland have been great to let us run both the Mareeba Cup and Bracelet races on Boxing Day later this year,” Thurlow said.

“This year the wallabies and kangaroos have been worse than usual because it has been so dry.

“Obviously we’re upset that we can’t have such a big race day on our track but it will still be a great day and we urge everyone to come along.”

The Mareeba Cup was set to be run as a Benchmark 65 today but will instead be run as a Benchmark 55 later this year.

Earlier this year the club received a grant to put up a fence to help keep kangaroos and wallabies off the track but it has not been completed.

With the Mareeba Annuals shifted to Cairns Jockey Club, the Mareeba trainers will be out for a big day as John Parsons and Alex Malliff send starters to the five-race card.

Parsons’ Robbers Roost will start as the top-weight in the Class 6 Plate (950m) first-up from a spell.

“He will go all right if the track is good, he does not like the wet track,” Parsons said.

“He had not had a start since late last year and won first-up at Laura in June.”

Malliff will start Wild Diva in the feature event of the day, the $10,000 Benchmark 65 Handicap (1500m) to finish the card.

Meanwhile, prolific apprentice hoop Emily Cass looks set to remain in the Far North despite a mooted relocation to further her riding in Rockhampton.

Cass, who rode in Central Queensland last week, has a strong book of rides at Cannon Park today.

The 25-year-old was set to work for Rockhampton trainer Tim Cook but Cook yesterday said he expects Cass to remain riding in the Far North.

The first of five jumps from Cannon Park at 1.15pm this afternoon.