GC MEETING SCHEDULED FOR NEXT FRIDAY

GOLD Coast Turf Club has already lost more than $500,000 and been forced to stand down staff as they hope to use radical new Queensland racing zones to survive.

Club CEO Steve Lines revealed that due to coronavirus concerns they had been forced to stand down about 20 people – nearly the entire office staff – and more than 300 casuals since the first patron-free race meeting last Saturday.

Lines estimated the turf club had lost about $500,000 in corporate cancellations and loss of sponsors.

“It’s tough but the loss would be five-fold that amount if we stopped racing altogether,” said Lines, who has taken a 20 per cent pay cut.

“Some people have felt a lot of pain by the loss of their income and jobs but we’re doing our best to help everyone as best we can.”

Lines said it placed even more importance on Racing Queensland’s new designated racing regions that have been put in place to stop the spread

Open Handicap, 1200m, $65,000 in prizemoney

BenchMark 80 Handicap, 1800m, $50,000

Class 6 Handicap, 1400m, $50,000

BenchMark 72 Handicap 1400m, $35,000

BenchMark 72 Handicap, 1100m, $35,000

3YO Hcp, 1800m, $65,000

of COVID-19 in the industry.

Gold Coast has been put into a Metro South-West zone plus applicable QTIS bonuses

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2YO Handicap, 1100m, $65,000 plus applicable QTIS bonuses

Maiden Plate (Set Weights), 1200m, $27,500 Nominations close: Monday at 11am

that will include Ipswich and Toowoomba, with provisions put in place to restrict trainers to racing in one zone while limiting the movement of jockeys as well.

Gold Coast will race on Fridays as of next week. There is no meeting on Good Friday but the club will race on Thursday, April 9, instead.

Some races at the Gold Coast, a track used for largely provincial racing, will carry greater prizemoney so trainers limited to the zone can access close to the metropolitan standard prizemoney.

“Keeping racing will mean keeping jobs,” Lines said.

“Keeping jobs is paramount at the moment. Keeping horses healthy and in work is also paramount.

“There will be cynics out there but it’s not a contact sport and we have animal welfare there to make sure we look after the horses.

“It may change in two weeks time and they may say stop but we are keeping people in work and the welfare of the animal at heart and trying to keep the wheels of the industry cranking over across the entire state.”