Dam good way to repair real dry problem
WITH the Amateurs done, dusted and dry, Cairns Jockey Club officials will next week begin their latest step towards repairing Cannon Park.
Racing Queensland this week indicated it will formalise an answer to the CJC’s submission for funds to install drainage at the track by the end of October.
Though it’s unlikely the Far North will receive an almighty cash windfall, there is growing hope Cannon Park could scrape together enough coin to at least make it more dependable during the wet season.
After losing a handful of meets through 2014 and 2015 due to insufficient drainage, CJC officials will install a dam in the middle of the track in coming weeks to ease the pressure on the precarious springs in the latest step forward.
Returning former president Tom Hedley will again play the role of white knight, providing his own machinery from the Tablelands to ensure the work goes ahead.
“We have got it all worked out,” Hedley said. “We will have to notify Racing Queensland to make sure they stay in the loop. We were waiting until after Amateurs, which was a big success, and then we’ve got our next meet on Thursday week.
“There is not going to be any big money spent on the track, but we should be able to do some things to keep it improving.” In a delicate balancing act, the movements of the revamped Cluden Park in Townsville have to be taken into account should Cannon Park be deemed unavailable.
But Hedley is confident that Cairns should be open for racing throughout the coming months regardless of what work gets the go ahead.
Pre-cut rolls of grass installed under the rail during the 2013 upgrade of Cannon Park continue to cause some trouble. Though it was the lack of drainage – despite plans for its installation during the initial $1.96 million scope of works – that prompted the CJC to plead for financial aid from RQ and Racing Minister Bill Byrne.
While this month’s Amateurs Carnival was widely hailed as one of the best in recent memory, minimal rainfall ensured we did not get to see the ugly side of Cannon Park’s notoriously slippery surface.