Queensland’s richest race day will be completed on Thursday after the Magic Millions meeting was sensationally called off two races into the $11 million program after a secret ballot of riders decided by a majority that the track was unsafe to continue.
A downpour of 14mm of rain made the Gold Coast track unsafe between the 500m and 300m marks on the home turn, with riders reporting “it was like quicksand” near the fence.
The low-lying point has long been a problem area and is one of the reasons the racing surface was due to be ripped up on Monday as part of the track reconstruction.
Once the meeting was called off it was decided Thursday was the best option to run the Magic Millions Classic and several other million-dollar races. Track reconstruction will be postponed until after the meeting.
“We have some showers forecasted for Monday and Tuesday, so there was no way we couldn’t guarantee the track will be vastly improved by Wednesday, so Thursday was the best day,” Racing Queensland chief executive Brendan Parnell said. “It’s only four days later, so it won’t interfere with the redevelopment of the track.
“We did consider other tracks but this is an iconic Gold Coast race meeting and we wanted to give it the best possible chance to run at the Gold Coast.”
The field rounds the home turn in race one at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
It was an unhappy end to an incident-packed Magic Millions week on the Gold Coast, which started with a horse crashing through a fence and ending up in a canal during the opening meeting of the week, then two horses escaped after the exhibition gallops down the Surfers’ Paradise beach as part of the barrier draw on Tuesday.
The signs were not good when rain on Friday night and Saturday morning resulted in the track going from a good surface to slow for the first race of the day, the Magic Millions Country Cup. The rain persisted for that race, making visibility poor for jockeys back in the field.
“It was misty, soaking rain that has got right into the profile and it doesn’t recover well from that,” Parnell said. “The visibility from a jockey’s perspective was a concern because they were having trouble with visibility.”
After the first race, a series of meetings between jockeys and officials took place and the stewards inspected the home turn, the area of most concern. After 45-minute delay it was decided to continue on a race-by-race basis.
Rain derailed the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast on Saturday.
But when Desperately, ridden by James McDonald, slipped in the second race approaching the home turn when not under any pressure, it sealed the fate of the meeting. McDonald was clear in his view about the track after the incident saying it wasn’t safe and stewards agreed.
“We agree with riders that the track is unsafe to continue racing,” Racing Queensland chief steward Josh Adams said.
All scratchings will be reinstated to the Magic Millions fields and futures will stand. The five days until the race meeting will allow trainers to get a gallop into their horses for the Magic Millions Classic and Magic Millions Guineas.
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
