Miller settles in as CEO at Sunshine Coast Turf Club

JOHN Miller spent some time getting used to the club before Mick Sullivan retired at the end of August.

HAS REINS: Sunshine Coast Turf Club CEO John Miller. Picture: Patrick Woods

RACING: New Sunshine Coast Turf Club CEO John Miller is relishing the role, after taking the reins from long-serving Mick Sullivan.

The 41-year-old has settled in at Corbould Park after a previous tenure at Albury.

"I'm loving it. It's a big move from where I've come from. It's a different lifestyle and I'm just really enjoying it," he said.

"The club's been fantastic. I've been blown away by the quality of the facility we've got here."

While he's largely accustomed to running a club, there are some things he's had to get used to at Caloundra.

"Down south most clubs probably race 20-30 times a year and this club races 71 times a year, so that's the big difference but I've actually enjoyed that," he said.

"You get to roll from one meet into the next quite quickly and we've got some great staff here and everyone sort of knows their roles and routines and it runs really well."

Miller spent some time at the club before Sullivan retired at the end of August.

He's looking to continue the good work already established there, while considering new ideas which could attract more racegoers.

He's also set to have further talks with key personnel about the cushion track there.

"That's the conversation we're having with the industry at the moment," he said. "Is there a place there for the cushion track to hold race meetings to take a bit of pressure off the grass track and still assist the industry?"

The surface's lifespan is nearing its end.

"They say they have got about a 10-year lifespan and then you need to look to do a major renovation or redo them and we're getting towards that point now.

"We're having conversations with Racing Queensland about what the best (option is). Are we going to race on it (and) it's such a vital training tool for us here with the amount of horses we have here.

"Our (the turf club's) view is that it will, hopefully, be upgraded and we'll see some racing on it. It's such a good facility that it probably should be used a bit more."

Jockey Damian Browne claimed a brace of winners at the track on Sunday.

He steered Zap to a narrow victory in a 1200m race and Loaded and Ready to a half-length margin over the same distance.