Struggling Mareeba Turf Club right back on track

After a troublesome past 36 months, the trajectory of the Mareeba Turf Club is finally on the way up.

Trainer Scott Cooper and jockey Emily Cass win a race at Mareeba. Picture: Peter Roy.

After a troublesome past 36 months, the trajectory of the Mareeba Turf Club is finally on the way up.

Just over a year ago, the Tablelands track was at the crossroads.

It lost a handful of meetings due to a number of different reasons, including rainfall and the poor state of the track.

Many FNQ trainers were frustrated with where the club and track were headed.

In September last year, local trainer Alex Malliff, who has recently become the president of the club, said the future of the club was at stake.

Jockey Stephen Wilson. Picture: Peter Roy.

“If we do not get it right, we will not have a club to train at, which really concerns me,” Malliff said at the time.

“Financially, clubs just cannot continue without racing, especially small clubs like us.

“If we are not racing, economically, we are not viable.”

Fast forward to the last week of 2020 and those concerns and worries about the state of the track and club would be all but gone internally as well as from the outside looking in.

The track hosted a five-event non-TAB program with no worries on Saturday.

Mareeba Turf Club’s new committee.

Many trainers and jockeys were glowing in their praise of the redeveloped track and ­facilities.

A camber was put back on the track earlier this year from the 600m to 300m marks and the club worked to improve the drainage, which the club funded itself without help from Racing Queensland.

Mareeba-based trainer Stefanie Horner, who has recently stepped up to become the vice-president of the club, believes the future is bright.

“It has been going well and the credit has to go to our president Alex Malliff and everyone at the Mareeba Turf Club for doing an awesome job with the track,” Horner said.

“We lost a few meetings and there was an entire year where we almost did not have a meeting.

“It has been good and the weather gods have played nice for us this year.

“The track has been great for us.”

Fellow local trainer Jenny Ball has been around during Mareeba’s struggles and was pleased with the way the track raced on Saturday.

“It looks good and the jockeys have said it is good today. A bit sandy but it is ­really good,” Ball said.

Jockey Emily Cass. Picture: Peter Roy.

“You cannot complain when your own horses are going good.”

Consistent trainer Ball did have one little gripe with the club.

She would love to be able to work her horses on the main track more often.

Innisfail trainer Stephen Potiris, who spent time training at Mareeba a few years ago, thinks the new committee is doing an excellent job.

“It looks super out here, real good,” Potiris said.

“It raced good, as well.

“It was a little bit leader bias in the way it played, but that is to be expected with the short straight.

“It is going all right now.

“They have a new committee and it is all going well.”

Mareeba is next set to race on Saturday, February 13th.

MAREEBA’S FIGHTBACK

September 2017

Burrowing wallabies and bandicoots were blamed for the poor state of the track, with the Mareeba Cup transferred to Cannon Park.

June 2019

Stewards were forced to abandon the meeting after rain fell the night before the meeting, but visiting trainers have since noted the track had holes all over it.

Three other meetings were lost in 2018 and 2019.

Originally published as Struggling Mareeba Turf Club right back on track