Host of meetings cancelled or postponed due to effects of ex-Cyclone Alfred

The racing calendar in South East Queensland has become jam-packed after the rescheduling of more meetings as ex-Cyclone Alfred continues to bring heavy rainfall.

Flooding at the Albion Park Greyhound Club on Monday morning.

The devastating effects of ex-Cyclone Alfred continue to cause major disruptions in the South East Queensland racing industry, with a string of meetings this week cancelled or rescheduled.

Tuesday’s meeting at Eagle Farm has been shifted to Wednesday, replacing a scheduled meeting at Doomben, which has been abandoned as Brisbane recorded its wettest 24-hour period in half a century.

A total of 275mm fell on the River City in the 24 hours to 9am Monday, the most since 314mm lashed Brisbane in the 24 hours leading up to 9am on January 26, 1974.

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Brisbane’s total rainfall since last Wednesday to 9am on Monday was 466mm. The March average for the city is just 133mm.

Three races have been added to Wednesday’s meeting at Eagle Farm, making it an 11-card card event.

The remaining races lost from the abandoned Doomben meeting will be added to the now 11-race card at Eagle Farm on Saturday which will be run in conjunction with the $2m Jewel day on the Gold Coast on an already jam-packed calendar.

It means punters will enjoy a Super Saturday in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, where a total of 21 thoroughbred races will be staged.

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Gold Coast Turf Club boss Steve Lines said if the track didn’t cop any more heavy rain until Saturday “then we’re looking good” for Jewel day, which features two $500,000 night races for Queensland-bred 2YOs and 3YOs.

“We got a lot of heavy rain and strong winds after the cyclone,” Lines said.

“We’ve had over 600mm as of 10am this morning (Monday) since last Wednesday.

“We got more damage out of the rain on Sunday, just some ceiling tiles and wet carpet, but we’re all positive now. If we don’t get any more rain then it’s all rosy.”

Lines said the club had paid a deposit for two helicopters to help transport jockeys who wanted to ride at both Brisbane and the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Albion Park Greyhound Club's flooded track on Monday.

The Ipswich meeting on Thursday is in doubt and distances for three races have been shortened to 1200m after the 1350m chute went under water on Monday.

Ipswich track manager Sean Tou reported that 340mm of rain fell on the track on Sunday.

“We’ll be in a better position on Tuesday to determine the fate of the meeting,” Ipswich Turf Club boss Nathan Exelby said.

Albion Park Greyhound Club officials are waiting for the rain to ease on Tuesday in the hope of getting the site recommissioned and ready for racing on Wednesday night.

“The track is a little worse for wear but we should be fine if the rain stops falling,” club deputy chief executive Jodie Pagan said on Monday.

“I walked the track this morning and it’s pretty soft. But the rest of the facility is actually not too bad, besides the fact that you can’t get into it because the surrounding roads are flooded.

“If we get a king tide then we’re in trouble. If it’s sunshine tomorrow (Tuesday) we should be right to race on Wednesday but if not I would suggest we’ll need more time to prep the track and put all the pieces back together.”

Ipswich greyhounds have been cancelled for Tuesday night due to the local council using the showgrounds as a refuge while the flooded Capalaba Greyhound Club hopes to start its massive clean-up operation on Wednesday once the water recedes.

Originally published as Host of meetings cancelled or postponed due to effects of ex-Cyclone Alfred