Clifford Park ready to storm back to racing

Toowoomba racing returning from brief summer break.

Clifford Park course manager Dave Morrison inspects the Clifford Park course proper yesterday ahead of its return to racing tomorrow. Picture: Bev Lacey

RACING : Twelve months of trying weather conditions have made way for one week of welcome rain as Clifford Park prepares for the return of racing this week.

Toowoomba racing resumes tomorrow with an eight-event twilight meeting after a three-week racing break and almost two months of course proper maintenance.

After enduring a year of below average rainfall and weeks of relentless heat, the clouds have finally aligned this month for course manager Dave Morrison.

Seventy millimetres of storm rain and showers last week proved the icing on the cake for Morrison and Toowoomba Turf Club ground staff as they put the finishing touches on the StrathAyr Systems racing surface ahead of a busy upcoming year of racing.

Morrison said the timing of last week’s rain was in stark contrast to last January’s track maintenance period and has helped lay a strong 2020 foundation with the possibility of more rain lingering.

“The difference this year to last year is 70mm of rain, received last week,” Morrison said.

“Last year during the January maintenance work, we received no rain and had to rely on irrigation for track watering.”

Racing Queensland officials this week inspected the course proper and gave it the thumbs up for the return of racing.

Several horses, including Toowoomba gelding and last month’s Bernborough Handicap winner Niccanova worked on the course proper on Tuesday morning with jockeys offering positive feedback on the track surface.

“It’s been tough with the weather conditions everyone has had to endure,” Morrison said.

“Our rainfall here in 2019 was down to just under 100mm on the 2018 figures.

“We had virtually no rain in spring coming out of a fairly cold winter.

“But I’d like to think a good fertiliser program, irrigation and plenty of TLC have been the key to the track standing up was well as it has.

“We had a heavy workload in November particularly, with seven race meetings.

“It certainly shows the strength of the StrathAyr surface.

“We started our maintenance schedule on December 5 when we began working from the inside of the track outwards.

“But last week everything worked in perfectly with our fertilising and the timing of the rain.

“The grass growth since has been unbelievable.

“A few horses worked wide out on the course proper on Tuesday, and the jockeys were all positive with their feedback.”