IT is full steam ahead for the reopening of the Happy Valley track following yesterday's barrier trial session on the city course. With the Jockey Club having invested millions of dollars on the redevelopment of the picturesque racing centre, there was plenty of interest in how the track would stand up to what was a full dress rehearsal for the November 25 meeting. And the general consensus of officials, trainers and jockeys was that all is well.
'There was a little damage on some spots, but that is only to be expected as the grass has only been laid a short while,' said director of racing Philip Johnston. 'It seems to be much better on sections where we had the original grass and with three weeks still to work on the track I'm sure it will be in tip-top shape come raceday,' he added. Johnston, who had walked the track following the opening heat, seemed pleased with proceedings and was especially satisfied with an apparent lack of kickback.
'There were a couple of spots where some sand was being thrown up, but overall most jockeys and trainers appear happy with this,' he said. Indeed, there did seem to be a bit of sand being thrown up on the turn past the winning post, but a selection of leading jockeys expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of the turf.
'Considering it's only been laid for a short time the kickback was quite reasonable,' said Basil Marcus. Marcus, renowned for his prowess on the turning circuit, was at pains also to stress that the restructuring of the course would ensure jockeys would need to adapt to the vagaries of the track. 'It is a good track to ride, but it is obvious that riders will need to get their mounts into the right positions to win,' he said. But with another jockeys' premiership beckoning, the South African was not giving away trade secrets.
'They'll have to work that out for themselves,' he laughed.
While Marcus was coming to terms with the course, champion jockey Tony Cruz was out to ensure his name went down as winner of the opening trial on the new circuit when he rode the John Moore-trained Joint Account right out to take the 1,800-metre heat.