Canberra's New Track To Be Unveiled
- Thursday, 04 October 2007 00:00
A new-look course proper will be unveiled at Canberra on Saturday, and leading local trainer Barbara Joseph can't wait.
The refurbished track has been 18 months in the making and Saturday will be the first time Canberra has raced on grass since April 21 last year.
Since the reconstruction work began, all racing has been on the synthetic Acton surface.
The refurbished grass track was supposed to be tested at a non-TAB meeting but because of the equine influenza (EI) crisis, Saturday's eight-race program will be a TAB fixture.
Joseph will have 13 runners and while she is thrilled the new surface is finally ready, she also had a word of warning for punters.
"We're all doing cartwheels, it's been a long time coming but well worth the wait," Joseph said.
"We've had a few gallops on it and two official trials last week and they went really well, the camber is great.
"But this week, it's not on the synthetic track so it's all different.
"You won't be ale to go on recent form.
"I've got some horses having their first starts who have never been on grass, they're going to be stepping out and wondering `what's this?'."
The last time Canberra raced on grass Joseph trained two winners and she is quietly confident she can strike a couple of blows on Saturday.
The star of her team will be Group Three winner A Country Girl in the John `Koko' Mullane Memorial Open Hcp (1300m).
Joseph is hoping the mare will be inoculated against EI after the second batch of vaccines arrive in Australia on Friday, giving her a slim chance of competing at the Melbourne spring carnival.
The five-year-old has topweight of 60kg on Saturday and Joseph said if Victoria did not open its border she would spell A Country Girl and set her for the autumn.
"I'd love to get her to Melbourne," Joseph said.
"There is a nice mares' race on Melbourne Cup day and another one a week after that or on Oaks day.
"But I can't see them letting us over the border.
"It's a shame. If nothing happens in the next couple of weeks I'll put her back out for four or five weeks and bring her back for the autumn.
"I don't want to let her keep lugging big weights down here."
Joseph rated A Country Girl one of her better chances along with Vintage Rock in the All Bar Nun Hcp (1600m) and Seldom Sober in the John McGrath Ford Hcp (1000m).
