GUNNEDAH Jockey Club’s Riverside Racecourse might have been scorched last month but it will present a Good racing surface when Saturday’s six-race SKY TAB 2 meeting jumps.
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While the worst drought in living memory is on-going and has decimating the bush, Riverside is still in good nick - and is feeding a large kangaroo population.
Nominations for Saturday’s six-race meeting are also impressive given the heat and drought, as well as a big eight-race TAB meeting at Scone on Friday.
“To get 123 nominations for the six races is real good,” said GJC president Kevin Edmonds.
“We’ve been working hard on the track. It’s not too bad, we’re getting water on it and trying to keep it alive.
"Shane Cullen (Hunter and North West Racing Association chief stipendiary steward) came out yesterday [Tuesday] and inspected it. He was pretty happy with it and told us to keep doing what we’re doing. It will have its last watering today [Wednesday].”
Gavin Groth, who is based at Riverside, has three of his stable entered for Saturday, as well as heading to Scone on Friday with Red Liberty - a five-year-old gelding son of Ifraaj.
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Red Liberty drew poorly in barrier 12 for Friday’s $22,000 Daracon Group H&NWRA Championship Preview Class 4 Handicap (1300m).
“It won’t affect him too much as he will get back,” Groth said of the gelding who has had two wins in 14 starts and is coming off good last-start third in a Highway Handicap at Rosehill on February 2.
That stout effort on a Soft 7 track had followed a debut win for the stable at Gunnedah.
“It was a good effort in the Highway,” Groth said.
“I didn’t think he was a winning chance when the rain came. We hadn’t seen rain out here for a month but when he got near Hornsby, on the way down, it started to rain.
"Not heavy mind you, just steady drizzle and didn’t let all night. Didn’t stop until just before our race.
"He got through it okay but couldn’t sprint in it, kept spinning his wheels."
Barriers might play a large role in his three runners at Gunndeah on Saturday.
Al Guns A Dancer needs to show some improvement, Groth said, while Jazzee Nicc will run well if he draws okay.
“Malzoom is down in class big time but has a big weight, has 64kg, but I’ve booked Rodney Robb’s apprentice [Stephane Joseph] and he claims 4kg. If he draws well he’ll be thereabouts too," Groth said.
