Ballarat Turf Club to use two tracks in one day

By David Brehaut
Updated November 2 2012 - 4:59pm, first published July 27 2011 - 11:07am

BALLARAT Turf Club will use its two tracks today to ensure the best racing surface available is utilised for the bulk of the nine-race meeting.The meeting was originally scheduled for the inner circuit. However, a busy winter racing program has taken a toll on this track – convincing the BTC to switch eight events to the outer circuit.Race seven, the Yeoman’s Rentals Country Showcase 0-68 Handicap, 2300m, will be the only event run on the inner track. This avoids a distance change.Racecourse manager Andrew Morton said had the staying event also been moved to the outer track, the race would have had to be reduced to 2000m.Ballarat used the two tracks at a meeting earlier this year, but that was a decision made late on raceday after a vehicle crossing out of the home straight was found to be unsafe for racing and a 2200m was trimmed by 300m. Morton said the inside track had sustained substantial damage with the past five meetings all run on it, and all rated heavy10.The outer track was last raced on mid-April. He said the club would now consider using two tracks on the one day to ease the workload.Rawiller appearsout of reachFOUR wins from four rides.This is the tall order facing Dean Yendall at Dowling Forest today if he is to have any chance of taking out Ballarat Turf Club’s jockeys’ premiership.Even if he did achieve this remarkable feat, Brad Rawiller would need to come up empty from his four mounts on the nine-race card. Rawiller takes a four-win lead over Yendall into the BTC’s last race meeting of the season, which ends on Sunday.Rawiller is on 13, only 1.5 ahead of Nicholas Hall.However, Hall is still on the sidelines after hip surgery.Rawiller rides two-year-old Rock Musician for Robbie Lang in the opening event, the Mick Kent duo of Viminx and Countcool, and Lethal Dealings for Luke Oliver.Lethal Dealing is possibly Rawiller’s best chance in the Porter Plant 0-72 Handicap, 1600m.Yendall will aboard Polymook for Darren Weir, the Jason Clifford-trained Devils Quest, Iguazu for Ciaron Maher and last-start winner Stellar Rose from the Mark Riley stable. Yendall is having an extraordinary season, leading the state premiership with almost 150 victories.He is one of five jockeys to have reached the century in Victoria this season, having been joined by Craig Newitt, Brad Rawiller, Luke Nolen and Ben Melham.Yendall knows what it is like to ride a quartet of winners in a day. No would ever dare to say it was impossible, but it would be extraordinary.Weir has BTC trainers’title in his keepingDARREN Weir has the BTC trainers’ premiership in his keeping.His nearest rival Robert Smerdon has only two acceptors today and even a double will not close the gap.The horse of the year award will go down to a countback, if the club chooses to go that way.The Ballarat-owned and Simon Morrish-trained Pity The Fool and Toronto Star from the Warrnambool stable of Matthew Williams have each had two wins and a third from four starts.Neither is racing today and neither are any other horses within striking distance. The horse of the year standings have been amended since being published last week. Standings provided by Racing Victoria to the BTC indicated that Flying Hula led the award with two wins and a deadheat for first. They should have reflected one win and a deadheat.Wet track specialistsGARTER GIRL (race 3): two of her three career wins have been on heavy tracks for Mornington trainer Jason Warren. Also has the services of Ben Melham, who knows the Ballarat track better than most and has had the most successful season of his blossoming career.DATS MA GIRL (race 3): had only three starts in heavy for two wins, which are only successes of her career. Trained by Bevan Laming at Cranbourne.STREAMING JET (race 6): top record on heavy tracks with three wins, two seconds and five thirds in 13 runs on rain-affected going.Two of the wins in heavy have been in his past three runs, including last start in Ballarat.QUEIMADA GRANDE (race 6): Pakenham winner in heavy10 two starts ago for Cranbourne trainer Tara Taggart. Four wins in 13 starts on heavy tracks.KYIV CITY (race 6): Pearcedale trainer Brian Jenkins has given the five-year-old three runs in heavy for two wins.MIDNIGHT REBEL (race 7): model of consistency for Warrnambool trainer Jarrod McLean with a strong of minor placings. Heavy record reads a win, second ans third in three tries.CARNEGIE DAN (race 9): four starts for two wins a third for Robert Smerdon.BTC premiershipstandingsTRAINERSDarren Weir 14.5-7-7 (88 starters); Robert Smerdon 12-5-11 (75); Robert Hickmott 7.5-2-4 (23); Leon Corstens 8-6-5 (42); John Sadler 8-0-5 (22); Lee Freedman 7-8-6 (44); M. Ellerton-S. Zahra 6-6-4 (38); Mick Price 5-3-4 (27); Michael Moroney 5-2-5 (33); Tony Noonan 5-2-3 (29)JOCKEYSBrad Rawiller 13-8-13 (68 rides; Nicholas Hall 11.5-6-9 (49; Dean Yendall 9-10-14 (102); Dwayne Dunn 8-6-7 (49); Jason Maskiell 8-5-7 (51); Michael Walker 7-11.5-5 (62); Craig Newitt 7-8-8 (56); Luke Nolen 7-8-3 (43); Steven King 7-7-5 (37); Jamie Mott 7-6-6 (67); Mark Zahra 6-9-6 (65); Michelle Payne 6-3-3 (42); Glen Boss 6-1-3 (36)HORSE OF THE YEAR Toronto Star 2-1-0; Pity the Fool 2-1-0; Ski Esprit 2-0-1; Owners Priority 2-0-1; Minou 2-0-0; Ruadhan 2-0-0; Zanzidar 2-0-0; Excluded 2-0-0; Pepin Hoaks 2-0-0; Johnnydrama 2-0-0; Flying Hula 1.5-0-0

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