Tonight’s ‘’Best Eight’’ over 520 metres at Albion Park isn’t a feature race, as such.

            It’s the main race on the programme, worth regular ‘’Best Eight’’ prizemoney of $8,000 in total. The field resembles a listed or group event, headed by dual group one winner Glen Gallon.

            Last start Townsville Cup winner Hanson Senor is a scratching, leaving box two vacant and reducing the field to seven.

            Glen Gallon (pictured) finished second to Victorian flying machine Fabregas in the Tattsbet National Sprint Championship final last start, twelve days ago. The event was run on a bitterly cold night and in driving rain in Hobart. Trainer Tony Brett reports all is well with Glen Gallon following that arduous run.

            ‘’I’m keen to keep racing him in Brisbane and am aiming towards next month’s Gold Coast Cup at Albion Park. But the race looks to be in some doubt and that’s most frustrating,’’ Brett said.

The Gold Coast Cup, run at Albion Park since the Gold Coast’s Parklands track closed in 2008, has heats advertised by the Brisbane club and Racing Queensland for Thursday, October 4. But RQL is currently undertaking a review of race prizemoney allocation, among other matters, and has earmarked the Gold Coast Cup for deletion.

RQL board member, John Falvey, said this morning that a decision will be made after September 14, when submissions on RQL’s proposed changes have closed and are evaluated.

Such a late cancellation of the Gold Coast Cup wouldn’t only inconvenience connections of Glen Gallon. Jason Thompson’s Don’t Knocka Him is engaged at Albion Park tonight and along with most of the field, would be Gold Coast Cup bound if that race proceeds.

Tony Brett says he would prefer to tackle the Gold Coast Cup than the Lismore Cup, also set for next month, with Glen Gallon.

‘’My ultimate aim is the Top Gun for which I feel he has does enough to earn a place in the field. Then the Melbourne Cup. But I would really like to start him in the Gold Coast Cup. If it is cancelled, it will be a case of having a look at options and Lismore is certainly one of them,’’ Brett added.

There are five heats of the annual Publican’s Cup at Albion Park tonight, for fifth grade performers over 520 metres.

Ipswich club advises that nominations for its October 27 Rosewood and District Community Bank sponsored Magical Puppy Auction have been extended until this Tuesday. Pups born between October 1 last year and June 1 this year can be nominated.

Breeze Right By, trained by Reg Hazelgrove, is an early scratching from tomorrow’s Ipswich Derby final. The first reserve, Diarmid, a son of Dashing Corsair trained by Desley Lennon, gains a start from box two.

Ronray Reward is an early scratching from another Ipswich feature tomorrow, the Past Members Trophy over 630 metres.

Waltz With Me, from the in form Mick Emery kennel, will jump from box seven.

The Barry Dull trained Befitting, luckless at recent Albion Park starts, has box one. She encounters last start Albion Park winners Master Brutus for Paul Cauchi and Migaloo Magic for Ray Burman.

 

Story by Paul Dolan, photo by Corey Pearce.