IT would be funny if it weren’t so serious. In fact, it would be a crack-up. Of course, we’re referring to the track dramas that led to the cancellation of a harness racing meeting at the new Bathurst Paceway last night.
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Incredibly, they came just 10 days after the Bathurst 1000 was suspended for an hour due to ... track dramas.
The similarities between the incidents are compelling.
In both cases, the dramas came soon after the track was resurfaced (in the case of Mount Panorama) or laid for the first time (Bathurst Paceway).
And, in both cases, the tracks had previously been lauded as among the quickest in their respective sports.
The relaid Mount Panorama surface produced record times in qualifying before it started cracking up on race day, and early reports from the Bathurst Paceway suggested trainers were expecting quick results as well.
But, just as the Mount track was quickly put back together, problems at the paceway will surely be sorted out before long.
Harness racing officials must be frustrated this has happened, but it would be sad to see that disappointment overshadow the excitement that the new paceway has created.
For the first time in many years, harness racing has this week been a real topic of conversation around Bathurst, and plenty of people say they look forward to returning to the trots.
That’s exactly what Harness Racing NSW was hoping would happen when it committed funding to build the new paceway, and the industry must not allow teething problems to take the focus off that goal.
The Bathurst Paceway is a fantastic new facility, and will prove to be a real shot in the arm for the local racing industry. Rest assured, they will be back on track soon enough.