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“Harry Coffey came down (from Swan Hill) to give Onesmoothoperator a steer and reports from him were that it was pristine and the surface had come up well.<\/p>\n
“That’s something we’ll continue to do, get the opinions of jockeys and trainers, and most importantly we want to make sure it’s good for the horses.”<\/p>\n
Scullie said the club and its track staff would get a strong gauge of progress at the resumption of trials in a couple of weeks’ time ahead of the first meeting back.<\/p>\n
A rare Friday meeting will mark the return of racing to Bendigo, with the BJC teaming up with the Otis Foundation for a big day of racing and awareness raising.<\/p>\n
The Bendigo-based foundation is a national not-for-profit providing breaks away at no cost to those with breast cancer, helping reduce the psychological impact of the disease.<\/p>\n
The event will coincide with Marong Cup day.<\/p>\n
“We haven’t had too many Friday meetings over the journey, so it’s shaping to be a great day, especially with the Marong Cup being run that day as well,” Scullie said.<\/p>\n
“It’s normally run mid-February, but obviously being out of action, we’ve moved it back.<\/p>\n
“We are partnering with Otis the first time, which is exciting.<\/p>\n
“They will have a big function upstairs at Silks and it’s looking like there will be a lot of people here.<\/p>\n
“Due to the break, I think there’s a real appetite from people for some racing.”<\/p>\n
Following Marong Cup day, the BJC will head towards one of its meetings of the year, Bendigo Golden Mile day on Saturday 12 April.<\/p>\n
The standalone Saturday race meeting is headlined by the $200,000 Listed Golden Mile (1600m).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A THUMBS-up from Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Harry Coffey for the Bendigo Jockey Club’s (BJC) track renovation was music to the ears of the club’s hierarchy. The three-time Group 1-winning hoop was one of the first to test out the new surface aboard the former UK stayer Onesmoothoperator, now being trained locally by Tim Fitzsimmons, at […]<\/p>\n