Sport
27 October, 2022
Crowds to return to Redwood
The Redwood All-Trotting Carnival makes its return this weekend, with plenty of exciting events set to keep trotting fans on their feet, according to Maryborough Harness Racing Club president Colin Phillis. After a frustrating period over the last...
The Redwood All-Trotting Carnival makes its return this weekend, with plenty of exciting events set to keep trotting fans on their feet, according to Maryborough Harness Racing Club president Colin Phillis.
After a frustrating period over the last three years which has seen the 2020 and 2021 editions held in front of no spectators, Phillis is excited about the prospect of an even field racing in front of a packed-out Maryborough Harness Complex.
“I’m feeling excellent. The last couple of years have been very frustrating, especially when we’ve had really good fields, and no one has been able to see them. It’s quite exciting coming up to now — it’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s been worth it,” he said.
Unfortunately, as Phillis says — the event hasn’t quite returned to normal yet, with the famous Redwood Rattler train cancelled due to lack of numbers, something which Phillis suspects still comes down to adjusting to life with COVID.
“We’re hoping crowds match 2019 levels. I still think people are a bit wary (of COVID) — we’ve had to cancel our Redwood Rattler, which was a shame, as we couldn’t get enough on them. That is an example of people still worried of being together for different things. Going on our cup meeting not long ago, it was probably the best crowd we’ve had in three years. If it doubles the cup crowd, we will be very happy,” he said.
Phillis promised plenty of entertainment for spectators of all ages over the weekend.
“We will have the Punters Club running, there’s lots of book prizes, things for the children as well, such as face painting and balloons. If people can pick the last five winners, they will win $500, and a band as well. Small things like that to keep everyone happy,” he said.
“It’s a great time for the harness club. It’s the biggest square trotting event in the southern hemisphere. We’ve always been very excited about that.
“I think it’s going to be a terrific weekend. All I can say to the fans is to come along and enjoy yourselves.”
Phillis is also promising plenty of great action on the track, with some of the country’s best trotters converging on Maryborough. The Aldebaran Park Redwood Classic will see competitors vie for a $50,000 purse, while the Haras Des Trotteurs Victoria Trotters Derby Final features a prize pool of $75,000.
Perhaps surprisingly, last year’s Redwood winner, Plymouth Chubb, will not be there, with the reigning champion only finishing eighth in the second qualifying heat last Sunday.
However, despite that, Phillis is still excited about the potential of the field, with 13 horses competing in the Redwood Classic in race six, and another 13 competing in the Trotters Derby final in race eight.
“It’s a very even field. There’s horses from South Australia and New South Wales that have added to the field, so it will be a good card,” he said.
“We have had an international influence with some of the winners of our races previously. There aren’t as many Kiwi horses coming across this year for various reasons. But we still have a strong interstate influence.”
Phillis praised the work of the Maryborough Harness Racing Club committee for putting the hard yards into preparing the track for the big occasion this weekend, with 20 races between Friday and Sunday.
“I can’t give enough praise to most of our committee. There have been some who have been in six days a week, with others coming in whenever needed. They all come in to the stables on Saturday to prepare them and the ground for Sunday after a Friday event, but they’ve worked tirelessly to get this carnival going,” he said.
Gates to the Maryborough Harness Racing Club, located at 337 Bucknall Street, Carisbrook open at 11.30 am this Sunday. Entry is $15 per person.
