The venue for the Queensland winter carnival Group 1 Tatt’s Tiara raceday is unknown
It’s the coveted Group 1 Queensland winter carnival race which currently doesn’t have a home.
The Courier-Mail can reveal the venue for Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara day is in limbo with the Brisbane Racing Club and Tatt’s Racing Club unable to reach agreement on a venue hiring agreement.
The June 26 meeting, meant to be staged at Eagle Farm, features five Group or Listed races and its crowning cap is the Tiara which is the last Group 1 of the Australian racing season and a crucial race for mares aiming to snatch a prized Group 1 before retiring to stud.
However less than three months out trainers are in the astonishing position of not knowing where it will be staged, with Sunshine Coast emerging as a fallback option.
The Tatt’s Racing Club, founded in 1865, traditionally hosts four Queensland meetings a year but took a meeting off the BRC in February when it moved its Jewel Prelude raceday to the Sunshine Coast.
No agreement has been reached on the venue for Tatt’s Tiara day, prompting top trainer Tony Gollan to call for immediate action from Racing Queensland.
Gollan, who has one of the country‘s top mares in Group 1 star Krone, says it is ridiculous that Queensland is on the verge of the winter carnival, yet trainers cannot plan a Group 1 assault with certainty.
“Racing Queensland needs to step in and sort this out,” Gollan said.
“We can’t afford uncertainty over venues at any time of year and particularly for a Group 1 meeting.
“There are a lot of mares who will be trying to get that vital Group 1 before they retire.
“We need to know what is going on. If they moved it to the Sunshine Coast, it and Eagle Farm are like chalk and cheese.
“They are both big tracks but entirely different surfaces.”
Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell told The Courier-Mail the BRC and Tatts needed to sort out their differences and provide clarity over the Tiara raceday.
“The Tiara is currently scheduled to be conducted at Eagle Farm and while RQ respects the ongoing negotiations between the parties, it urges both clubs to resolve their differences swiftly to provide certainty for all participants,” Parnell said.
“As a Group One, weight-for-age content for fillies and mares, the Tattersall’s Tiara is a significant race not only for the TAB winter carnival, but for the Australian breeding industry.”
Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell. Pic: Tara Croser.Source:News Corp Australia
Tatt’s Racing Club president Michael Paramor said negotiations with the BRC were continuing and it was hoped there would some resolution in the next fortnight.
BRC chief executive Tony Partridge told The Courier-Mail: “Negotiations for a new venue hiring agreement (with Tatts) commenced mid last-year.
“Even though the costs of maintaining metropolitan race tracks continue to rise, BRC has offered a hiring fee less than what Tatts was paying previously.
“Eagle Farm is available for the Tiara meeting and the industry needs certainty, given the meeting is less than three months away.”
Brisbane racing club CEO Tony Partridge. Photo: AAP image / John GassSource:News Corp Australia
Originally published asGroup 1 farce: Marquee QLD carnival race without a track
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