The Gold Coast will host the Magic Millions event as planned this weekend after the racetrack successfully passed a safety test this morning. The confirmation follows a scare last week when a section of the track at the Bundall location was found poisoned, leading to a police investigation. As a precaution, organizers moved the first day of racing to the Sunshine Coast and prepared to transfer Saturday’s $14 million race to Brisbane’s Eagle Farm. However, six jockeys performed a gallop test on the repaired section today, and Racing Queensland’s chief executive, Jason Scott, confirmed its readiness.
The rapid repair efforts, completed by Tuesday, included transplanting turf under the guidance of experts, such as Liam O’Keeffe from Flemington racecourse. Scott praised the team’s work, stating that the newly laid section performed seamlessly with the rest of the track, ensuring the event could proceed as planned. Despite forecasts predicting potential thunderstorms and up to 30 millimeters of rain this Saturday, Scott expressed confidence in the track’s resilience, attributing any issues to natural weather conditions rather than the repairs. Approximately 25,000 spectators are anticipated to attend the event.
