Best bets and value play for Pakenham Synthetic races Monday
Form expert Brad Waters analyses Monday's Pakenham Synthetic meeting, presenting his best bets, value selection and jockey to follow.
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News.com.au
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- News.com.au
The lights will be back on at Toowoomba's Clifford Park racecourse on Friday, July 4
The lights will be back on at Toowoomba Turf Club on Friday and no-one is happier than its chief executive Grant Sheather following a 'significant' drop in revenue for the turf club. Night racing was initially scheduled to return to Toowoomba on Saturday but it would have clashed with the $1 million Group 1 Brisbane Cup greyhounds final at the new Q22 Parklands at Ipswich. The Clifford Park track was plunged into darkness on March 15 when the lights failed midway during a race after a contactor in a distribution board burnt out. Jockey Cobi Vitler later told Racenet he feared his mount would clip heels in the ensuing chaos as the five riders in the small field opted to continue racing. The last two races of the meeting were abandoned and an investigation was launched into the power failure, fast-tracking an upgrade of the outdated electrical system. Sheather said the club had been through a tumultuous period without any upgraded lights to help ignite its revenue streams. 'Primarily it's been about the juggling of sponsors' expectations and hospitality bookings that we had previously,' he said. 'It's been quite enjoyable racing during the day, especially during the winter months, but there's just no opportunity to get revenue outside of that hospitality which we traditionally have in the past. 'With nearly 700 horses in work, that costs a lot of money so we need to make a lot of money from hospitality to pay for the black hole which is training.' Sheather said having Saturday racing during the day had forced Toowoomba race meetings from Sky Racing 1 to the broadcaster's secondary channel, which had hit wagering revenue hard. 'You could say the wagering is only half (when on Sky Racing 2) so I think Racing Queensland has been looking forward to us getting back on Sky Racing 1 too,' he said. Sheather said the lights were fixed soon after the March blackout but industry participants such as the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission and the Australian Jockeys' Association wanted to ensure the electrical system was ultra reliable. 'The last three months that's what Racing Queensland and the (Toowoomba) club have been doing – investing in the infrastructure to make sure it is reliable,' he said. 'We've got a few other plans to make the lights are more reliable and reduce any risk, which were identified as part of the engineer's report, but that's something the club will do internally.' Sheather did not wish to divulge Toowoomba Turf Club's financial loss over the past three months or the cost of the light infrastructure upgrade but said both were 'significant'. He said Racing Queensland had helped fund a new synthetic crossing that would be used for the first time on Friday night. Toowoomba was the first racing club to host meetings under lights in 1992.

News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Every NRL club will have an NRLW team in the future as the league's administration makes big plans
The NRL is planning for all clubs – including the incoming teams in Perth and PNG – to have sides in the NRL and NRLW in the coming years. The women's competition has expanded to 12 teams this season, with the Warriors returning to the league alongside the Bulldogs who will play their first game against Newcastle on Friday night. There are still five NRL clubs that don't have a team in the NRLW yet – the Storm, Panthers, Dolphins, Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs – but chief executive Andrew Abdo remains confident they will eventually join in the not-too-distant future. 'We're in dialogue with all the clubs that don't currently have a licence around a number of factors – their investment into pathways and grassroots football in their geographical regions, high-performance facilities, centres of excellence and their plans and strategy and stadium as well,' Abdo said at the season launch in Sydney. 'How they're planning a strategy for growth and how that fits in with our overall plan. 'We're all aligned around the vision of ultimately having each team housing both a men's and women's team and we're in dialogue with each club on a bespoke strategy for that.' Expansion isn't as simple as bringing in more teams given the game doesn't want to rush things and risk thinning the talent pool too quickly. Record participation numbers mean growth will occur naturally, while there's clearly a thirst for more footy given the record TV ratings and crowd figures for this year's women's State of Origin series. 'It's a key strategic question and it's one that we're working on with everyone in the system – the clubs, the players association (and others),' Abdo said. 'The commission is really focused on growing the women's game, but that growth doesn't necessarily mean just more teams. 'It's making sure that we have an increase in talent, and it's also the type of competition that we run and the length of that competition. 'That's multiple factors, so it's not just the number of teams.' Meanwhile, Abdo says he's not concerned by the Rugby League Players Association's stance on the ARL Commission's proposed new powers that allow them to now charge players for on-field offences. An RLPA statement earlier this month said it had 'serious concerns' with the decision to amend the judiciary code that gives the ARLC 'absolute discretion and extraordinary powers' to charge players. It has now reportedly filed a formal dispute on the grounds that it wasn't properly consulted about the mid-season change. 'They're entitled to say what they want to say,' Abdo said. 'They've made their representations both publicly and to us, so we'll consider those and meet with them to try to continue the dialogue in a positive and constructive manner. 'We're not concerned (because) we feel like we followed due process, but we'll sit down and talk through it. 'I think it's an insurance policy in rare circumstances where the commission might feel that the policy hasn't been properly applied.'

ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Optus Sport customers to receive discounts after transfer of Premier League broadcast rights to Stan
Existing Optus Sport customers are set to receive discounted pricing to watch the English Premier League after the transfer of broadcast rights to Stan. Nine's Stan Sport streaming service will begin airing the football content from August 1, the date when Optus Sport shuts down, ending a nine-year run. The new Premier League season kicks off on August 16. It is yet to be determined whether any football content will be broadcast on Nine's free to air channels at this stage. Stan is paying Optus Sport an up-front fee of $20 million and making a contribution toward the first payment for the next Premier League rights cycles. The agreement also includes the rights to FA Cup games, Japan's and the US National Women's Soccer League. "The Premier League is the most-watched football league on the planet, and alongside the FA Cup, this acquisition reinforces Nine's position as the home of sport in Australia," Nine CEO Matt Stanton said in a statement. "We are proud to deliver these iconic competitions to Australian audiences through Stan Sport." Under the agreement, Optus Sport customers who remain Optus telecommunications customers will be provided discounted pricing from Stan. Existing customers will receive detailed information and special offers in coming days to ensure the transition to Stan is as simple as possible. Optus CEO Stephen Rue said the decision to transfer the Premier League broadcast rights comes as the company shifts its focus to Optus's core operations in telecommunications, its commitment to customers, and unlocking further value for the business in its future. "Optus Sport has delivered outstanding sports broadcasting to Australian football lovers for almost a decade," Rue said in a statement. "One of our key priorities was to find a home for Optus Sport content which would take the game forward and enable all Optus Sport subscribers to continue to receive uninterrupted access to all their favourite football action. "Optus Sport customers and the game of football will be in great hands at Stan, and we know the game will receive the broadcasting priority it deserves from an organisation whose speciality is delivering quality sports programming to its customers." Existing Optus Sport customers will still be able access the broadcast of the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 tournament, which commences on July 3. ABC/AAP