Racing clubs with training facilities need trainers and trainers need owners.

With this in mind Bairnsdale Racing Club has joined with local trainer Brenda McPhan in a raffle to promote local race horse ownership - they are offering a one tenth share in a gelding to be trained by Brenda.

The brown yearling colt is by Skalato out of Twig Moss mare Vale of the Gums, who has produced multiple winners and is from the family of Mighty Avenger and Valedictum.

The winner will receive all expenses paid for one year and at the end of the period can elect to maintain their share or sell it. They will also receive a marquee at one of the local race meetings.

Racing club chief executive, Jeanette Davidson, acknowledged Brenda for her generous donation to the club. Tickets are on sale for just $5 and persons interested in participating need only call Jeanette at the club.

The raffle will be drawn at the club's Melbourne Cup day meeting.

MEETING NERVOUSNESS

While on Cup day, there remains a degree of nervousness within some circles at Bairnsdale in relation to the club's all important Melbourne Cup day meeting.

It is no secret the club relies heavily on this day for its overall financial viability. While the club is again confident of pulling a big crowd - it is the question of horse numbers that is creating nervousness.

The industry this year also granted Moe Racing Club a Melbourne Cup day meeting for the first time - in a week when there is already an enormous amount of racing east of Melbourne.

The apprehension at Bairnsdale centres around whether the presence of this additional meeting on the same day will result in sub standard racing fields - obviously a key ingredient of a successful race day's entertainment.

Last year Bairnsdale's six non-TAB races attracted final acceptors of 13, 6, 5, 3, 12, 7 - 46 in all - just enough to run a reasonable race meeting. The year prior it was 47, so there is some consistency on which to gauge any impact this year.

Industry representatives have been quoted in the local media as saying they believe the Moe meeting will have no impact on horse numbers at Bairnsdale, but there are some who see this as a naïve outlook. Moe is running as a high weight meeting, but this will only alleviate competition for jockeys, not horses.

Despite the varying opinions, the proof will be in the pudding come Melbourne Cup day and the industry decision makers will either be justified or have a big problem to contend with. Let's hope it is the former.

Latrobe Valley Racing Club has a meeting three days prior and Stony Creek also races three days later, so it will be interesting to see if any impacts on field numbers flow on to these dates.

LADIES' DAY POPULAR

Latrobe Valley Racing Club manager, Brendan Blackshaw, said this week the club's first meeting - Ladies' Day on November 1 - was shaping as "a ripper".

"The support has been great. We've had 28 shade canopies booked already and the interest in the marquee packages has been strong. The track is in great order and we're really looking forward to putting on a great show."

Blackshaw said the lawn area at the club had been expanded to cater for the increasing numbers of recent years.

JACK WILL BE BACK

After failing to recapture his best form, Bairnsdale sprinter, Tesbury Jack, will now head to the paddock for a spell.

On Saturday at Caulfield he again on Saturday encountered a surface with plenty of "give" and failed to finish his race off. Perhaps a race like the Sale Quality in the New Year could be target.

Tim Bull (Gippsland Racing) Media Release Published 14/10/08