Doomben is starting to take shape for tomorrow’s BTC Cup Day meeting which will test the facility in a way not seen for an eternity.

With 20,000 expected and a sell out well and truly on the cards it’s the most important day Queensland Racing has had in decades.

Both on and off the track people have been frantically making last minute touches to ensure Doomben puts on the best show possible.

Bill Shuck is the track manager at the racecourse and with the rain disappearing in the last week he’s managed to make huge improvements to the surface.

After starting as a Sow 7 it’s now at a Dead 5 and will likely reach Dead 4 by this afternoon.

“It’s just a carpet of grass, they’ll float over it,” he said.

“Everything has gone to plan at Doomben in preparation for the winter.

He says the sole focus for the last few weeks has been specifically on getting things right for May 14th.

“We’ve had a good month off at Doomben, we’ve aerated it and it’s 100 percent even from the inside to the outside.”

While he says there’s a chance he could even get it to a Good 3 by race day, he’s happy with a Dead 4 and believes it’s the perfect rating for an even contest across the field.

Things are going to plan off the track as well according to Queensland Racing chairman Kevin Dixon.

He says the response from the public has gone above his wildest expectations.

“Brisbane has just gone crazy for the races on Saturday, we’re getting a huge amount of interest from right across the city,” he said.

“Brisbane has turned it on, we have clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine.”

Most importantly all the excitement has transferred itself into ticket sales as well with a lucrative windfall for the industry just around the corner.

“Our advanced ticket sales are well above where we’ve expected them to be,” he said.

“I have no doubt we’ll get to capacity but there’s still plenty available today if you want to guarantee yourself a spot.”