Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival will surge foraward despite withdrawal of Black Caviar

Despite losing his major draw card and likely tens of thousands in income, Steve Ferguson of the BRC is upbeat about the rest of the Brisbane Winter Carnival.

Black Caviar was withdrawn from the Doomben 10,000 yesterday afternoon but Ferguson is confident that a bumper carnival will continue with plenty of good horse still on show.

“We’ve got the best sprinter in the world that’s still in work,” he said of Hay List.

There’s no doubt the withdrawal of the super mare was a real body blow for the club but with plenty of publicity already gained from her appearance they’re hoping  the buzz that has already been created will turn into big crowds once again.

“We had a great time last week, best race meet I’ve been to in my life,” he said.

While you can’t blame him for adding a bit of marketing spin to what he says, Ferguson is backed up some facts which may surprise plenty of punters around the country.

“The highest rated race in Australia last year was the Doomben 10,000 and the highest rated handicap was the Stradbroke,” he said

“We believe we’ve got the best four races in Australia over the next month.”

While that’s a statement many south of the border would strongly argue, the fact is the Group 1’s to be held in Brisbane in the coming weeks are always a highlight on the calendar and the racing is proven to be close and exciting.

In spreading the message about the Brisbane Carnival Ferguson is encouraging people in Sydney and Melbourne to come and check it out for themselves if they’ve never experienced Doomben or Eagle Farm.

“We’re trying to make the day as easy as possible for people coming up from Sydney,” he said.

Shuttle buses will run from the airport to the Doomben and back and ATC members are also well accommodated by the BRC.