Police say racetrack poisoning which disrupted £5.5m raceday was “targeted attack”
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Police believe the poisoning of a race track due to stage one of the world’s richest race meetings was a deliberate act. The Magic Millions Carnival, held every January at Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, features prestigious thoroughbred yearling sales followed by a £5.5 million day of horse racing of which the highlight is the £1.5m Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2yo Classic.
Among the event's ambassadors is Zara Tindall who has been a patron of Magic Millions Women since 2015. The sale went ahead without a hitch but the first day of the race meeting on January 4 had to be moved to Sunshine Coast while the feature races, on January 11, had to be postponed.
This followed the discovery of a large discoloured area of grass on the bend into the straight at the Gold Coast track. The Gold Coast Turf Club said the course appeared to have been poisoned and police plus a team of turf experts were brought in to investigate and try to repair the damage so it was safe for racing.
Although animal rights groups denied any responsibility, officials maintained the discovery of spray nozzles and mixing equipment, not used by groundstaff, as well as footprints in the area supported their theory that it was an act of vandalism. The turf in the damaged area was subsequently replaced and passed fit for racing with the Magic Millions feature races going ahead under lights on Friday, six days after they were due to take place.
