Top South Australian jockey Dom Tourneur says the new Murray Bridge track would rival any racing surface in Australia after the first official trials there on Thursday.

The new Murray Bridge racecourse received the seal of approval from South Australia’s best jockeys after the first official trials on Thursday morning.

The Gifford Hill track held 12 trials and Group 1 winning jockey Dom Tourneur said the wait to get horses on to the track had been worth while.

“It was tremendous,’’ Tourneur said.

“The track was luscious, it was like riding on carpet.

“I know it’s early days, it’s first group of horse on there and it was always going to ride pure, but given the track has been there so long and had time to thatch, I can’t see that changing.

“It rode as good as any track I’ve ridden Australia, even the likes of Flemington,’’ he said

Tourneur, who rode in four trials including the opening trial aboard Goodwood runner-up Behemoth, said the new facilities at Murray Bridge were first class and said the track curator deserved plenty of praise for the processes put in place.

“Credit the curator,’’ Tourneur added.

“Obviously the bass is Kikuyu, but they also planted a Ryegrass which has added to the asthenics and given the track such a beautiful colour.

“I think it was only done in March, but it looks fantastic and looks really good on camera.

“The surface grass underneath is spongy and its really good, they’ve covered all angles,’’ he said.

Tourneur said having a racing surface in such good condition in the middle of winter would be of huge benefit to local trainers and horses across South Australia.

“It was nice to have a really clean gallop on a track where horses aren’t dipping,’’ Tourneur added.

“Horses can lose confidence when they happens.

“So having a track like this I think you’ll see older horses regaining their best form with confidence knowing they can gallop freely,’’ he said.

Veteran jockey Simon Price agreed with Tourneur and said the surface was perfect and would be a great asset to South Australian racing.

“It was really good,’’ Price said.

“The surface was first class, it had great grass cover, not wet patches anywhere and horses really travelled sweetly,’’ he said.

Murray Bridge will hold it’s first official meeting on the new track on Wednesday, July 24, with the first metropolitan meeting on Saturday, August 10.

Article written by Lincoln Moore, The Advertiser. 
Appeared on Friday 12 July 2019. 
Picture: Matt Loxton

If you’d like to know more about the Murray Bridge Racing Club’s new racecourse, function centre and thoroughbred training precinct, please click here.