While it's never the way a club wants to gain a race meeting, Dubbo Turf Club president Vince Gordon is content that the movement of one of Wellington Race Club's meetings will allow his club to the opportunity to host a race meeting after missing out on one last year.
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"Certainly, and we're happy to provide a good, open gate on Monday, it should be a really good crowd and it should be a good day of racing," Gordon said.
The Dubbo Turf Club was hit by an unexpected race meeting cancellation at the tail end of last year, with extreme heat and air conditions forcing the Chill-Rite Air Conditioning and Refrigeration race day to run as a 'phantom meeting' after horse and jockey safety was called into question.
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Wellington benefited from an earlier race day's cancellation in December as well, with a Dubbo fixture being moved to Wellington as smoke and heat inundated the Central West.
Now, the shoe is on the other foot, with Wellington ruled unable to host a fixture after Racing NSW's stewards inspected the track and found patches of ground that were unsuitable.
One small cause for comfort is that the decision was made early enough for a full crop of horses to be nominated and considered for Dubbo after the change and that's shown in the number of acceptances made for the 10 race slate.
Among the host of familiar faces is the Dubbo located and Kody Nestor trained Dad's Boy, the gelding is riding high on a two race winning streak dating back to the Wellington Boxing day fixture and secured his most recent win in Dubbo on New Year's Eve.
Jake Pracey-Holmes was in the saddle for both of those bouts and will ride for Nestor atop Dad's Boy again on Monday, jumping from the inside barrier Total Diesel Repairs Benchmark 58 Handicap (1400m).
Also contesting that race will be Bryan Dixon's Song One, the Gilgandra Cup hopeful who had to curtail his bid after the yearly fixture was cancelled.
Song One's most recent success has been found in Wellington and Gilgandra.
The Bathurst trained Hokkaido will start from the third barrier on Monday, looking to improve on a disappointing fourth placed finish in Dubbo recently where the horse struggled for speed along the final stretch for mother and daughter Sharon and Tiffany Jeffries.
The fixture on Monday will be the first of Dubbo's new year and a return to the track for the club since the weather-inflicted cancellations of late last year, with the club already looking towards their next fixtures eagerly, while Wellington Race Club has assured that conditions will be fit in time for the Boot
"We're looking forward to our Lifeline boys day out in February and then our McDonald family day coming up after that," Gordon said.