IT is perfectly likely that the peace and tranquility which invariably envelopes Perth racecourse and its environs was disrupted more than somewhat yesterday by the drone of machinery, There was much work to be done.
Enough of the wet stuff had cascaded on the area recently to float the Queen Mary, and as a result, the opening afternoon of the course's final two-day fixture of the year had been swept away.
One down, but one still remained, and the track's general manager, Sam Morshead, decided to engage pumping apparatus in an attempt to make his pride and joy raceable this afternoon.
''We have pumps working hard to try and remove the surface water,'' the little guy said. ''The weather is OK just now, so all we can do is hope.''
When the Spring Festival is added to yesterday's loss, that means that the course has had to say, sorry, on four occasions in this campaign, a period during which Perth has just 11 meetings from which to scratch an existence.
Asked if anything can be done that has, perhaps, been overlooked just a little, Morshead, who sounded like a deeply grieving relation on the other end of the telephone, said swiftly: ''Yes. The Good Lord could always be asked to keep bad weather away from Perth.
''We have had soil analysts checking things and reporting back that we are doing everything that is possible. After having had five inches of rain in a week, we have just been unfortunate.''
The fact that the official has turned Perth around from a sleepy backwater is not open for debate, but his quest to attract sponsorship, and with it all-important corporate bookings, is handicapped when, on some race days, amphibious craft find it easier to make their way around the course than the thoroughbreds.
If Mother Nature happens to give the Perth area a two-fingered gesture, and the weather turns inclement during the night, oh dear. Still, lets look to the bright side, that Sam and his pals will be on hand this afternoon to welcome the paying public at large.
What could win? Well, with what has transpired atmospherically in the recent past in mind, you could have Gayles and Showers (4.45), or Distant Storm (4.10), while for the optimistic in the community, Better Times Ahead (3.40).
Let us just hope that racing takes place at Perth today. Fingers crossed.
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