Stathi Katsidis on the left of picture, photographed with his boxer brother Michael, is undoubtedly a talented jockey, but begins his last roll of the dice tomorrow, with a comeback at Eagle Farm.

Tomorrow’s Eagle Farm meeting is historic in the sense that it is the first day of a new entity, as the Brisbane Racing Club takes over from the merged entities of the Queensland Turf Club and the Brisbane Turf Club.

Whilst neither of those two clubs has risen to any dizzy heights in the last few decades, the new club at least deserves its chance to see what it can do to improve Brisbane racing from this day forth.

History will be judge of how the new club performs, but without being depressing before they start, the Brisbane Racing Club face major hurdles to make Brisbane racing the showpiece like their hierarchy are talking. Where the money will come from for their grandiose plans is the primary concern to my way of thinking, particularly when in Sydney a loss of five million dollars for the financial year is on the cards - with a club spokesman from there citing loss of racetrack attendances and declining sponsorship as being two critical areas that they cannot seem to turn around.

The Brisbane Racing Club has a good initiative tomorrow whereby patrons who turn up to the track by noon get in for $4. Then there are cheap soft drinks and pies, chips and hot dogs which will be sold for $1. Let’s hope there is more of this type of innovating thinking to get people back to the races. Unfortunately due to recent surgery, I won’t be able to attend the meeting, which is disappointing, but that is the way life is.

The other significant event happening tomorrow at Eagle Farm is the return to race riding of jockey Stathi Katsidis.

It is my considered opinion that Stathi Katsidis is a very talented jockey and he’s a nice enough chap to sit down with and have a yarn with, but this comeback tomorrow is the last roll of the dice for him, as everyone has given him all the chances he’s needed to sort his life out - and to get back on the rails. If he stuffs up this time, he deserves to finish in the racing wilderness. I truly hope he grasps this last opportunity with both hands, as most people who stuff up like he has, are on skid row by now – and deservedly so – as you cannot help someone who isn’t prepared to shut their mouth and open their ears.

Queensland Racing Chief Handicapper Lester Grimmett has sent the scaled weights through for Eagle Farm tomorrow and they read: Race 1 + 2kgs and Race 6  = MO + 1.5 kgs (‘MO’ stands for Metropolitan Open Handicap).

Brad Tamer from Unitab advises the following jackpots are happening in racing tomorrow. A Trifecta jackpot of $140,096 goes onto Race 7 at Eagle Farm, the Ascot Handicap. A Quadrella of $177,969 goes onto the BR Quadrella tomorrow at Eagle Farm and that Quadrella is on Races 6, 7, 8 and 9. There is also a First4 jackpot of $13,851 going onto the Albion Park harness racing meeting – on Race 1.

The apprentice jockey weights for tomorrow should be:

Today on www.brisbaneracing.com.au I preview the Queensland Cup, on www.sydneyracing.com.au there is a Brian Russell tribute to Ian Craig, in lieu of a preview on a wet track, whilst on www.melbourneracing.com.au  Tim Hickman looks at the Flemington card. 

Galilee sent these thoughts through on the Adelaide meeting:

Last week – our run of out’s continued and this week, at the time of going to press, the track is a Slow 6 with the rail out 5 metres for the entire circumference – so I’m only doing the form to ‘keep’ my eye in. I really think back markers are going to struggle as we are back on the main track this week. Finding winners will be difficult if the track worsens from what it is at the moment.

LAURENS QUARTER CENTURY HANDICAP – RACE 4 – 1200 METRES.

Possibly find the winner in this event – if Amerryking reproduces his last run then he has to be the horse to beat in this. Last start will show sixth but it was a very good effort behind Bold Moves who is a handy horse.  On this day Amerryking was specked at odds - $14 - $21 into $13 so someone was expecting him to show something.  Chad Lever is sticking with him and he is riding well. Amerryking enjoys the soft going and if it gets out to heavy – all the better, but he will get back in running. I expect that ‘they’ will back a few in this so we should get a price. I feel the main danger is De Ja View, who put in a shocker last start, but De Ja View has a lot going for him. I include Mick Price, one of Caulfield’s best trainers, Simon Price the jock - riding well, only lightly raced, five wins from ten goes, second up as he is Saturday, three tries for - two wins and a second, and two out of two in the going, but notwithstanding all of that I am still going to plum for Amerryking to beat De Ja View.

Selections: 4.5