The Pope at Randwick

[my miss storm cat]

Update, FoxSports.....


Priest fears for trainers
By Adrian Dunn

July 18, 2007 AS concern grows among Sydney's racing community over plans to shut down Randwick for 10 weeks during Pope Benedict XVI's visit, an unlikely ally has surfaced.

Father Brendan Dillon, parish priest of St Leonard's, Glen Waverley, and Racing Victoria Limited chaplain, has slammed organisers of next year's papal visit for World Youth Day.

Father Dillon said the Sydney racing fraternity would be dealt "immense hardship" and "financial difficulties" during the 10 weeks, June 15-August 25.

He described such a scenario as "matters of justice" for both the Catholic Church and the New South Wales Government.

Father Dillon doubted whether the Pope would want to be associated with such a situation.

"The betting is that he is totally unaware of all this," he said.

Father Dillon, in his weekly bulletin, sympathised with Randwick trainers, who face relocation, and the likely general upheaval before the 2008 Sydney spring carnival.

It has been suggested that all 600 horses trained at the track would have to be relocated and no meetings be staged at the track.

Father Dillon said space restrictions made it impractical to suggest the horses could be relocated to Rosehill or Warwick Farm.

"Veterinary surgeons, farriers, small-team trainers are facing grave financial difficulties because they can't entertain moving interstate for close to three months," Father Dillon said.

"(It's) a challenging enough proposition for even the big trainers. Where will they go and at what cost?

"How can Randwick prepare for its September spring carnival? These are matters of justice for both the church and the State Government."

He queried why the church and the NSW Government needed Randwick for so long.

Father Dillon said when his brother, Father Kevin, directed the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1986, racing's needs were of primary importance.

"Horses galloped in training at Flemington right up to and on the day the Pope came to celebrate mass there with a crowd of 125,000," he wrote.