Warrnambool track and facilities manager Dermott O'Connor praises staff for work preparing track for May Racing Carnival

O'Connor, who has only been in the main job for two months, said his staff had done a wonderful job preparing the track for the three-day event.

"I can't take much credit," O'Connor said. "I've only been back for two months. The credit must go to all the track staff. I'm working with a fantastic team. There's a blending of experienced people and some still learning about tracks and that formula is really working. We gave the track a mow on Sunday and now we'll sit back and see what happens.

"We've kept a close watch on the weather patterns but there's nothing we can do about the weather. I also sought advice when I came into the job from former track managers Brent O'Rourke, Daniel Lumsden and Liam O'Keeffe and they have all been very helpful giving me various tips and advice."

O'Connor worked at the Warrnambool Racing Club from 2012 for two years before expanding his knowledge of the turf industry, working on golf courses in Scotland, Port Fairy and the Bellarine Peninsula.

"I've been very lucky to have worked with some amazing people and tried to learn as much as I could from them during my career in the turf industry," he said. "It's great to be back working at the racing club and especially at the carnival. It's a massive event and I'm lucky to play a part in it."

The running rail will be in the true position for the first two days before a decision is made on Wednesday night after discussions with stewards about the rail placement for Thursday.

FORMER top western district jockey Bill "Butch" Power died in Ararat last week.

Power was a leading jockey in the district from the late 1950s to the early 1980s.

Former local steward Frank Beattie, who officiated at meetings across the south-west, said Power was a talented jockey.

"Butch was very small in stature but he was a powerful jockey," Mr Beattie said.

"Butch was held in high esteem. He mainly rode at country meetings because back in that era the majority of meetings in the south-west were on Saturdays but he could mix it with the best.

"I would have to rate him up there with Neville Wilson as the best jockeys who rode consistently in the south-west in my time as a steward.

"I'll never forget he had a bad fall at the old Koroit racecourse many years ago. Butch had a fair bit of time on the sidelines with injuries after that fall but he came back better than ever. I would hate to guess how many winners Butch rode for Ararat trainer Don Dalgleish back in the 1970s but there would be plenty."

Wilson, who rode more than 1150 winners in his career including five Group 1s before retiring in September 2012, said Power was a fierce competitor.

"Butch was a very strong rider," Wilson said.

"He was a strong whip rider who was always hard to beat in a close finish. Butch had a fierce will to win. He preferred to ride on the country circuit but I've got no doubt he could have mixed it with the city jockeys."

Meanwhile, racing lost one of its passionate fans with the passing of Max Sullivan in Warrnambool a fortnight ago. Mr Sullivan held an owner-trainer's licence for more than 15 years and always took a keen interest in the sport.

SO SHE CAN Fly scored an impressive victory for Warrnambool trainer Daniel Bowman under lights at Pakenham last week but the Group One trainer is now looking for dry tracks for the four-year-old mare.

Bowman said he was happy with the way So She Can Fly won the restricted race over 1600 metres.

"The trick to So She Can Fly is she's no good on wet tracks," he said. "She's a duffer on wet ground. She's a slow maturing mare but we've always had a good opinion of her. I think she's probably six months away from being an above-average mare. We may give her one more run before getting her ready for some nice races in the spring."

So She Can Fly has won three races and picked up more than $55,000 in stake-money from six starts.

Meanwhile, Bubble Palace notched up another win for Bowman at Horsham on Saturday. Bubble Palace, under the urging of jockey Melissa Julius, was too good for Conclave Prince in the 1100-metre race. The three-year-old has won three of her six starts.

FOUR jockeys were suspended for infringements at Geelong on Friday. Rhys McLeod was outed for eight meetings on a whip infringement charge. Tahlia Hope, Lachlan Overall and Ryan Houston were suspended on careless riding charges.

McLeod started his time on the sidelines midnight April 30 and ends midnight May 7. Hope is out from April 28 to May 5 while Overall misses from May 4 to May 11. Houston's time on the sidelines begins on May 4 and ends May 11.

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