Attack dogs, infra-red cameras which detect night movement and high-tech alarms are part of beefed-up security measures to protect the Gold Coast track from another poisoning drama ahead of the rich Magic Millions carnival.

Chaos erupted on the coast last year when a portion of the track was poisoned with chemicals, forcing The Wave/Sunlight slot race meeting to be sensationally transferred to the Sunshine Coast.

Conspiracy theories ran rampant, but GCTC officials always insisted it was vandalism rather than human error from track staff.

A police investigation was launched, with no culprit ever arrested, but 12 months on the Turf Club is taking no chances, rolling out a range of new security measures.

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The Gold Coast track won’t be as heavily protected as Fort Knox but it won’t be far off, going into two consecutive Saturdays which offer more than $20m in prizemoney and bonuses.

“We have beefed up security considerably, for starters I’ve got canine security dogs on track from 6pm at night until we open for trackwork in the morning,” GCTC chief executive Steve Lines told Racenet.

“We have put in our own trackside, internal infra-red cameras and they are alarmed so if there is movement on the track during the night, they are hooked up cameras with alarms that turn on.

“I’ve also acquired five cameras from Gold Coast City Council that they use for the marathon down here, they are mobile cameras and they are monitored 24/7.

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“We also have put a brand new fence line right through the back of the track, which cost over $100,000.

“And we have had security staff set up here – physical security – from a week ago.

“Can you protect 43 hectares in its entirety and say its totally safe and guaranteed?

“That’s near impossible.

“But have done everything we possibly can.”

Even apart from the poisoning strife which created national news headlines, the Gold Coast track has been in the wars more often than not in recent years.

The positive news is the track has performed very well in recent times, with star Sydney jockey Tommy Berry giving it a glowing appraisal after he rode at the trials there on Monday.

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The GCTC commissioned a report on last year’s poisoning incident, undertaken by Easton Turf Consultancy, which found “all supporting evidence points towards ‘a wilful and intentional act of prepared sabotage’.

“These findings exonerate all track maintenance staff from any purposeful or accidental wrongdoing during their normal track maintenance duties,” the report, seen by Racenet, states.

Lines says he and other Turf Club officials had always been convinced it was an act of deliberate sabotage.

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“I know it was vandalism,” Lines told Racenet. “We have got the footprints, we have got the mixing bay, we have got the spray nozzles, we have got all of what was used (by the vandals).

“Can I tell you who did it?

“The answer is no, but I have got an assumption.

“At the end of the day I go to sleep at night knowing that we (track staff) never did it, it’s as simple as that.”