A rainbow arches over the Toowoomba track finishing post. Source: Supplied
THERE really could have been a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on the first day of racing at Toowoomba's new turf track last week.
The stunning scene of a rainbow cascading from the sky directly above the finishing post brought tears to the eyes of some who wished legendary former trainer Jim Atkins had lived to see the day.
The day was a lovely tribute to Atkins who vigorously campaigned against the installation of the controversial former cushion service.
Broadcaster Pat O'Shea provided a nice touch when he declared "JJ Atkins can now rest in peace'' as the horses jumped out of the barrier for the first race.
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IS this a (very) early sign of what could be ahead in 2015?
Spotted working out at the Goodlife gym in Caloundra last week was none other than rugby league super coach Wayne Bennett.
And guess which club's shorts he was wearing?
Not those of Newcastle, the team he currently coaches, but rather those of the Broncos, the team where he made his name and the club he has been linked with a return to next year.
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HE'S the new road warrior.
Brisbane Heat rookie Mark Steketee should have Big Bash sponsors Toyota beating a path to his door with the 19-year-old quick happy to continue to commute between Warwick and Brisbane after getting called into the T20 squad.
Steketee, who made a tidy debut for the Heat last week, is going to have a few road trips under his belt by the time the Big Bash finishes at the end of the month.
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BRISBANE jockey Michael Hellyer is also using plenty of petrol.
Few racing pundits can remember a jockey riding at three tracks on the one day like Hellyer did a couple of weeks ago.
On a Saturday, he rode at Doomben, Beaudesert and the Sunshine Coast night meeting.
But all the miles may not have been worth it. Hellyer's best return for the day was a fourth placing at Beaudesert.
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FORMER Wimbledon champion Ashley Cooper has been to a few tennis functions in his time.
But the winner of four Grand Slam titles was unstinting when talking to colleague Paul Malone about the function on the first night of the Brisbane International when 100 guests heard Rod Laver and Roger Federer talk about tennis and each other.
"Two ornaments of the game, the open discussions they had … it was the best tennis function I've ever been to,'' said Cooper.
"They both came around and spoke to everyone in the room and posed for photos.
"I was particularly interested when (MC) Todd Woodbridge asked them how they would have played each other.
"Rod said he wouldn't have hit to Roger's forehand. He felt his only chance was to come to the net and play preferably on a bumpy grass court.
"Roger said Rod seemed to be able to adapt to any surface, better than anyone he'd seen from watching footage of some of Rod's matches, and would have adapted to any of the Grand Slam surfaces now.''
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THE perils of the punt have claimed several high-profile sporting stars and we hear another ex-player is in financial trouble from gambling.
Now an assistant coach, the former Queensland sportsman is rumoured to have done most of his dough on the punt.
Things have got so bad he apparently has had to turn to one of the clubs he once played for to bail him out of money trouble.
And now there is plenty of angst at the club that some of its funds are being used to iron out gambling debts.
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VOTING for the next inductee to the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame closes at the end of the month and the shortlist sent to voting members shows just how hard it is to arrive at just one name.
To qualify for induction a player must have retired and have represented Australia (although that rule was overlooked when Brian Bevan and Harry Bath were inducted) and the voting is an exhaustive process.
The next step is a final shortlist of six names selected from the following 18: Greg Alexander, Cec Aynsley, Bob Banks, Les Boyd, Lionel Cooper, Larry Corowa, Harold 'Mick' Crocker, Pat Devery, Peter Dimond, Ben Elias, 'Bumper' Farrell, Paul Harragon, Les Heidke, Arthur Hennessy, Garry Jack, Max Krilich, Bob Lindner, Cliff Lyons.
Good luck with sorting that lot out.
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INTERESTING to see funnyman Kerry O'Keefe leaving the ABC - he will be a huge loss.
You can be sure that Fairfax Radio will make a gigantic play for him.
But "Skull" certainly is giving every sign of a man ready for retirement and we wish him the best for whatever the future holds.
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LEAGUE'S ever-growing treasure chest of biographies will expand this year when a book on South Sydney legend John Sattler hits the shelves.
Titled Glory, Glory, in reference to South Sydney's famous club song, the John Sattler story covers his golden decade at the Rabbitohs, when "Satts" led the club to four premierships in five years between 1967-71.
But the much-loved league icon also discusses his darker, lesser-known years. It includes his colourful days running rough-house pubs in Queensland, a horrific car accident at Bribie Island in 1979 that nearly killed him ... and his secret battle with depression.
Of course, Sattler is best remembered for playing 77 minutes of the 1970 grand final against Manly with a broken jaw in three places. He opens up about the ordeal in remarkable detail and to this day, his blood-stained mouthguard from that famous day remains intact.
One of Australia's great pieces of sporting memorabilia is tucked away in Satts' bedroom draw. Written by Courier-Mail colleague Peter Badel, the book is scheduled to hit stores on Father's Day.
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THE Brisbane Heat's humbling loss to the Melbourne Renegades last week had few positives for Brisbane, but for several fans at Etihad Stadium, it was worth its weight in, well, beer.
For every six caught at home games, the successful catcher in the crowd gets a year's supply (or 12 cartons) of Cricketers' Arms Lager.
The Heat delivered on that front, with three of the seven sixes they hit caught on the full in the seating bowl.
Of course a few of the 11 sixes smashed by the home side off the Heat attack were caught too.
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IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR ...
Bernard Tomic. Defends the only ATP title possesses and an early exit in Sydney this week would be a rankings disaster as he also defends third-round ranking points at the Australian Open starting next week
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