There is cautious optimism the renovated Eagle Farm track will handle its first test on Queensland Oaks Day on Saturday, in the face of a forecast of heavy rain.
There is a 95 per cent chance of rain in Brisbane on Saturday, with predictions of anywhere between 35 and 100mm, causing concern for Eagle Farm's first race meeting in almost two years, and the first on the new track.
Brisbane Racing Club chairman Neville Bell said they are hopeful the majority of the predicted rainfall will come later in the day.
"Our track managers have very good intel, the weather bureau and Brisbane City Council's specialised unit, if there's a severe event, it's more than likely to be late on Saturday afternoon," Bell told Racing.com's Racing Ahead on RSN 927.
"It would appear it's going to be late Saturday, Saturday night, even into Sunday.
"There was a critical inspection of the track yesterday with the chairman of stewards ... they all gave it a thumbs-up. There's a good coverage of grass on the track."
Eagle Farm track manager Sean Bridges said he is confident the track won't have surface water on Saturday, but did add the amount of rain tipped was cause for concern.
"Unfortunately, the weather forecast has got progressively worse this week," Bridges said.
"I'm in that acceptance phase of 'what will be, will be'.
"To be perfectly honest, being the first meeting, you're flying a little bit blind as to how the track will cope with the rain, and how it'll race as rain-affected.
"This track will handle copious amounts of rain, it's designed to do that ... and in the past, it's drained off amazingly quickly.
"The actual amount of rain is a concern. For us, it's probably [an issue] if it's raining during the races, and visibility becomes an issue."