High profile breeder and owner Kevin O'Brien is an unabashed fan of the new Toowoomba cushion track.The owner of former glamour sprinting mare Gold Edition, O'Brien said the new surface passed its first test under race conditions with flying colours at the Toowoomba Cup and Weetwood Handicap twilight meeting on Saturday."It is fantastic. I have always been a big supporter and to see it perform so well....shows it is the way of the future," said O'Brien, who celebrated a win at Saturday's meeting

High profile breeder and owner Kevin O'Brien is an unabashed fan of the new Toowoomba cushion track.

The owner of former glamour sprinting mare Gold Edition, O'Brien said the new surface passed its first test under race conditions with flying colours at the Toowoomba Cup and Weetwood Handicap twilight meeting on Saturday.

"It is fantastic. I have always been a big supporter and to see it perform so well....shows it is the way of the future," said O'Brien, who celebrated a win at Saturday's meeting with the speedy Sequallan.

"The same surface proved its benefits so well during the winter carnival at Caloundra when we had all of that rain and didn't lose a meeting."

O'Brien said the fact that Toowoomba lost four months of racing during the severe drought two seasons ago sealed the fate of the old grass track.

"That was terrible for the industry to lose all that racing and it could very easily have happened again but with this new surface that should never happen again," O'Brien said.

"Someone had to take some action and the club has done a wonderful job."

O'Brien and his wife Tanith own a 50 acre breeding operation outside Toowoomba where they have 30 horses.

The couple also has around the same number of horses at their Lauriston Thoroughbred Farm at Corinella in Victoria.

O'Brien said that while Toowoomba's cushion surface had performed well in the winter the next big test would come during the hotter summer months.

"It's my understanding that the binding product can melt during the heat and the proof of the pudding will come in the hot weather," O'Brien said.

"There have been problems at other tracks where the synthetic surface has been installed and they will have to monitor that."

Meanwhile, Queensland Racing Limited has announced the appointment of Daniel Aurisch as a senior steward.

Aurisch will join the Queensland stewarding panel from Racing Victoria Limited.

He was employed by QRL in 1995 before moving to Harness Racing Victoria in 2002 prior to his position with RVL.

QRL chief steward Wade Birch said Aurisch's stewarding experience would be an asset to the organisation.

"Daniel's vast experience in both the thoroughbred and harness racing industries will hold him in a good position within the stewards," he said.

"QRL welcomes Daniel and is looking forward to having him on board in this senior role."