News

Racing to go ahead at Rosehill Gardens

5th Feb 2009

*The Daily Telegraph - Ray Thomas - Friday, 6 February 2009

SYDNEY Turf Club's feature Expressway Stakes meeting will go ahead at Rosehill Gardens tomorrow despite the heatwave conditions that have forced the transfer of Caulfield's Orr Stakes to Sunday.

"It's business as usual for us," STC chief executive Michael Kenny declared last night.

"The fact that we are not racing against the Orr Stakes meeting at Caulfield is disappointing but hopefully that may result in punters investing more on Rosehill.

"With Melbourne switched to Sunday, I think it even more important that we have metropolitan racing in Sydney."

With temperatures expected in the low 40s tomorrow, Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy confirmed additional measures are in place to ensure the safety of horses and jockeys at Rosehill.

Murrihy said stewards also have the option to delay the 2.30pm start time for the first race at Rosehill by up to an hour if the weather is simply too hot.

Sunday's Gosford meeting will also start later than scheduled because of the heat. The eight-race card at the Central Coast venue will commence at 2.20pm.

Queensland raider Burdekin Blues is an easing $2.50 favourite in early TAB Fixed Odds betting for the Group Two $200,000 Expressway Stakes (1200m).

TAB's Glenn Munsie said Burdekin Blues was made favourite as most of his rivals are either first-up from a spell or suspect at the distance. "Burdekin Blues has had a run back, winning very easily in Brisbane, but the likes of Mentality, Raheeb and Gallant Tess are resuming," Munsie said.

"Gold Trail is racing in great form but he hasn't won in five attempts at 1200m."

Melbourne Racing Club officials confirmed last night the transfer of the Group One Orr Stakes to Sunday after the weather bureau forecast a top temperature of 44C with winds of more than 50km/h.

It is believed to be the first time a major metropolitan meeting has been cancelled due to hot weather.

Racing Victoria operations manager Leigh Jordon said there was no alternative but to run the Orr meeting on Sunday.

"For racing, you'd call it the day from hell so there was really no option," Jordon said.

MRC chief executive Warran Brown conceded his preference would have been to proceed with the meeting as scheduled tomorrow, adding he had the backing of Racing Victoria stewards.

But Brown said Racing Victoria created an inflexible precedent in abandoning meetings through last week's heatwave.

"You set a precedent and suddenly you've got no room to move. Personally I think every situation should be treated on its merits but, reluctantly, we've had to postpone," Brown said.

"The threat from trainers that they'd scratch horses and that jockeys would walk off the job meant we had no option."

Brown said the one-day shift would cost the club "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in income and millions to the industry in betting revenue.

He said the Orr Stakes meeting was transferred to Sunday rather than abandoned altogether as it was important for the MRC and the remainder of the Melbourne Festival of Racing.

"Our primary objective was to ensure the meeting was conducted at some stage and to be able to do that in the most favourable conditions for everyone was also foremost in our minds," Brown said.

The only race meeting in Victoria tomorrow will be the Buchan picnics. A cooler change is expected in Melbourne late Saturday night with milder temperatures on Sunday.