Four-day wet forecast for Hawke's Bay rugby, racing, holidays

A clear blue sky for local Callsign Mav's win in Hastings on the first weekend of October 2021. Rain is forest for the next four days - the first weekend of October this year. Photo / File

Hawke's Bay is again in for a big but probably wet weekend in sport with the last home match of the year for the Hawke's Bay Magpies on Friday night and the second day of the Hawke's Bay Spring Racing Carnival on Saturday.

The MetService's forecast is for four days of mainly rain for the Bay Cities from Friday to Monday, which also kicks off the two-weeks of the school holidays.

Rainfall throughout the region is already well above average for the first nine months, and in some areas September's rainfall is close to three times September averages.

Despite the forecast continuation of the trend, Metservice had not by midday posted any severe weather warnings or watch notices for the eastern region.

The Magpies play a near must-win Bunnings NPC match against Nelson-Marlborough side the Tasman Mako at McLean Park with a Friday kick-off of 7.05pm, while the $300,000 Arrowfield Stud Plate will be run in Hastings on Saturday starting at 3.49pm – a 15-horse field possibly set to be hit by some scratchings if the weather deteriorates.

In a season stretching from the highs of five Ranfurly Shield defence wins to an NPC trail including a draw and four losses, including the ceding of the Ranfurly Shield to Wellington a fortnight ago, the Magpies must win, preferably with a bonus point for four tries or more, to have a chance to claim the fourth playoffs berth in the "Odds" conference.

They do have a slim prospect of making it with a loss but at least one bonus point, if Otago lose and fail to get a point against Canterbury on Saturday night.

With the Magpies and Otago each having 26 points, the southern side holds the upper-hand in the race for the last place, having beaten Hawke's Bay in their round-robin match.

There are nine races on Saturday on the second day of the Colliers Hawke's Bay Spring Racing Carnival in Hastings, the first at 12.25pm, the last at 4.59pm, and with collective stake money of $790,000.

The features are $140,000 Hawke's Bay Guineas for 3-year-olds and won by some of New Zealand's top racehorses over the years, and the $300,000, 1600-metre Arrowfield Stud Plate, most recently formerly known as the Windsor Park Plate.

The Arrowfield plate is the second leg Spring Carnival Triple Crown of successive wins in its three weight-for-age events, which has been achieved only once.

And it won't be achieved this year, with surprise first leg winner Dark Destroyer not backing-up after its triumph in the 1400m Tarzino Trophy race on September 10, when the race battled for the spotlight alongside a Ranfurly Shield defence in Napier.

The race on Saturday is being billed as a match race between the 4-year-old mares, Matamata-trained warm-favourite La Crique, and Cambridge-trained Mustang Valley, with support for local hope and 6-year-old gelding Spring Tide.

La Crique, quoted today by the TAB at $2.40 to win, was third in the opening-day feature, Mustang Valley was at $3.50 after winning a supporting 1400m race on the first day and then over 1600m at Awapuni last Saturday, and Spring Tide, trained at Hastings by John Bary, was second in the Tarzino Trophy race.

Bary trained Callsign Mav to win the race last year, on a day of clear blue skies. Callsign Mac recently won a AU$1 million race in Australia.