SHOWING THROUGH: Exposed rock on the beach at Castlepoint last weekend. PHOTO/CHRIS KILFORD
SHOWING THROUGH: Exposed rock on the beach at Castlepoint last weekend. PHOTO/CHRIS KILFORD
Castlepoint race organisers are confident the planned March 7 race day will go ahead despite a small area of rock becoming exposed on the beach.
Castlepoint Racing Club president Andy Pottinger said yesterday the northern end of the beach by the sand hills was carrying more sand than had beenseen for a long time. The small area of rock now showing was not expected to cause any problems for racing.
Sand stripped from the beach has plagued the club from time to time causing the annual beach meeting to be cancelled but that changed in 2012 and racing has gone ahead each year since.
Mr Pottinger said the racing surface has been carefully watched and latest monitoring showed a clear width of 12-14m from the edge of rocks to the sea wall.
"I am confident racing will go ahead. Low tide on March 7 will work in nicely for the running of the cup, and racing should start at noon," he said.
Conditions on the coast are a day-to-day proposition and the one thing the club wants to avoid is a big north-easterly which has the potential to suck sand from the beach.
Racing at Castlepoint will correspond with a busy social weekend in Wairarapa, with the Golden Shears final being held in the War Memorial Stadium in Masterton soon after beach racing finishes.
The next day, the Masterton Racing Club is hosting a full totalisator meeting at Tauherenikau.
