Show Week: Riccarton Races abandoned after only three races over track condition

The Riccarton Races have been abandoned after only three races due to the track's condition. Photo / Hamish Clark

Thoroughbred racing bosses are going to face some tough questions after potentially one of the most expensive race meeting abandonments in New Zealand history today.

The New Zealand Cup and 1000 Guineas thoroughbred race meeting was supposed to be the climax of Cup week in Christchurch and attracted a sold-out crowd of 15,000 people on a scorching hot Canterbury day, but was abandoned after three races.

The trouble started when Harmonious, ridden by apprentice Lily Sutherland, slipped after losing its footing at the top of the straight in the third race. Harmonious did not fall and no horses or jockeys were injured.

The incident raised concerns about the condition of the track which jockeys labelled patchy and after three separate inspections and two unsuccessful attempts at remedial work the meeting was deemed unsafe.

That means the nine remaining races will be held at Riccarton on Monday but with only a fraction of the crowd who were on course when the meeting was called off.

Monday’s meeting will be free to the public but with most Cantabrians having to work and almost all of the Cup week visitors having returned home, the rescheduled meeting will see an enormous loss.

It will be a disaster for the Canterbury Jockey Club, the TAB and therefore the industry, who receive most of its profits.

There will also be a huge collective loss for industry participants like trainers, owner and jockeys through extra expenses.

Some will have to pay to stay in Canterbury for an extra two days while others like leading jockeys Lisa Allpress and Craig Grylls will have to travel to Hastings to fulfil riding commitments on Sunday, return to Christchurch for the rescheduled meeting on Monday, and then go home.

Even worse off is Sydney jockey Josh Parr, who came to New Zealand to ride at all three days of the carnival but has to return home so will miss rides in the 1000 Guineas, Handicap and New Zealand Cup on Monday.

The entire fiasco has left many fuming and wondering how, after a relatively warm and settled week in Christchurch, the Riccarton track could have been slippery and patchy.

Race officials determined the track's conditions as not good enough to continue. Photo / Anna Leask

The track has had a busy spring and Allpress, who has had enormous success at Riccarton, says she complimented the track manager for producing a good surface for the middle day of the carnival on Wednesday.

But after overnight rain on Friday the track came up with what jockeys described as a slippery and patchy surface under a long grass cover.

The length of the grass was a common criticism from those jockeys and trainers the Herald spoke to, being blamed for why the baking sun yesterday could not get to the surface to dry it.

CJC officials will cut the grass on Sunday and do further draining work on the track in the hope Monday’s meeting can go ahead without further drama but the main damage, both financial and in participant confidence, is done.