KEY POINTS:
There has to be a change in policy regarding the taking of penetrometer readings.
That became clear yet again after the debacle at Trentham on Saturday.
The Wellington Racing Club posted a 2.3 reading as good on Saturday morning, but the Trentham track raced nothing like that.
It was clear the track was well and truly dead and that horses that stayed close to the inside running rail were disadvantaged.
There was a faster strip down the middle of the course when just about every winner came.
After several races stipendiary stewards downgraded the rating, opened an inquiry and posted the following report: "Following the decision to downgrade the track from good to dead the stewards questioned the course manager and were advised that the last penetrometer reading was taken at 1pm on Friday, which delivered a reading of 2.3. As there had been no significant change in the weather in the interim, a reading was not taken on race morning.
"Track manager Lyn Biddle produced the penetrometer readings which showed the correct calibration. It was considered by riders that the going was more of a testing nature in the home straight than in the back straight and this was borne out by the penetrometer reading. Mr Biddle further advised that the last rainfall was on Wednesday, April 4 where 8ml was recorded and a penetrometer reading on Thursday produced a 2.6 result. The track had not been watered by the staff since the previous Saturday and it was considered a heavy dew on race morning may have been a factor with regard to the change to the track condition."
Which surely means there should be an absolute requirement to take a race-morning reading.
Chief stipendiary Cameron George, in Sydney on holiday, said the directive to course managers from New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing was that if there was no change in the weather following a penetrometer reading taken on race eve, there was no requirement to take a second reading on race morning.
George said that direction was being reviewed.
"The problem is that what if it had been raining for a day when the penetrometer had been taken the day before the meeting and it continued raining," said George.
"Under the directive there would be no requirement to take a raceday reading because the weather hadn't changed, but three inches of rain might have fallen and the track would be so much worse.
"My recommendation will be that there has to be a race morning reading."
A repeat of Saturday's incident has to be avoided.
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Michael Walker was found not to have broken a femur in a shocking race fall at Te Aroha on Saturday.
It was thought Walker had broken a leg after being galloped on when he crashed from his mount Irish Sting, who fractured a hind00m from the finish.
Walker was helicoptered to Waikato Hospital not because of the seriousness of his injuries, but because of the difficulty in getting a second mandatory ambulance to Te Aroha as the course ambulance took him to Hamilton.
He was released from hospital suffering from whiplash and severe bruising.
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Southern trainer Michael Pitman, sitting on 999 career wins, thought Outback Fox would tip him over the edge at Riverton on Saturday.
Outback Fox was beaten into second and to make it worse the winner Our Louise is only the second winner trained by his owner and rider Kalai Selvan.
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Zabeel might have started the year on a down note with fertility queries, but he's certainly shot back up the ladder quickly.
His dashing son Vengeance Of Rain gave him one of his finest moments when he won last weekend's Sheema Classic on World Cup night in Dubai and on Saturday Fiumicino completed a VRC-AJC Derby double for the season.
Zabeel's son Efficient scored a dashing VRC Derby win in early November and Fiumicino and Darren Beadman ploughed through the heavy footing at Randwick on Saturday to equally destroy his opposition.
And the good news for Sir Patrick Hogan and Cambridge Stud is that Zabeel's fertility is fine.
* * *
Graeme Nicholson and co-owner Barry Brown will get sore necks looking skyward all this week.
Rain will be the biggest danger to Sir Slick in Saturday's $200,000 Champions Mile at Ellerslie on Saturday.
Sir Slick looked in the same magnificent condition he has for weeks now when he galloped solo between races on his home track at Te Aroha on Saturday.
With stable apprentice Roxanne Rattley in the saddle he ran fast time, but always does.
Nicholson said chief handicapper Dean Nowell has advised him Sir Slick will be given 60.5kg in the Ellerslie race. That weight coupled with a wet track would be a serious disadvantage.
