KEY POINTS:
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing has promised a $300 flight subsidy for jockeys attempting to get from Riccarton races on Saturday to ride at Hastings on Sunday.
The Hawkes Bay meeting scheduled for today has been postponed until Sunday because of poor track conditions.
Most jockeys, particularly those from the North Island, will be required to change their flight plans, which can be costly.
Hawkes Bay Racing executive Kim Treweek said an early call at mid to late morning yesterday was made to transfer today's races.
"With the travel involved for most horses it was in everyone's interests that we made an early call."
Treweek said a Hastings track inspection yesterday morning revealed surface water.
The original weather forecast was for the Hastings weather to clear around midday, but Treweek said that by mid-morning the forecasters were indicating the heavy rain would probably continue.
"And it did," said Treweek. "We got around 30mms of rain in the morning and I'd say about the same after midday, so we're sitting here now happy we made the right call."
The club looked at the possibility of racing tomorrow, particularly when there was a suggestion the first day of the Ruakaka Friday-Saturday meeting may not go ahead because of the severe Northland weather.
"But we were assured the Ruakaka meeting was going to go ahead and NZTR was not keen for us to race against that meeting. It meant the next available date was Sunday."
The forecast for Hastings is for showers, the possibility of some rain on Saturday and fine for Sunday.
All scratchings for the Hastings meeting have been re-instated and the new time schedule will start with Race 1 at 11.05.
One fortunate element is that the New Zealand Trainers' Premiership did not hang on the Hastings raceday.
It was the last day of the racing season and it would have been a disaster if Mark Walker had been relying on getting the two wins to tie or eclipse premiership leader Michael Pitman.
Walker conceded the honour when he scratched horses from yesterday's water-logged Te Awamutu races.
