Racing: Otago meeting cancelled

The Otago Racing Club has abandoned its meeting on October 14 so drainage work undertaken on the Wingatui track can settle.

Andre Klein, chief executive officer of the club, said: "It is felt that the track would benefit from a couple of additional weeks recovery time prior to the meeting on November 1."

He said it was not felt necessary to seek an alternative venue.

The work was undertaken in the front straight, course manager Wayne Stevens said.

"We have discovered that little drainage work has been carried out on this area of the course for over 50 years and it was overdue."

It is expected that the improved drainage will enable the club to programme meetings with confidence during the wetter months of the year.

Other refurbishments are being undertaken at Wingatui.

The roof on the main grandstand is being replaced and the car park areas re-surfaced.

* Neil Goodwin has been promoted from an assistant stipendiary steward to deputy stipendiary steward for the lower North Island, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) announced yesterday.

Goodwin had worked as an assistant for a number of years and takes up his full-time appointment from next Monday, NZTR said.

Goodwin, based in Palmerston North, is a son of Jim Goodwin who was chief executive of the Levin Racing Club and has himself worked as a steward of the Levin club for the past four years.

- NZPA