The promise of Group 1 racing on something resembling a spring track was dangled in front of punters before the rain and reality arrived to plunge Saturday's Hastings meeting back into winter.
While we are now a month into spring almost every feature thoroughbred race so far this season has been run on a heavy track, from the Winter Cup through the Foxbridge Plate at Te Rapa then the energy-sapping bog of the Tarzino at Hastings three weeks ago.
With the Hawke's Bay having had no rain this week track staff woke up on Friday hoping the meeting could be held on a soft 7 track as the track started to dry. But then the rain came and back to winter conditions we go.
With constant rain setting in from noon today and more forecast for tomorrow the meeting which hosts the $300,000 Plate and the $140,000 Hawke's Bay Guineas will be held on a heavy 10, with the only bonus for punters being at least most of the favourites have recent heavy track form to rate them on.
But it still leaves a decent-sized question mark over Plate favourite La Crique, the little mare with the massive motor who would have been a big shortener if the track had got back to a slow rating.