Racing: Trainers' Association lambasts WRC's response

The Trainers' Association is extremely unhappy with the Wellington Racing Club's response to its embarrassingly Slow (7) track for the $1 million Telegraph Day at Trentham last Saturday.

The club's apology and new directive that there will be no watering of the track for 72 hours before raceday fixes nothing, said Trainer's Association president David Haworth, who blasted the WRC's added directive that any decision to water inside the 72 hours will be referred to an "expert panel".

"We're not happy at all with what they term an expert panel, although we're happy enough that Awapuni track manager Chris Allen is on it," said Haworth.

Yesterday, the Trainers' Association issued the following statement:

"The New Zealand Trainers' Association takes this opportunity to express its serious concerns at the decision by the Wellington Racing Club to implement a 72-hour policy with regard to irrigation of the Trentham racing surface.

"In a press release dated 24 January, WRC president John Fokerd advised of the club's intention to refrain from irrigating its track within 72 hours of raceday. Additionally, the club advised that it would appoint an 'expert panel' to decide on any deviation from the 72-hour guideline.

"The NZTA considers that the WRC's decision is a misguided, knee-jerk reaction to events surrounding the track that was presented for the first day of the Wellington Cup Carnival.

"It is widely accepted that the club erred badly in the irrigation that took place before its January 22 raceday, leading to a surface that heavily favoured those horses racing on the outside portion of the track.

"While the WRC may consider that the withdrawal of irrigation in the 72 hours [three days] leading up to raceday will address its concerns, the NZTA points out that this policy is in direct contravention of a motion passed at the most recent Central Districts Programming Meeting, held on November 29.

"At that meeting, attended by representatives of lower North Island racing clubs and other stakeholders' groups, it was resolved on the motion of trainer representatives that 'track managers endeavour to present summertime tracks on the morning of raceday at a Dead (4) rating, with the intention that racing will take place on an optimum surface'.

"The intention of this resolution is to provide all runners a fair chance and to take into consideration the significant issue of horse welfare ...

"The Programming Meeting also resolved to relay this information to track managers in the region."

Haworth said "bringing in this sort of blanket approach is no way for the Wellington Racing Club to deal with the situation".

"We all know that what happened last week was a monumental stuff-up, but now saying they won't water in the three days leading up to raceday won't fix the problem. And I'm afraid trainers don't have any confidence that a so-called expert panel will improve matters."

Haworth said other regional clubs with the ability to irrigate had played their part this summer in providing kind galloping surfaces. He felt that the programming committee directive had played a role in giving clear guidelines.

"Trainers have genuine concerns that we'll now return to the other extreme of hard tracks that wreck horses, something we thought had finally been addressed.

"This situation has the potential to not just be a matter of concern for trainers and their owners but also become a welfare issue. And when we talk horse welfare the industry is exposing itself to who knows what."