KEY POINTS:
Racing is set to return to Trentham in Wellington next week for the first time in 7 1/2 months.
Trials were held on the course yesterday and the green light was given for a Melbourne Cup day meeting on Tuesday, said Wellington Racing Club chief executive David Jewell.
"It went well and the track has been given the all-clear by jockeys, stipes and trainers," he said.
Forty horses contested eight trials races up to a distance of 1200m. Another four horses galloped over about 1500m.
The track was yesterday heavy with a penetrometer reading of 5.1 but Jewell said horses did not encounter problems. "It's still quite wet and heavy. It's not ideal conditions ... but under the circumstance everyone thought it was very good."
The last race meeting at Trentham was the New Zealand Oaks fixture on March 18 after which a $650,000 drainage project was undertaken.
Racing was initially scheduled to return to Trentham last Saturday, in the form of the Captain Cook Stakes meeting. But the track was considered not quite ready to stage a premier meeting and the event was transferred to Hastings.
The drainage work suffered delays due to a very wet winter and spring.
Jewell said that if the predicted fine weather over the next few days eventuated, there was a good chance the track would not be too wet for Tuesday. "We just can't get a decent spell of weather to dry it out properly. But if we do, it will improve quickly."
- NZPA
