Racing: Windsor Park meeting abandoned amid outcry

ON THE BLOWER: Hastings trainer John Bary checks out what's up with race 4 just before the $200,000 Windsor Parek Plate meeting in Hastings was abandoned today. PHOTO/Warren Buckland

The group 1 Windsor Park Plate second leg of the Hawke's Bay Spring Racing Carnival was abandoned today after three races in Hastings.

Seething trainers confronted new Hawke's Bay Racing general manger Andrew Castles and stipendiary officials to demand alternatives to resuming the meeting that had ground to a halt before 2pm.
Six more races were on the card, including the feature $200,000 Windsor Park Plate as well as the $70,000 group III HB Breeders' Gold Trail Stakes.

The judicial committee deemed a stretch of the track, allegedly watered too much during the week, too dangeorus after two horses slipped without interference on a dry, overcast day.

"The police are running things here these days, not the racing fraternity," an incensed racing stalwart said under anonymity.

"The trainers, jockeys, HB Racing and members of the public were ready to roll but the stipes knocked it back," the stalwart said.
However, chief stipendiary steward Ross Neal, of Wellington, defended the judicial committee ruling.

"It was absolutely based on safety," Neal said, reflecting on TV footage that showed horses had slipped along the treacherous stretch shortly after straightening up.

Jockey Dylan Turner, of Taranaki, was riding Pentime in race one, the 2200m HB Spring Carnival at 12.12pm, when he noticed veteran Opie Bosson's mount, Earl's Court, slip.

"He [Bosson] slipped without putting any pressure on his horse but in race three Jonathan Riddell's did with pressure so that means we can't race competitively," the 21-year-old apprentice jockey from Taranaki said, referring to the John Bary-trained Tiger Tim in the 2000m Open handicap race which started at 1.22pm.

Bary thought meetings had been abandoned only twice before because of incelement weather leading up to raceday.

"Today it's just a slippery track so it's just devastating for the club and trainers who have travelled a long way.

"It puts us in a bad light all the way to overseas, too, you know," Bary said, not game to say whether the track crew had over-watered the dangerous stretch or whether a ground breaker (groundhog to make holes on the turf for better hoof grip) could have been employed to make it safer.

Tiger Tim, who finished fourth, had slipped and cut himself badly.

"It's a catch-22 situation because I've run third in the first race and fourth in the third one so I was looking forward to a big day but what's happened happened and there'll be a lot of disgruntled owners," he said, emphasising suggestions of postponing the meeting would have been futile with rain forecast for the next two days.

"It's frustrating," he said, lamenting not having his finger on the pulse on 3-year-old filly Miss Wilson in preparation for the Guineas.
Ditto Recite and Miss Selby "kicking back".

"I don't know where I go now because I had a spicy Windsor track but that ended up quickly with more work for the trainers and owners who will have to fork out for another week or two of training fees while we try to do what we do," Bary said.

Castles, taking the responsibility as general manager for the track in just the second premier meeting, said he had "suggested strongly" putting the groundhog through the track in the judicial room.

"It was one the jockeys had bought into but for whatever reasons the RAU representatives chose not to use something that is used extensively in Australia.

"I think it was unfortunate in the extreme that that opportunity wasn't taken," he said.