Awapuni loses meetings as grass track given more time to settle

Trials at Awapuni last week suggested the track will be better off without racing on it next month. Photo / Peter Rubery

Awapuni’s return to racing has been delayed.

After a track inspection on Tuesday, it was decided to delay the return to racing on the Palmerston North venue’s grass track.

The surface was initially out of commission for 19 months for an extensive renovation and it was due to host racing again on Anzac Day this year. However, that meeting was abandoned after a slip in the opening race.

The track has undergone further remedial work and the club has called upon the expertise of Flemington track manager Liam O’Keefe to assist in that process.

A set of trials took place at Awapuni last week and the club was pleased with how the track handled those, but an inspection on Tuesday, attended by representatives from New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, Race Inc., the Racing Integrity Board, the New Zealand Jockeys’ Association, senior trainers and O’Keefe, confirmed the track needed more time.

“The track has made gradual improvement during the winter, but it still needs that little bit more time so it can host a large set of trials that would then tick off a race meeting,” O’Keefe said.

“It was a general consensus to give the track more time. It is still quite young and immature off the back of the necessary renovation works that were carried out to soften the track, which was really important so the horses can get good purchase in the track and make sure they are not going to slip.

“That [renovation] was successful and the trials went well, albeit there was a bit of kickback, which is expected with a new track.

“That is a good indicator to everyone that it needs more time, so it is going to get more time, which is a great result.”

O’Keefe said another season would have been ideal to carry out the remedial work because winter’s conditions were not suited to grass growth.

But with spring a few weeks away, he expects to see that growth when the track undergoes its next inspection in three weeks.

“It [track]) has taken to it [remedial work] well, it is just not the ideal time of year to do it,” he said.

“If you are going to do major works to a track, you would wait for the growing period, ie spring, autumn or summer. Unfortunately, going into winter, the works were required. The works were carried out, it has gone well and softened the track.

“There were no issues at the previous jumpouts of any slipping, which is a tick. It just needs time to recover, rest and rejuvenate.

“For the remainder of this week there will be an oversew on the track, there will be its regular fertiliser and then it will just be staying off the track to let the grass rejuvenate and recover and get thicker and stronger.”

While the track is being given more time to recover, Awapuni’s two scheduled meetings for next month (September 6 and 20) will be transferred elsewhere, and another track inspection will take place to assess whether it is ready to handle another trials meeting.

“We are going to reconvene in three weeks’ time,” O’Keefe said. “We will have a walk with all of the industry participants together and hopefully then we can put a plan in place to return to trialling.”

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk