The Otaki Maori Racing Club has announced Thursday's feature meeting has been transferred to Hastings.
Heavy rain over the past 36 hours and a poor forecast for the remainder of the week was behind the meeting's transfer, the club said in a statement yesterday.
Nominations will be left open until 9am today.
The
moves means a new home for one of the biggest weight-for-age races of the year, the Family Hotel weight-for-age.
The 1400m event has attracted some of the best sprinter-milers in New Zealand and the transfer of venue has caused a major reshuffle by TAB bookies.
Under their rules the TAB bookmakers have to refund all futures bets placed on the race.
"That means even people who had a futures bet on the race on a horse that has already been withdrawn get their money back," said TAB bookie Kevin Gustchlag.
"It will be great news for some punters and even those punters who backed horses that have tightened in the market will get another crack."
Punters who were using the race as the last leg of a multi bet will be paid out as if their bet won but the last leg only paid $1.
The TAB will reopen betting on the race in final field format today, with Sedecrem still likely to be a warm favourite, especially with the change of venue to Hastings.
