Racing: Patience and co-operation key as industry awaits Government's next alert level moves

Andrew Calder has Tokorangi at full stretch as she cruises clear to win the Group 2 Waikato Guineas (2000m) at Te Rapa. Photo / Trish Dunell

Horse racing's two key ingredients of speed and competition have been replaced by patience and co-operation as the industry awaits the Government's next alert level moves.

And that could make for plenty of frantic phone calls in coming days depending on whether the Auckland region stays at alert level 3.

Horse and greyhound racing continues around the country with meetings not threatened by either alert level 2 or 3 as they can be classed as work places.

But while horses can travel in and out of the Auckland region with a professional horse transportation company the horse people cannot at alert level 3.

If Auckland returns to level 2 or below by Thursday, meetings at Cambridge harness, Alexandra Park (Friday night) and Ellerslie on Saturday will go ahead almost as normal from a punting perspective although they will still have restrictions on who is allowed to attend.

But at level 3 the Ellerslie meeting, including the Avondale Guineas and Cup, will need to be moved to Waikato for many reasons including the lack of jockeys in Auckland.

Cambridge harness boss David Branch is planning to likely run his meeting at level 2 protocols which means owners and even the public who want to attend can do so but in areas restricted to 100 people.

"We have a few trainers from Auckland sending horses down here to other trainers and we are lucky to have enough drivers, as well as a couple from the Central Districts if needed, to have enough even for full fields," says Branch.

"So the meeting will definitely go ahead but obviously some Auckland trainers were a bit reluctant to send horses they couldn't come with and we simply couldn't wait for the alert levels announcement before drawing up the fields."

So while harness racing will be largely unaffected by the alert levels bar some smaller fields and driver changes, the final decision on where the Ellerslie meeting is held will be the major talking point of the weekend for punters.

Meanwhile, the connections of another superstar filly are awaiting the result of Saturday's Guineas before deciding their next move.

Tokorangi was awesome winning the Waikato Guineas last Saturday and is well in the market for the NZ Derby at Ellerslie on March 6 but co-trainer Pam Gerard says no decision will be made on that start until after she assesses the Guineas form this week.

"The Derby is looking more likely than the NZ Oaks [March 20] or she could even go straight to Australia," says Gerard.

Those same three choices also await last Saturday's Ellis Classic winner Amarelinha, with her connections awaiting this week's Guineas results before making their decision but she is now the $2.80 favourite for the Derby even though she isn't nominated yet.

Northern racing continues but with no public allowed at Te Aroha tomorrow, where premiership-leading jockey Danielle Johnson starts the day on 999 career wins in NZ.