TODAY’S Cessnock meeting will go ahead despite the big wet which has claimed so many recent meetings.
The decision to stage today’s eight-event card at Cessnock was made after a 4pm inspection of the course yesterday afternoon.
Course manager Steve Tapp and Racing NSW steward Sam Woolaston were joined by veteran Cessnock jockey Robert Thompson on the tour of the track.
They rated the track as a heavy (8).
It is hoped without any more rain the course will be upgraded to a slow (7) by the start of the program.
‘‘The inspection party were surprised but happy with the conditions. We will definitely race,’’ Newcastle Jockey Club racing manager John Curtis said yesterday.
The Cessnock course was hit by 110millimetres of rain last week, but none since Friday afternoon.
‘‘The course is drying out well,’’ Curtis said.
The decision to hold the meeting is important for racing in NSW.
On Saturday both the Warwick Farm and Kembla Grange meetings were lost because of the big wet.
Successful Cessnock trainer Jeremy Sylvester will have several runners at his home track today.
But he believes that a synthetic surface at Cessnock would be a ‘‘long-term answer’’ to the problem of having meetings rained out.
‘‘Cessnock is perfectly placed for an all-weather track,’’ he said yesterday.
‘‘We have had plenty of rain and the meeting was in doubt. ‘‘Thankfully the skies did not open up over the weekend. That piece of good weather and a nice hot day yesterday has helped. But if we were a synthetic-based racing surface club then we would race regardless of the weather. Washouts cost the racing industry at every level.
‘‘If synthetic racing was able to solve this problem, then I’m sure we should give it a go.
‘‘Of course Racing NSW would have to come to the party and help foot the bill.’’
Both Racing NSW chief Peter V’landys and Racing NSw chief steward Ray Murrihy said yesterday that they were not fans of the available synthetic surfaces.
They said alternatives might have to be found.
‘‘Cessnock is the right place for an all-weather track,’’ Sylvester said.
‘‘If meetings from Gosford, Wyong or Newcastle in the provincial areas were washed out, then we could switch to Cessnock.
‘‘The same goes for country tracks in our area.
‘‘There seems to be plenty of talk about the future of the Cessnock course.
‘‘Well, here is one way we could cement our future as a racing venue.’’
But not everyone is happy that the Cessnock meeting is going ahead. Newcastle trainer Kris Lees is unsure if his handy galloper My Man Of War will run in today’s benchmark 65 over 1550metres.
Lees said My Man Of War was not at home on a wet track.
‘‘His worst form is in the wet, but I really wanted to run him tomorrow,’’ Lees said yesterday. ‘‘I will wait until the morning and give it plenty of thought.’’
After today’s race Lees was planning to back up the gelding at Newcastle on February 15 in a 1600m race at the Australian Turf Club meeting.
‘‘He needs the Cessnock race to have him right for the extra distance at Newcastle,’’ Lees said. ‘‘Now I’m not sure what to do with him.’’
The four-year-old gelding has won three of his 19 starts and collected close to $80,000 in prizemoney.
My Man Of War finished off powerfully to finish three quarters of a length second to Onetimeatbandcamp at the Gold Coast over 1400m on Magic Millions day in January.
● The Newcastle Jockey Club will compensate Broadmeadow trainers for extra float expenses incurred during the recent track closure.
With Broadmeadow closed for racing between mid-October and late December, meetings were transferred to Wyong, Gosford and Scone.
NJC chief executive Cameron Williams and NSW Trainers Association CEO Steve McMahon announced a compensation package for Broadmeadow trainers who floated horses to start at those transferred fixtures.
Trainers will be compensated $200 for each horse which started at the meetings.
The package was an initiative of McMahon, who pointed out the Australian Jockey Club compensated trainers when World Youth Day at Randwick forced trainers to move to Warwick Farm.
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