A star-studded set of barrier trials pivotal to the spring build-up of some of Australia’s best racehorses have figured in the latest Racing NSW rescheduling as wet weather continues to play havoc with its early-season calendar.
Seventeen barrier trials programmed for Randwick on Tuesday have been moved to Thursday with more than 150mm of rain recorded over the past five days.
In the past week, NSW has lost meetings at Narrandera in the Riverina, Scone in the Upper Hunter Valley and Tuncurry, Newcastle, Wyong and Taree in the Central Coast region.
Two meetings in the Northern Tablelands - Gunnedah on Tuesday and Quirindi on Thursday - have also been affected.
Both racetracks have been declared unsuitable for racing with Gunnedah abandoned and Quirindi transferred to Tamworth.
While rainfall eased on Sunday afternoon, riverine rises have occurred in the Hunter and New England area, with several catchments across the regions under NSW SES flood warnings.
In the New England region, major flooding was recorded on the Peel and Namoi Rivers at Tamworth and Gunnedah, forcing evacuations and road closures.
An emergency warning was issued for low-lying parts of Gunnedah, asking people to evacuate before 4pm Sunday due to moderate flooding, and major flooding forecast into Monday.
In the Upper Hunter, home to most of Australia’s biggest thoroughbred studs, a moderate flood warning remained for the Hunter River at Denman on Monday, which peaked just below major levels overnight before falling below moderate thresholds on Monday.
As nearby Muswellbrook started mopping up on Monday, advice warnings remained in place for the town as well as the prominent thoroughbred hubs of Scone and Aberdeen.
Warwick Barr
Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Scone on Sunday before being lifted later in the day.
In Sydney’s outer metropolitan area, barrier trials at Hawkesbury on Monday were abandoned while 13 heats at Gosford on Tuesday that included a host of Ciaron Maher and Kris Lees-trained stars as acceptors, have also been switched to Thursday.
The Bureau of Meteorology expects rain to ease in Sydney over the next 48 hours, allowing horses such as Via Sistina to round off their preparations for the Group 1 Winx Stakes at Randwick on August 23 under simulated race conditions.
Two heats for Group-class horses that were set to be run on the Randwick course proper on Tuesday have been switched to the Kensington track with a minor distance change.
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Acceptors for the reframed trials include Chris Waller’s unbeaten mare Autumn Glow and her new stablemate Beiwacht, All Aged Stakes winner Jimmysstar and Randwick Guineas hero Linebacker.
Golden Slipper runner-up Wodeton, Group 1-winning filly Manaal and the Bjorn Baker-trained Stefi Magnetica are down to clash in the other heat with a distance alteration.
However, they will be upstaged by the appearance of the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup favourites in Via Sistina and Vauban respectively, when they trial over 1000m in the opening heat.
ATC Australian Derby winner Aeliana, her high-class stablemate Lady Shenandoah and Godolphin mare Zardozi, now trained by Ciaron Maher, have been pitted against each other in the second heat.
Bren O’Brien
