Abandoned Hawke’s Bay meeting rescheduled to Tuesday
Thursday’s race meeting at Hawke’s Bay was abandoned after just one race after a horse slipped.
“A rider reported that their mount had slipped rounding the first bend just passing the mile and then again entering the back straight,” Stipendiary Steward Brady Jones said.
“Obviously the riders that were following that mount also reported that they had seen that runner slip and also that their horses hadn’t found it entirely comfortable with the footing.
“The Stewards convened a meeting the led to the track inspection where movement was identified on the track and subsequently to that we made the decision to abandon the meeting.”
Given there were 115 horses still to race on Thursday the abandoned race-meeting has been re-scheduled for Tuesday 30 May. The programme remains the same with new nominations required. These nominations will close with the NRB on Friday 26 May at 12 noon and withdrawals will be Saturday at 10am.
The rail at Hastings has been moved into the true position and the track has or will be verti-drained.
As a consequence the Foxton trials have been brought forward to Monday 29 May with nominations closing on Friday 26 May at 12 noon.
Saltcoats thriving ahead of Futurity
Progressive juvenile Saltcoats will get another tilt at black-type when he contests Saturday’s Listed Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Pukekohe.
The Samantha Logan-trained son of Ardrossan finished third in the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa last start behind smart juveniles Solidify and Glamour Tycoon.
That performance followed a debut runner-up finish at Hawke’s Bay behind What You Wish For and the Lib Petagna bred and raced gelding has continued to improve.
“He has just learnt a lot each start and the third last time at Te Rapa was a strong run against a good group of horses so we were very happy,” Logan said.
“It was an off-track at Te Rapa and he was wide. Glamour Tycoon was outside him and she came across him a bit in the straight. He kept going and fighting to the line and he wasn’t far off Solidify who is obviously very smart.
“I’m pleased with him heading into Saturday.”
To again be ridden by Kozzi Asano, Saltcoats is a $3.80 joint favourite with the Mark Walker-trained Egyptian Queen.