Safety always has to come first in racing, which is why the Hawkesbury standalone meeting was called off after just one race on Saturday.
The meeting was given every chance to go ahead by club officials and stewards but the jockeys were unanimous in their belief that it could not continue.
One of the great things about the big days at Hawkesbury and Wagga is that they attract big crowds, something that has become a bit of a struggle for many other clubs in the city and country. People know when the meetings are on and make plans to be there.
But it was a poor look to have the meeting called off after more than 4000 punters had turned up in the rain and it could hurt Hawkesbury's standalone Saturday meeting in the future.
Unfortunately, it came as no surprise that the track wasn't up to a Saturday metropolitan standard. The murmurs about Hawkesbury's poor racing surface have been growing louder for some time.
The fact that one horse had to be put down because of a broken off-fore leg, which Proper Madam's jockey Christian Reith attributed to the track, is a major concern.
A review of the Hawkesbury track will no doubt be undertaken. It was unable to hold more than one race, while Newcastle, another provincial track that has had well-documented problems, got through six races in worst conditions.
Hawkesbury does have amazing drainage and the surface was relatively firm, considering the amount of rain, but it became a skating rink for horses, which struggled to gain traction.
Decent tracks are the most important asset for the industry and need to be the centre of any plans for the future. Without them, there is no racing, as we saw on Saturday.
Waterhouse victory
Gai Waterhouse is never short of confidence and after Pornichet's Toowoomba Cup victory on Saturday she declared the Cox Plate is on the agenda. The import is clearly a great 2000m horse and will back-up in the Doomben Cup on Saturday. Toowoomba was a forced detour after missing out on a run in the Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast and Pornichet's win under a hefty 60.5kg impost was very good. Next week will decide whether Waterhouse will push on to Moonee Valley in the spring. Waterhouse was in her element at Toowoomba, promoting racing, taking selfies with the crowd. It is a pity the Australian Turf Club chose to use a little-known trainer in its advertising campaign in the autumn, while another refused to be a part of it. Waterhouse is undoubtedly the face of the sport, and surely head office should consider using her more.
Track rating concerns
The concerns about the Hawkesbury track had been the talk among jockeys and trainers for most of the week. One hoop said: "It was a heavy 10 on Tuesday and hasn't improved." The fact that the track was given out as a slow 7 on Wednesday was a disgrace. Punters are better informed than ever and were betting from Wednesday using poor information provided by the club. Given the growth of pre-post betting, maybe stewards should take track rating out of a club's hands at acceptance time.
Drug facility almost ready
Racing NSW should be ready to open its state-of-the-art drug test facility at its Druitt St headquarters by the end of the month. The centrepiece is equipment worth $1.5 million that can screen for more than 8000 different types of drugs. "We have spent nearly $3 million on making this facility of world best," chief executive Peter V'landys said. "We want to take out the cheats."
Big weekend
The first weekend of May is possibly the best weekend of racing around the world. The Kentucky Derby, the English 2000 Guineas and the Champions Mile in Hong Kong were great races - and there might have been a pointer to the first Tuesday in November from the Newmarket meeting. The Luca Cumani-trained Second Step won a group 2 race over 2000m there and could be the horse to break Cumani's Melbourne Cup jinx. "The Melbourne Cup could be a possibility, but it remains to be seen if he'll get two miles and it's a long way away," Cumani said after the race. Second Step is only lightly raced and will head to the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, which has become one of the key European races for horses heading to the Melbourne spring.
