Racing
Missile Stakes meeting succumbs to wet weather
The first stakes race of the new Sydney season has been postponed.
The ten-race Missile Stakes program at Randwick has been washed out with officials deeming the track unsafe for racing.
Close to 215 mils of rain fell at the venue in the seven days to Saturday, 45 mils of it tumbling down overnight, tipping the surface from a heavy 8 into the extreme heavy 10 range.
Officials remained mildly hopeful the meeting could go ahead early on race day morning but Racing NSW chief steward Tom Moxon said a further inspection of the course proper at 7.30 am (AEST) sealed its fate.
"We conducted a track gallop just before six o'clock this morning and the feedback from the riders was that although the track was heavy as could be at that point, we didn't need any further rain and unfortunately that rain fell a short time after that," Moxon told Sky Racing radio.
"How the track is at the moment, it's definitely not in a position where we could say that the track is suitable for racing.
"We would definitely need improvement and unfortunately we just don't have that forecast today to give us that confidence that we could get through the meeting."
The Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) was the feature of Saturday's card and officials from Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club will discuss its reassignment to a new timeslot
"No doubt there will be some plans put in place to make sure that race will be run," Moxon said.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast the rain to stick around in Sydney until the middle of next week with the bulk to fall over the remainder of the weekend and into Monday.
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