WEEKEND RACING COVID UPDATE

As at Wednesday 18th 3pm

NZTR is planning to hold race meetings at Cambridge and New Plymouth on Saturday and at Rotorua on Sunday.

There will be 12 races at Cambridge and seven at the Taranaki meeting, with a 10-race programme scheduled for Rotorua.

These plans are, of course, dependant on the relevant areas being out of Level 4 lockdown on raceday.

If these meetings cannot be held this weekend, NZTR would be keen to reschedule the Cambridge meeting, in particular, early the following week.

As advised earlier, the Oamaru meeting scheduled for Friday and the Ruakaka meeting scheduled for Saturday are cancelled.

However, it is still intended to run the Grp III Northland Breeders’ Stakes, which had been scheduled for the Ruakaka meeting. The most likely scenario is that the Breeders’ Stakes will be held at Te Rapa on 28 August.

Trainers are reminded that horses based at Pukekohe and further north - but not staff - can be floated to meetings in other areas by commercial transport companies but arrangements need to be made to put the horses into the care of another trainer once they arrive at the course.

The proposed meetings at New Plymouth, Cambridge and Rotorua will be closed meetings, which means that only essential staff are able to attend.

The Oamaru meeting will not be rescheduled as there is a meeting with an almost identical programme scheduled for Ashburton on Thursday, 26 August. However, an Open 1200m, with a $15,000 stake, has been added to the Ashburton programme. There will also be an ability to divide a race or races if numbers permit. Nominations for this meeting will close with the NRB on Monday 23 August at 12 noon.