Stakes Day abandoned after three races following heavy downpour at Rosehill

Liam O'Loughlin

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Stakes Day abandoned after three races following heavy downpour at Rosehill image

Stakes Day has been abandoned after just three races, with the running of two Group 1s now up in the air.

Following weeks of rain across Sydney and NSW and a third-straight Saturday at Rosehill Gardens, the decision was made following another heavy downpour early in the meeting. 

With both the $1.5 million G1 Tancred Stakes and $500,000 G1 Vinery Stud Stakes set to be run later in the afternoon, there is now plenty of conjecture over when the elite races will proceed.

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Racing NSW Stewards Chairman Marc Van Gestel explained the decision to postpone the meeting.

“We had a heavy downpour during the running of race 2 and that has really water-logged the track," he said.

"A number of riders after that race expressed some concern, but they were willing to try and go through the conditions for the third event.

"Even with the rain leading up, the conditions were to the point where we had a number of horses blundering in the surface.

"It just got to a point where we couldn’t be comfortably satisfied it was going to provide safe footing for the horses and the jockeys expressed that concern and we agreed with it."

With The Championships scheduled for the next two Saturdays, the decision has since been made to move the remaining races to Newcastle on Monday 28th March.

Liam O'Loughlin

Liam O'Loughlin Photo

Liam has been with The Sporting News since 2019, helping lead both NRL and cricket content, as well as delving into the world of combat sports and NFL. A true rugby league tragic, he has spent the past 20 years playing, coaching and volunteering for his beloved junior club, Penshurst RSL. 

Away from work, Liam has a lifelong passion for all things pro wrestling and has travelled abroad to attend showcase events for WWE, AEW and NJPW.