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Masterton Racing Club officials are hoping for fine weather and a big crowd for Sunday’s race meeting at Tauherenikau. PHOTO/FILE
TAUHERENIKAU
The Masterton Racing Club are hoping three years of bad luck are behind them and a big crowd will be on course for their annual race meeting at Tauherenikau on Sunday.
Good-sized fields, including a capacity field of 14 for the feature Kuripuni Sports Bar and TAB Masterton Cup, will take to the track in the eight-race programme, which Masterton Racing Club spokesman Ray Southey believes is the best turnout of horses the club has attracted for a long time.
“It’s pretty good, and probably the fields are as good as we’ve had at Tauherenikau numbers-wise, and the crowd, we’ve got a number of sponsors and members going down for the meeting,” Southey said.
“It will be a good day, and we’re expecting a good crowd.”
The club has been dogged by bad luck with meetings at Tauherenikau over the last three years.
In 2020, the meeting went ahead behind closed doors with no crowd because of the onset of the covid-19 restrictions.
The 2021 meeting was called off after one race when She’s A Goddess stumbled at about the 600m mark and dislodged rider Danielle Hirini, and the 2022 meeting was abandoned on the eve of race day after consistent heavy rain had resulted in inconsistencies with the track surface.
The track was rated a ‘Heavy 8’ yesterday, but Southey was confident the track would improve to at least a ‘Slow 6’ by Sunday with mainly fine and windy weather forecast in the lead-up to the meeting.
The $25,000 Masterton Cup, to be raced over 2050m, has attracted a full field of 14 [plus one on the ballot], including two northern raiders – Pinion from the Roger James-Robert Wellwood stable, and Amalfi Prince, one of four horses from the Matamata stable of the premiership leading trainer Mark Walker.
Local trainers are well represented, with eight horses entered. Roger Allen will line up three, including the inconsistent Kahu Rock fresh up in the Masterton Cup, Subtle Tease in race eight for rating 60 horses, and the maiden Showbiz in race five.
Gerald Innes will saddle up Pace Attack in the race two maiden, and Tui Rocks, fresh up over 1000m in race six, the same race as Aaron Bidlake’s hurdler Greystone who is resuming after a six-month layoff.
The first race will leave the starting gates at 12.32pm. There is free entry, and the popular punters’ club will be conducted.
There are also free children’s activities by ‘Miss Twister’ with face painting, balloon designs, and more.
