Wairarapa Racing Club general manager Matt Sherry is confident that improvements made to the Tauherenikau race course will hold the club in good stead for the season ahead.
Sherry also hopes for a change of fortune with the weather after heavy rain forced three meetings in 12 months, including the club’s feature Waitangi Day meeting in February and the Masterton Racing Club’s meeting in March to be abandoned.
That resulted in the club doing extensive work to bring the race course up to the required NZ Thoroughbred Racing standard, and Sherry said the track was ‘looking beautiful’.
“We’ve just installed a new irrigation system down here, and we’re doing everything in our power to have the best possible track we can achieve.
“It absolutely looks stunning. There’s a big investment from the club, and we’re doing it, and that will bode us well
for the future,” Sherry said.
“We haven’t been able to do anything about those weather bombs, and we’ve simply been unlucky with those terrible weather events when no one could run – I think there was one week where four meetings were abandoned in New Zealand and what can you do but just cry.”
Sherry said the track was verti-drained last week to help in getting water away in case of a deluge. However, the weather forecast was promising for Sunday, and the track was rated a ‘Good 4’ yesterday.
Seven races have been carded for Sunday’s meeting, and there has been a good response from sponsors and local supporters, with the marquee village sold out.
