Cranbourne meeting abandoned due to track condition
Despite it being a perfect Friday evening in Melbourne’s south-east, Friday night’s meeting at Cranbourne Turf Club has been abandoned due to the state of the track.
The track in itself was rated a Good 4 in the lead-up to the opening event on the eight-race program.
Senior jockey’s riding at the meeting conducted a track inspection and raised concerns over a part of the track in the home straight about 200m out from the winning post.
Despite the firmness of the remainder of the track, the section causing concern was deemed to be in the Heavy range.
With sizeable fields throughout the evening, it was quickly decided that shifting the rail out to avoid the wet ground was not a satisfactory option, thus causing Racing Victoria Stewards to abandon the meeting despite a big crowd on course in attendance.
The reason for the track condition is unknown, but similarly to the Magic Millions debacle on the Gold Coast two weeks ago, the attention of the racing world will turn to the track staff of Cranbourne Turf Club.
ABANDONED MEETING: CRAN from R1 at 6:06 PM – Abandoned Post Weighing Out due to Track Conditions
— RVStewards (@RVStewards) January 27, 2023
Racing Twitter was quick to make their feelings known:
What a cop out for trainers and connections that they can’t deem a track unsafe early in the day until the jockeys review half an hour before the opening race.
Gold Coast, Rockhampton, Cranbourne in the past fortnight – embarrassing
Pretty average for a huge industry. 🐎— Jared Fish (@JaredFish92) January 27, 2023
The Cranbourne Turf Club twitter handle had previously labelled the track as “perfect” a couple of hour prior to the abandonment, but that has since been taken down.
Extremely sorry to advise that the races have been abandoned due to track conditions. The Lee Harding Mystify INXS tribute show will now start at 7.15pm and bars and the bistro will remain open. The club will arrange refunds on Monday. pic.twitter.com/5bnwOiQlB0
— Cranbourne Turf Club (@CranTurfClub) January 27, 2023
Disgraceful the CTC should be ashamed of themselves, people have travelled from the other side of town on a Friday night just to be there and support Deane Lester because it was advertised on radio for last 2 weeks!!! Absolutely disgraceful!! 😡
Cranbourne racetrack managers must arrange track inspections at 10.00am followed by another at 2.00pm. Then if all is fine then another with the jockeys.
They would have found this issue at 10.00am and acted on it or abandon the meeting before 2.00pm.
This would have at least provided notice to lots of disappointed racegoers