Racing: Southland Racing Club features rescheduled

The Southland Racing Club has applied to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing to reschedule two of the feature races which were not held on Saturday after the meeting was abandoned due to an unsuitable racing surface at Ascot Park.

The $45,000 Southland Guineas is set to be staged at Riccarton next Saturday during the Canterbury Jockey Club meeting.

The $25,000 Invercargill Gold Cup is two be held at the Southland meeting at Ascot Park on March 21.

Doug Stewart, the Southland Racing Manager for Gallop South, said yesterday approaches had been made to Canterbury Racing and the rescheduling of both races only required to be rubber stamped by NZ Thoroughbred Racing.

Two riders expressed concerns over the loose and unstable footing for their mounts from the 800m to the 500m in race three on Saturday.

Remedial work was carried out to realign the running rail over the affected area.

The meeting was put back three races (2 hours).

Several riders in race four advised stewards they had experienced difficulties rounding the bend at the 1400m with clods being thrown back.

It was then decided to abandon the meeting.

Stewart said last night the problem stemmed from irrigation of the track which caused the top two inches to become shifty with the hard pan under it.

Stewart, a farmer, said he believed that watering the track caused the roots of the grass to amass near the surface instead of going deeper in search of dampness as was the case when no irrigation was applied.

"Years ago there was no irrigation of the tracks and we didn't seem to have the problems we are having in recent times."

Trainer Danny O'Brien said Star Witness was a colt with a huge future after he came with a powerful late finishing burst to win the $A1 million Blue Diamond Stakes for 2yr-olds at Caulfield on Saturday, AAP reports.

A $A150,000 purchase at the Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale, Star Witness is a big powerful son of former high-class galloper Starcraft who won five group one races in four countries.

The chestnut is out of the group three-winning Lion Hunter mare Leone Chiara who was trained by O'Brien who has a share in the ownership of the colt.

Ridden by Nick Hall who recorded his third group one success, Star Witness looked as though he was too far back to win on straightening but unleashed an impressive burst to win by a half-neck from Shaaheq with Beneteau, the favourite, the same margin away third.

O'Brien will give him one more race in the Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) on March 6.