Jockey concerns over the surface led to the abandonment of a meeting at Wingatui yesterday.
Only the first race of the scheduled eight was completed.
Jockeys spoke to stipendiary stewards after the race and reported feeling unsafe due to a horse, racing free of interference, shifting at the 1300m mark.
"There was further evidence of horses moving in the ground at the 800m mark," stipendiary steward Mark Davidson said in his report.
"After consultation with jockeys, it was decided to abandon the meeting."
Davidson had walked the track, rated a Soft 5, on Wednesday afternoon and described it as "perfect", Otago Racing Club chairman Murray Acklin said yesterday.
Acklin said jockeys’ representative Terry Moseley described the safety concern as a "50-50" call, but Moseley had to support his fellow jockeys and did not want to take the risk.
"We have to err on the side of caution," Acklin said.
"We’re very disappointed that the meeting was abandoned. But we must take the concerns of the riders very seriously, and take safety into consideration."
Acklin said the Otago club would take a financial hit from the abandonment.
"I can’t say yet exactly what that will be, but there’s no room in the schedule for a replacement meeting."
Two races, an open 1200m ($15,000) and an R65 1800m ($14,000), have been added to the schedule for the Gore meeting on Wednesday.
Wingatui’s next meeting is one of its feature events, Melbourne Cup Day, on November 1.
